Want To Buy: Sailboat in Florida or Gulf Area

[Wannafish]

Originally Posted by bljones

Berg, if i was in your shoes, i'd pull the trigger on this one.
1977 hunter hunter sailboat for sale in Florida

They sure painted the prop a pretty color...

[Bergovoy]

typical painting mentality.. if it dont move out of the way, it gets painted...

[RTB]

I just saw this one and thought I'd mention it. JM Yachts is reputable, and the boat is just in front of mine. At least there is one to see in the Kemah area if you make it here.

1983 33' Hunter for sale in Clear Lake Shores, Texas USA

[Bergovoy]

cool, its a little above my privce line but who knows...

If your boat is across form this one, would you like to get together???

Please send me a pm with some contact info and i will call you when i get a day outside of kemah...

I guess that would be right after i cross the texas boarder or so... damn long/big state

[Sailmonkey]

Berg,
That boat is not above your price range, That's where you're screwing up with your search. A boat like that listed at 17k will (unless it's like a new boat) will sell roughly @12k or less. Expand your searches to include boats up to about 18-20K and a lot of stuff will pop up.

[Bergovoy]

i thought i asked this question before... how much 'latitude'/leeway is there in negotiations... and yes, i know there isnt a hard/fast rule and everything is different yada yada...

but i anticipated little to no leeway/negotiations with a broker.. maybe a $1-2k thats it...

Maybe $2-3k on a private sale...

If you think there is a 30-45% wiggle room then yea, i will up the search perameters.

My reason for being stingy on the negotiations is that 1. i hate negotiations, 2. i dont want to waste my time, and thiers.

Each month i dont buy a boat, i can save about $2k... +/- depending on how much it costs to drive across the country, and how much rent is where ever it is i end up..

but, i dont really want to wait, and or buy a bigger/more expensive boat. I do want to do stuff on my own...

[Sailmonkey]

I've bought two boat through brokers, the first was listed at 13K, I paid less than 6. The second was listed at 33k, we paid less than 18k. There's a lot of wiggle room, and there is really very little negotiating. You make an offer, if they like it, it's done. The broker has no say one way or another, it's up to the owner what they want to take for the boat.

[Bergovoy]

does an offer have to be accompanied with a good faith payment/deposit? and if the deal doesnt go thru how long to get the money back, or is the check just held and not deposited?

having my money tied up by someone who kinda drags his feet in returning it would be a bummer...

If i can look at $20k boats and offer and get them for $10-15k then i am in like flint...'cept i will have to start re looking at boats again...

[Sailmonkey]

Generally a check is held in escrow, if either party pulls the plug, the check is returned at that time. You have more to lose by not looking at 20k boats than you have to gain by looking at 10k boats.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Generally a check is held in escrow, if either party pulls the plug, the check is returned at that time. You have more to lose by not looking at 20k boats than you have to gain by looking at 10k boats.

Or.... just block the cheque... simple as that...

[boatman61]

Try this for size... max $15K offer... excellent and very strong sea boat... owned and lived aboard a Longbow (the sloop version) for 3 1/2yrs cruising Med and Atlantic Islands... great sailors.. ask any Brit... and they're built like tanks. Look like a VW camper on top but the Laurent Giles hull makes her a slippery little lass..
This is the ketch version with aft cabin... great for storage... or guests you don't want to stay for to long..

[Bergovoy]

which boat are you talking about?

[Doodles]

I bought two boats over the last couple years and both times got between 20 and 15% off the listed price. Its all over the place depending on boat, condition, owner's need to sell, etc. And yes, you of course need to make a good faith deposit. If you work with a good broker you should have no problem getting it back in a timely fashion. Or, as boatman61 suggest you can block the check but that assumes it hasn't been cashed. Mine required a wire transfer into the escrow account so a block doesn't work in that situation.

[Bergovoy]

i wouldnt mind a deposit with a broker, but how about a seller i dont know? at a dock i dont know, with a boat that may or may not be his?

i think someone mentioned an escrow service? anyone know a name or link to one?

If i knew more and or had boatman or RTB or Sailingmonkey with me, i would buy the boat right then and there... cash on the spot... but, figuring it would take a week to arrange an inspection and haulout and whatever else, there would be a huge probablility of the check being cashed by then...

that plus all my 'checks' will be out of state from a WELLS FARGO bank.. and i dont think there are any WF banks on that side of teh country...

[Sailmonkey]

If you're doing a private party transaction for a low cost boat, generally you don't put up escrow monies. A 15k boat is a lot like buying a used car from a private party. Only when using a broker do you put up escrow.
There are Wells Fargo banks in TX