What is going on with Florida brokers

[scargo]

Lately, I contacted 3 different brokers from 3 different brokerage companies for 3 different boats ... almost the same behavior for all 3 of them.


1- I sent an email, while sailing up north, to a FL broker who has a boat that was sitting for sale for more than a year. Did not reply back. I sent a second email ~10 days later. No answer. I got back home, a month and a half later, and called him on his cell phone. He answered "Oh! that boat ? I have a contract on her".
The boat is now in "Sale pending" status, 3 months after the first email contact.



2- I sent an email, I sent a message through the company website contact form, I called but couldn't leave a message because voice mailbox is full. I sent a text message (SMS). I sent an email to the company Customer Relations Assistant asking if anyone could help. No answer.
The boat is still for sale after a couple of price reductions. The boat is for sale for at least a 1.5 years



3- Last week, I called the main phone number of a brokerage company, the assistant found me a broker who was hanging around. I asked info on a boat that came back on the market after a few months off and a Sale pending status that lasted a few weeks.
"Oh! Ah! that boat. Hmmm! I think you should call the broker (he gave his name and according to their website that guy is the Boss) directly he would give you more information than I could"
He gave me his cell phone number. I called him. No answer and voice mailbox is full, so I couldn't leave him a message. So, I sent him a text message with my name, phone number and the boat I am interested in. No answer.
The boat is still for sale.


Are FL brokers only interested on local buyers ? Or there's something else I am missing or something bad I am doing ?

[thomm225]

It's not just Florida plus you have to remember Brokers are overloaded with lots of meaningless calls from folks just thinking of buying.

Anyway, I emailed on 3 boats for sale on Yacht World about three weeks ago.

In a few days, I found out they had all been sold or had contracts on them........

Two were Ericson 38's and one Ericson 35.

[Jolly Roger]

My experience in buying my boat was the same, ten years ago, so nothing’s changed. Most of them are not what you could call, “professional,” but then that word had been denigrated about as much as “Deluxe,” or “affordable,” here in America. “Useless” might be a more accurate term.
The thing to do is find a boat “by owner” and not only will you, (probably), get a more attentive seller, but also save the commission, which I strongly resented paying for my boat.
What you should also have done in your post is name the brokers. If what you say is legit’ there’s no offense, and it might shake them up a bit, if the owner of the boats reads about the way his boat is being “marketed.”

[sailorboy1]

If you are going buy a boat listed with a broker you should a buyer broker and have them make the calls

[scargo]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

If you are going buy a boat listed with a broker you should a buyer broker and have them make the calls

Sailorboy, I tried that too. A broker based in the BVI who was recommended to me by a common Facebook friend. I sent him the exact boats I was looking for. He started by sending me boats he was listing which I refused. So I started sending him YW listings, even then it took him time to get back to me or even to contact the listing broker.
One day, a few months later, I got an email from him saying he has moved to Grenada where is in a quarantine hotel and he offered to spend a week or so for me to find a boat. I just replied saying that I need more than a week of quarantine time to find the right boat and thanked him for his offer.


Plus I know, that sometimes, some brokers hate sharing their commission.



Ideally, the right thing to do is to buy directly from the owners. If only they can be a little bit less emotional.

[sailingabe41ds]

Last year I had a horrible experience trying to buy a Jeanneu 45ds from Seattle. Took months ...the broker was an A...hole. Arrogant, take it or leave it attitude. I finally gave up and bought a Jeanneu 41DS through a guy name Ian in San Diego. He was great...returns calls, very informative, he has his sh#t together. I still call him every once in a while asking questions about the boat...and always responds within 1/2 hour.
These brokers are stupid...things may be good for them now but when hard times hit we will remember those who treated us nice and those who did not.
Abe

[Zzmeyer]

I’m guessing you mean Ian Van Tuyl. Over the years I’ve done three transactions with him. He is great. I would suggest finding a good broker may be as important as finding a good boat. As others have suggested there are lots of lousy ones. I’d recommend a deep dive in finding the right broker. Ian found my latest boat for me. When I went to sell my catamaran I got the best broker in Florida. He said he would sell it in a week as he new every serious buyer who had a serious broker. It never got listed and was sold in a week.

