Lack of Broker Response?

G

Golfman25

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2009
7,735
IL
Boat Info
1998 370 Sundancer
Engines
7.4 MPI
Do brokers ever "blackball" a boat/client? That is, take the listing, but just don't put any effort into selling it.

I have been looking for quite some time. Seen a boat online listed for a year. Quite far, so haven't inquired. Had a price reduction, and since pickin's are slim in my area, I decided to reach out. So far I have:

1) Done the click for information on boat trader
2) Done the click for information on yacht world
3) Done the click for information on the broker website
4) Directly Emailed the named broker at his email address listed on their website
5) Called the broker's number, left message
6) Called the office number, spoke to a human, confirmed broker's name, left message with the human.
7) Found the listing on craigslist -- contacted thru craigslist.

Is it just me or does it seem these guys aren't interested in selling this boat?
 
Maybe they are testing just how interested you are in the boat.

More seriously, that is ridiculous.
 
Boat sold and listing not removed? Had that happen to me more than once.
 
M Prod said:
Boat sold and listing not removed? Had that happen to me more than once.
Click to expand...
Price was reduced a month ago. They could at least say it's sold, like everyone else does. :)
 
yeah what he said, craigslist, facebook, brokers, seen boats listed for 5 years that were gone years ago. its the internet love it or hate it, nothing ever goes away, or is deleted.
 
I'd forget pursuing that boat for sure. Even if you did get thru thru to the broker and found it was still available, can you imagine working with a guy like that! I feel for the seller stuck in an exclusive listing contract. I would never sign one for longer than six months myself.
Good luck with your continued search.
Carpe Diem
 
Golfman25 said:
Do brokers ever "blackball" a boat/client? That is, take the listing, but just don't put any effort into selling it.

I have been looking for quite some time. Seen a boat online listed for a year. Quite far, so haven't inquired. Had a price reduction, and since pickin's are slim in my area, I decided to reach out. So far I have:

1) Done the click for information on boat trader
2) Done the click for information on yacht world
3) Done the click for information on the broker website
4) Directly Emailed the named broker at his email address listed on their website
5) Called the broker's number, left message
6) Called the office number, spoke to a human, confirmed broker's name, left message with the human.
7) Found the listing on craigslist -- contacted thru craigslist.

Is it just me or does it seem these guys aren't interested in selling this boat?
Click to expand...

I repeated the above process with 5 boats when shopping for my 400 in 2017. Only 2 of the 5 brokers ever called me back (or somewhere thereabouts). The icing on the cake for me was a voicemail I left with a broker listing a boat in the VERY SAME marina that the boat I ended up buying was in. I said "hey, I'll be in the area on Saturday looking at another 400 just down the docks and would love to take a look at yours. I can be available most of the afternoon. Please call me back". And that was a weeks notice +/-.

I don't know how you would go about finding a good broker. But my experience leads me to believe 60% or more are worthless :)
 
Stee6043 said:
I repeated the above process with 5 boats when shopping for my 400 in 2017. Only 2 of the 5 brokers ever called me back (or somewhere thereabouts). The icing on the cake for me was a voicemail I left with a broker listing a boat in the VERY SAME marina that the boat I ended up buying was in. I said "hey, I'll be in the area on Saturday looking at another 400 just down the docks and would love to take a look at yours. I can be available most of the afternoon. Please call me back". And that was a weeks notice +/-.

I don't know how you would go about finding a good broker. But my experience leads me to believe 60% or more are worthless :)
Click to expand...


