Buyer's Broker

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Doodles

Yes true, but good brokers get a lot of referral business and referrals come from satisfied customers. My boat is in the Annapolis, MD/Chesapeake Bay area and a lot of people come here looking for boats. I see people often posting threads here on CF looking for a broker referral and the same names usually pop up. Those guys are good and get a lot of referral business. It may or may not be repeat business but its business that comes to them freely. I've bought two boats over the last 5 years, and I used the same broker. He was recommended to me by a satisfied client and I have since referred others to him because he took good care of me.

So using this guy as your buyers broker is pretty well standard procedure for you now?

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

So using this guy as your buyers broker is pretty well standard procedure for you now?

Absolutely! If I were in the market again.

He saved me a lot of pain and aggravation. We had to wrestle over one issue once but we understand each other well and I value his service.

[Nomad57]

Thank you all, (OK, mostly all...) for your kind replies. I did not mean to start a firestorm. The reason I asked the question in the first place, is that I have made a few calls about boats that I have seen on Yachtworld, and some of the information I have gotten in response to those calls seems a little self-serving.

I'm not an expert, especially when it comes to sailboats (when it comes to sailboats, I'm pretty much a noob), but I have a good instinct for when something doesn't ring true, especially if it is at variance with something I already know. I was born during the night, but not last night.

The broker that I know gives me straight answers when I ask a question, and I have not known him to be dissembling even once. This is in marked contrast, to what I have experienced when speaking with other brokers.

I ought to clarify, my broker is some 90 miles away, whereas the brokers for the boats we are considering are closer, at 15 and 41 miles, respectively.

Nomad

[tartansail]

I used a broker I knew and trusted to help us both buy and sell. The double transaction may not be relevant to your situation, but he offered to cut his commission on the sale since he was helping with both sides. At the end of the day, he worked much harder for less money to sell my old boat than to help me buy the new one.

The broker's access to prior sales information, his willingness to screen boats and his relationship with the other brokers all made the process much easier than doing it alone. The pricing and time on the market of comparable boats was very helpful in developing a negotiating strategy. Since the commission is split, there is no additional cost for the buyer. I expect that, in the rare situation where multiple buyers are trying to buy a boat, the seller's broker will try to sell to a direct buyer to preserve the full commission. Frankly, in this market, that's not going to be a common problem. YMMV, but I would certainly use the same broker if I was in the market again.

[pullord]

Originally Posted by Doodles

Sorry but I'm afraid your reputation precedes you.

As for "Any thoughts?" ... yea, you should get back on your meds ASAP.

--Yea i am going to retire this {pullord} handle soon as i borrowed it to ruin it from some other net user that offended me..As im on wi-fi through remote router{modem} i can also change ISP{internet service provider} with a couple of clicks as well. so have a nice day. a song by Bon Jovi.I can find my own surveyor in croatia if required. Cheers