[Networker]

Originally Posted by Zzmeyer

I’m guessing you mean Ian Van Tuyl. Over the years I’ve done three transactions with him. He is great. I would suggest finding a good broker may be as important as finding a good boat. As others have suggested there are lots of lousy ones. I’d recommend a deep dive in finding the right broker. Ian found my latest boat for me. When I went to sell my catamaran I got the best broker in Florida. He said he would sell it in a week as he new every serious buyer who had a serious broker. It never got listed and was sold in a week.

Ian does really good and entertaining boat tour videos that he lists on YouTube too. Great broker.

[Chotu]

“Voice mailbox is full” is your primary clue here.

They are inundated and can’t keep up.

You need to go TO Florida and get in front of their faces to get attention.

[redneckrob]

I had some luck telling brokers I was on a trip specifically to look at boats on (insert date about 7-10 days away) coming down from Annapolis and would like to look at (inset specific boat) preferably between (inset specific day and time range). If you decide to make that trip is, of course, entirely up to you.That breaks through to about half of them, the other half can't be bothered to do their job even when you do fly 1000 miles specifically to see the boat they're listing.

Boat brokers as a group have to be the least professional group I've ever had the displeasure to work with, not much to be done about it other than, as others have suggested, find a private seller or get lucky and get one of the few good brokers. I have also noticed that I had better luck with brand new guys than the more experienced ones. They seem to be willing to do at least the minimum for a $250k boat, as opposed to the guys who apparently think it's not worth their time for anything but the highest end of the market.

[Stewie12]

Business is booming and they have become complacent. Simple as that.

[sail sfbay]

Bought many sai and power boats over the years in California and never had that response. Long shot...........can you get a broker to represent you and have them contact the seller's broker?

[Panacea2183]

Originally Posted by scargo

Lately, I contacted 3 different brokers from 3 different brokerage companies for 3 different boats ... almost the same behavior for all 3 of them.


1- I sent an email, while sailing up north, to a FL broker who has a boat that was sitting for sale for more than a year. Did not reply back. I sent a second email ~10 days later. No answer. I got back home, a month and a half later, and called him on his cell phone. He answered "Oh! that boat ? I have a contract on her".
The boat is now in "Sale pending" status, 3 months after the first email contact.



2- I sent an email, I sent a message through the company website contact form, I called but couldn't leave a message because voice mailbox is full. I sent a text message (SMS). I sent an email to the company Customer Relations Assistant asking if anyone could help. No answer.
The boat is still for sale after a couple of price reductions. The boat is for sale for at least a 1.5 years



3- Last week, I called the main phone number of a brokerage company, the assistant found me a broker who was hanging around. I asked info on a boat that came back on the market after a few months off and a Sale pending status that lasted a few weeks.
"Oh! Ah! that boat. Hmmm! I think you should call the broker (he gave his name and according to their website that guy is the Boss) directly he would give you more information than I could"
He gave me his cell phone number. I called him. No answer and voice mailbox is full, so I couldn't leave him a message. So, I sent him a text message with my name, phone number and the boat I am interested in. No answer.
The boat is still for sale.


Are FL brokers only interested on local buyers ? Or there's something else I am missing or something bad I am doing ?

I’m using Dave Raftery (Curtis Stokes) very pleased W/service based in Ft Myers

[disputin]

Originally Posted by Zzmeyer

I’m guessing you mean Ian Van Tuyl. Over the years I’ve done three transactions with him. He is great. I would suggest finding a good broker may be as important as finding a good boat. As others have suggested there are lots of lousy ones. I’d recommend a deep dive in finding the right broker. Ian found my latest boat for me. When I went to sell my catamaran I got the best broker in Florida. He said he would sell it in a week as he new every serious buyer who had a serious broker. It never got listed and was sold in a week.

Ian was the selling broker for the boat I purchased in February (with a buyer's broker) he was great!

[sepharad]

I wonder if this is a similar phenomenon to Realtors racing to get listings, then sitting back and letting others do the work of selling. They still get their cut but at a fraction of the labor. No showing boats, no doing papers, just list?