Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place?

[DMage]

Been looking for a 89-91 390EC for the past several months, and I cannot tell you how many issues I have had with private sellers or brokers! I've been scouring craigslist, ebay, yachtworld, boattrader, etc looking at ads and emailing/calling sellers or their brokers.

70% of the time they are *unable* to produce any more than the most basic 'yes it is a boat' answer. I've done my homework and want to know if: there are any visible leaks on the headliners, where they are located, if the fresh water tank has been replaced, if it has was any damage found/replaced below, any blisters on the hull and how frequent they are repaired, when was the last engine maintenance done, if there was a recent survey done, etc.

For the 30% that CAN give me more information, only about half of that group actually sends over more detailed pictures when requested.

Am I being unrealistic in my request for information? I do not want to pay a surveyor to go out to tell me that a boat is crap that could have been determined from a decent photograph. Most of the time the pictures on boattrader and equivalent sites are the worst quality thumbnails you've ever seen. Any boat can look good when the photo is the size of a postage stamp.

I am looking at boats outside my general area and am willing to pay to have it shipped. I am also willing to fly to see a boat if its 'the one'. But, at the very least, I need those selling the boats to be somewhat interested. Its not like I am buying a generic $20 product sight unseen, these are boats listed from $30k - $70k.

Am I alone in this? Has anyone else experienced this looking at older boats? Any advice?

 

[just me]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Yes , i had to call the broker for 30 days just to get him to call the seller , once i started to talk to the seller everything went great .Advice ? really dont know what to tell ya , a broker will or a broker wont.

 

[moparlvr4406]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

I would rather have a non response than the flat out lies I have been told about the late 80s 340da's and ec's I have been GOING to look at.
lack of response in my mind means they are hiding something when you ask specific questions

 

[tdschafer]

Yup. Life is one big tool bag filled with a lot of tools! This problem goes both ways. My friend is selling his boat now & I can't tell you how many times his broker has called and said "Start cleaning it out. The deal is as good as done!" only to have it continuously fall through. You also get a lot of tire kickers and dreamers on Craigslist. So don't feel bad, sellers are getting jerked too!

 

[Xplicitlnck]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

The're is one at my Marina if your interested I can help you out with pics and mechanics If you'd like. I know the broker well and I can get aboard aanytime. Looks pretty clean from the outsidenever seen it with the cover off lemme know

 

[Xplicitlnck]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Forgot to put te link up http://www.algroversmarine.com/brokframe.htm

 

[AKBASSKING]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Some of the stuff you are asking would be found on a survey but I understand why you want the info up front. Some brokers are looking for that down payment so if problems are found you might not back out....

 

[fwebster]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

There is a difference between asking general question prior to seeing the boat and in doing due diligence. Being an informed and knowledgeable buyer is great, but some of your questions are due diligence questions that you will most likely never get answered before you show the broker you are serious by entering into a contract and making a deposit. Once you do have a contract and a deposit and agreement with the seller, then you are in a position to require any of the information you requested provided you have contingencies in your contract to support it.

 

[tdschafer]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Frank,
I agree that some of his requests are pretty detailed but he's saying most replies are basically "It's a boat". How do you ever move forward on that info? When I was looking a few years back, I had asked the dealer out of state for pictures of the engines since my mechanic had asked to see them before we went to CT to look at the boat. I was promised them for a couple of months but they never appeared. Finally I called to say I was heading there to take them myself. They said the boat was available and I was welcome to do that. The next day I arrived and the boat had been sold, the day before!!! What a waste of time!! If you advertise on the net, the least you can do is supply a fair amount of photo's and pertinent information if you want someone to buy your item from outside the local community.

 

[DMage]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Thanks Xplicitlnck for the link. At this point I am focusing on diesel powered, but I appreciate the info!

Frank - I appreciate the info and the thoughts on how brokers minds might be working. I am also, being on Craigslist, dealing with some sellers directly. I went to view one boat through a broker and talked to the seller for a few hours about their craft in detail. If the seller has the info and is willing to discuss it, it definitely feels like the brokers are hiding something if they can't get answers to even the most basic questions. Coming from classic cars when I have them up for sale or are buying them, if someone tells me "I won't tell you what maintenance has been done or repairs made over the life of the car until you spend hours working up a contract and putting down a deposit, and only then can your mechanic look at it" that just doesn't fly.

To me, there should be some pretty basic things needed to sell a boat: 1 - GOOD pictures of the boat. 2 - details on any repairs and maintenance. 3 - responsive to inquiries (I've emailed asking about seeing a boat or if its still available and never received responses). Decent quality pictures would be able to even answer two of my items on the list - any leaking/mold on the headliner and where its from (windows, windshield, etc).

If it comes down to me having to put down a deposit and get a survey to get answers, I am willing to do it on a boat I am very interested in. I will also be very upfront with the broker/seller - if they can't answer my questions prior and they come up on a survey, I will be backing out. The way things are going it seems like it will take a *long* time to find one that has decent info posted, and responsive brokers or sellers. Now I see why several people mentioned on this site they have shopped for years to find the perfect boat! :grin:

 

[fwebster]

Re: Uncooperative sellers & brokers - something I am doing wrong or just common place

Well, I'm just telling you how this industry works........good luck changing it.

You are looking for a 20 year old boat worth relatively low commission $ to the broker. A listing broker may have to split his commission several times on a boat, so a $50,000 may net $5000 total commission, by the time it is split with a selling broker and the owner of the brokerage gets is cut, the guy you are talking to on the phone may net $900-$1200. Like it or not, you are just not going to get the broker to work as hard on that $50K sale as he might on a $500,000 boat.

I've done this a few times, and what works best is to tell the broker you are interested in a particular listing, but you are going to have to travel from Canada to see the boat. Then ask the broker if he has seen the boat in person, are the photos are current and can he get you a few photos of specific areas you want to see, like engines, generator, panel, headliner and sidewalls. But, leave out questions that he can only know with a haul out. Also leave out any questions that even the FBI or CIA couldn't possibly know, like how many blisters and how were they fixed. They mark you as a buyer who will be too picky to invest time in. You'll get a feel for whether or not the boat is worth investing travel in or not.

Good luck with it...........