I can't say for sure about all, but I can say for sure that the ones I
encountered, with a few exceptions, in my search, were all honest,
caring folks.

Now, that may be a product of my doing nearly all of the work
beforehand, and delivering a spreadsheet of the boats, geographically
oriented, that I wanted to see, to each broker.

However, most also wanted to know what my objectives and
limitations/parameters/specifications were, and did their best to
present boats they thought met my needs.

I can say categorically (there may well be others, of course) that the
best and most professional broker I met was Frank Gary, of Bristol
Yacht Sales in Annapolis. I met him as a result of working with the
single *worst* example of a broker I encountered, who dumped me on
Friday night, to fend for myself on the weekend, in a hotel, rather
than out looking at boats as he'd said he would, because they were on
the other side of the river. He's also the one who said, "If you don't
buy that boat, not only are you stupid but I have no further use for
you!" about a boat which was under contract (his) but not closing yet
due to some potential problems (offer-counter, still active).

So, in the same market, I found the two extremes. However, he's the
exception. Nearly any other broker I worked with was satisfactory;
many were exemplary.

Do an interview before choosing a broker. Use one who will be your
buyer's agent rather than the listing broker, as that one won't have a
vested interest in pushing one boat over another...

And, as others have said, do your own homework. Use the broker as a
convenience tool to get you on as many boats as possible...


L8R

Skip, working on the boat

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Believe me, my young friend, there is *nothing*-absolutely
nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing,
messing-about-in-boats; messing about in boats-or *with* boats.
In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter,
that's the charm of it.
Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your
destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never
get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in
particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to
do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."