That's a low estimate.......:eek:
 
I feel lucky given the experiences posted in this thread. I work with a couple of guys in a Silver Seas office out of Sausalito that are great! I bought the boat thru them and listed it a year ago when we were ready to pull the trigger on a bigger boat and they had an offer and Sea Trial scheduled inside of two weeks. Deal fell out because the buyer was a real peach and we had a change of heart so we cancelled the listing. Our broker though continues to call me when boats in our wheel house come up locally and he even spends time showing me boats that he knows I won't bite on just to help me continue to narrow the field. He knows that someday the right boat will pop and he will will have his pay day. Every brokerage has a deal or a salesman that goes sideways and we all know that negative experience gets more widely distributed than the positive ones but if anyone needs some help selling or buying a boat out West I'll gladly offer a referral.
Carpe Diem
 
IMHO I think some of the broker problems are brought on by the buyers/sellers themself. Not a boat broker but too many times I've done way to much work and never been paid for it. Need to find a broker you can work with and then work with them. Loyalty means a lot, too many seem to forget that and just run from salesperson to salesperson thinking they are going to get the best deal around by doing that. Just my two cents worth.
 
I have a good story, I am basically retired and work as a part time broker for a very reputable company. I treat all calls and emails with utmost urgency. Many years ago, before I was a broker, We were looking for a 500 Sundancer. There was one listed in Ft Lauderdale, so I called and got voicemail, left a message and then sent an email. No response, a week later I called and emailed we would be in south Florida the following week and are still interested. No response. We went to Ft Lauderdale that week and called again, told him we were in Ft Lauderdale and want to look. No response. I wish we could have found the seller to let him know. That boat was on Yachtworld for another year with the price being lowered 2 or 3 times. There really are some lousy brokers, but not all. When selling a boat, interview, because you really are hiring a salesperson for you.
 
It amazes me that with all the communication tools we have today, that communication can be so lousy.
 
bahamabreisus said:
I have a good story, I am basically retired and work as a part time broker for a very reputable company. I treat all calls and emails with utmost urgency. Many years ago, before I was a broker, We were looking for a 500 Sundancer. There was one listed in Ft Lauderdale, so I called and got voicemail, left a message and then sent an email. No response, a week later I called and emailed we would be in south Florida the following week and are still interested. No response. We went to Ft Lauderdale that week and called again, told him we were in Ft Lauderdale and want to look. No response. I wish we could have found the seller to let him know. That boat was on Yachtworld for another year with the price being lowered 2 or 3 times. There really are some lousy brokers, but not all. When selling a boat, interview, because you really are hiring a salesperson for you.
Click to expand...

I have a similar story about a boat that was in Hilton Head - I had called and we were there on vacation. What else did I have to do - I looked up the boat using the USCG site and contacted the owner and told him that his broker was AWOL. Suddenly I got a call from the broker ripping my ass, I shared that with the owner as well, hopefully he ditched the broker soon after. I never saw the boat so I bought the one I have now soon after
 
All's Well said:
I have a similar story about a boat that was in Hilton Head - I had called and we were there on vacation. What else did I have to do - I looked up the boat using the USCG site and contacted the owner and told him that his broker was AWOL. Suddenly I got a call from the broker ripping my ass, I shared that with the owner as well, hopefully he ditched the broker soon after. I never saw the boat so I bought the one I have now soon after
Click to expand...
So would you recommend contacting the owner? I might have found some old contact info online.
 
Nothing ventured nothing gained. I personally would make sure I opened the conversation with it’s not your intention to go around the listing contract but rather focus on the lack of service from the broker.
When my boat fell out of contract last year, two weeks later I got a note in the mail from the buyer asking me to sell to him cutting out the broker. I told him to pound sand. I found out later that the guy did this three times!
CD
 
Funny timing... Today I received a follow up call from a broker that has a Carver 564 my wife and I looked at last year when we were marketing our boat and looking to move up. He was just reaching out to see where we were in our boat quest. We had I nice conversation and I told him what we were now looking for and that the 564 was no longer on our wish list. This guy has called me a few times just to let me know the boat is still available and the owner is motivated to move it. It just struck me as funny as this thread is filled mostly with stories of lethargic brokers and sales men happy to sit on a listing. The thing keeping this boat from selling is actually an unrealistic owner that bought a boat with issues and doesn't seem to want to fix them but still wants market for it.
CD
 
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