"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...
On May 6, 3:31?pm, wrote:
I am trying to negotiate a price for a used sailboat. Is it
appropriate to offer 10% below what they are asking? First time for
this - don't want to offend the seller, but also want to make the best
deal for myself. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks...Cate


Thanks for all the info. Just FYI - it isn't a daysailor - its 27ft.

That's a daysailer. My Swan 68 is a world cruiser. . .

Still waiting for a photo of the purported Swan 68, Ellen . . .oops, I mean
Neal. . . . um, sorry, Wilbur.

Max

wrote:
I am trying to negotiate a price for a used sailboat. ?Is it
appropriate to offer 10% below what they are asking? ?First time for
this - don't want to offend the seller, but also want to make the best
deal for myself. ?Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks...Cate

Thanks for all the info. Just FYI - it isn't a daysailor - its 27ft.

Well that could still be a daysailor. Plenty of open keelboats that
size & bigger (Soling, Atlantic, Shields, etc etc).

Bear in mind that most boats change hands at a price averaging 15%
below the original asking price. When putting together an offer, make
a list of everything that you would want fixed or upgraded on the boat
and price that out; then put together a list of similar boats and find
out what they sold for. Just call up the brokers and ask, if you are
polite & straightforward they will usually be glad to talk with you.
The amount you decide to pay for the boat doesn't necessarily bear any
relation to what the seller wants to get!

Another thing to bear in mind is that an offer is really more than
just a number. There are always conditions attached and those can be
favorable to either buyer or seller- for example, the expiration of
the offer: longer is better for the seller. Closing terms can be
arranged any way you like, as long as the bank's requirements are
satisfied.

Another bit of important advice- choose your own surveyor, not one
recommended by the broker. Then, when he is surveying the boat, spend
the time to go over every inch of the boat with him. This will be a
great learning opportunity even if you don't end up buying the boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
I am trying to negotiate a price for a used sailboat. ?Is it
appropriate to offer 10% below what they are asking? ?First time
for
this - don't want to offend the seller, but also want to make the
best
deal for myself. ?Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks...Cate

Thanks for all the info. Just FYI - it isn't a daysailor - its 27ft.

Well that could still be a daysailor. Plenty of open keelboats that
size & bigger (Soling, Atlantic, Shields, etc etc).

Bear in mind that most boats change hands at a price averaging 15%
below the original asking price. When putting together an offer, make
a list of everything that you would want fixed or upgraded on the boat
and price that out; then put together a list of similar boats and find
out what they sold for. Just call up the brokers and ask, if you are
polite & straightforward they will usually be glad to talk with you.
The amount you decide to pay for the boat doesn't necessarily bear any
relation to what the seller wants to get!

Another thing to bear in mind is that an offer is really more than
just a number. There are always conditions attached and those can be
favorable to either buyer or seller- for example, the expiration of
the offer: longer is better for the seller. Closing terms can be
arranged any way you like, as long as the bank's requirements are
satisfied.

Another bit of important advice- choose your own surveyor, not one
recommended by the broker. Then, when he is surveying the boat, spend
the time to go over every inch of the boat with him. This will be a
great learning opportunity even if you don't end up buying the boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Good Lord, Doug! I understand you are (were) a teacher? Have any of your
students ever managed to stay awake for more than five minutes during
one of your lectures?

Wilbur Hubbard

Wilbur Hubbard wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
I am trying to negotiate a price for a used sailboat. ?Is it
appropriate to offer 10% below what they are asking? ?First time
for
this - don't want to offend the seller, but also want to make the
best
deal for myself. ?Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks...Cate

Thanks for all the info. Just FYI - it isn't a daysailor - its 27ft.

Well that could still be a daysailor. Plenty of open keelboats that
size & bigger (Soling, Atlantic, Shields, etc etc).

Bear in mind that most boats change hands at a price averaging 15%
below the original asking price. When putting together an offer, make
a list of everything that you would want fixed or upgraded on the boat
and price that out; then put together a list of similar boats and find
out what they sold for. Just call up the brokers and ask, if you are
polite & straightforward they will usually be glad to talk with you.
The amount you decide to pay for the boat doesn't necessarily bear any
relation to what the seller wants to get!

Another thing to bear in mind is that an offer is really more than
just a number. There are always conditions attached and those can be
favorable to either buyer or seller- for example, the expiration of
the offer: longer is better for the seller. Closing terms can be
arranged any way you like, as long as the bank's requirements are
satisfied.

Another bit of important advice- choose your own surveyor, not one
recommended by the broker. Then, when he is surveying the boat, spend
the time to go over every inch of the boat with him. This will be a
great learning opportunity even if you don't end up buying the boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Good Lord, Doug! I understand you are (were) a teacher? Have any of your
students ever managed to stay awake for more than five minutes during
one of your lectures?

Not Doug's fault if your attention span falls left of 3 std deviations from
the mean....

PDW

wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
I am trying to negotiate a price for a used sailboat. ?Is it
appropriate to offer 10% below what they are asking? ?First time for
this - don't want to offend the seller, but also want to make the best
deal for myself. ?Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks...Cate

Thanks for all the info. Just FYI - it isn't a daysailor - its 27ft.

Well that could still be a daysailor. Plenty of open keelboats that
size & bigger (Soling, Atlantic, Shields, etc etc).

Bear in mind that most boats change hands at a price averaging 15%
below the original asking price. When putting together an offer, make
a list of everything that you would want fixed or upgraded on the boat
and price that out; then put together a list of similar boats and find
out what they sold for. Just call up the brokers and ask, if you are
polite & straightforward they will usually be glad to talk with you.
The amount you decide to pay for the boat doesn't necessarily bear any
relation to what the seller wants to get!

Another thing to bear in mind is that an offer is really more than
just a number. There are always conditions attached and those can be
favorable to either buyer or seller- for example, the expiration of
the offer: longer is better for the seller. Closing terms can be
arranged any way you like, as long as the bank's requirements are
satisfied.

Another bit of important advice- choose your own surveyor, not one
recommended by the broker. Then, when he is surveying the boat, spend
the time to go over every inch of the boat with him. This will be a
great learning opportunity even if you don't end up buying the boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King




Not sure if anyone has said it but time on the market is also a factor. The
longer the better generally is best for the buyer. It gives the seller more
motivation to accept a realistic offer. I just saw a boat I was looking at a
while ago drop from $62K asking to $55K asking (key word asking).


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Cate,

It does depend a lot on how the boat is being sold and what kind & model
boat it is.

I sold my boat, a Gulf 29, which is a very desirable boat right now. It
went on the market for $30,000.00.

The First buyer offered the 10% figure, which would have left me with a
20% value. I said no to that price.

Before the buyer could make another offer another buy met the asking
price, which I accepted. With the Brokers 10% I got $27,000.00.