Fsbo

[mitiempo]

I have purchased 8 boats in my life. I have one currently so I have sold 7.

Once a boat is found that you like an agreement is reached on price, after negotiation, and subject to survey and test sail usually. A deposit may or may not be made but there is a signed contract. The survey, paid for by the buyer as the surveyor is his agent, may show up nothing, or issues from minor to deal breakers. It is up to the buyer to determine how serious these issues are. If the buyer decides to go ahead he may renegotiate depending on how serious he believes the problems are. Surveys use non destructive methods. Sometimes a specific issue will crop up that may require removal of something on the boat for further inspection and this would be done after agreement is reached between the buyer and seller.
The test sail if it is a production boat is more formality from a sailing point of view in my opinion, as the boat's performance should be known from research done beforehand. It is however important to show the condition of the propulsion system and other equipment where the condition and operation can only be determined under way. However on a custom boat or one-off a test sail is often the only way to gauge performance.

[Minnewaska]

Dealing with a stubborn FSBO is like wrestling a pig in the mud. You have to remember that the pig likes it.

Couple of other observations on the dialogue. Test sails are important, they can reveal problems with rigging or hidden ones with running gear. On my last boat, we had no idea that the electric cabin top winch had a problem until the test sail. It came on/off at the dock, but quick died under load. Further, for my dollar, sail condition can only be truly inspected while sailing.

Wherever possible, the test sail should take place during the survey and should not include the owner. Many are reluctant to send their boat off with a surveyor and should hire a trusted captain for an hour instead or make the buyer pay for one. Owners often make the buyer uncomfortable and they leave with the feeling that they didn't get to see all they wanted to see. Uncomfortable buyers don't write checks.

[omaho5]

I'm relieved to know that others suffer this fate, too. I was born with a generous "bone" in my body and will always negotiate in good faith with people. ran a good business in this manner and still did well.
Never the less, I have run into people like this old bastard so many times. They MUST win everything and if you get screwed, so much the better.
Keep this person at a distance and buy a boat from a person that is a pleasure to conduct the transaction.

[eherlihy]

I am surprised that this thread has come back to life. I guess that it raises an issue that is near and dear to all of us; not getting screwed. Because I kicked off this thread, I thought that I should weigh in on another FSBO experience that I had prior to FINALLY buying my boat.

I found an ad in Craigslist for a model that I was interested in. I contacted the seller, and he invited me to view the boat at the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion Mass. I joined him at the agreed upon time, and he rowed me out to his boat, which he kept on a mooring. He pointed out several of the improvements that were made to the boat, described how he and his family used her, and then offered to take me for a sail. He also pointed out several things that he wished to improve if he were keeping the boat.

I was very surprised at his offer, as I had predominantly been dealing with brokers. My experience with brokers was that you could look through the vessel, but not start the engine, or hoist the sails. This guy and I had a nice, albeit short, sail. I insisted that we head back because I didn't want to tie up his time, and the Buzzards Bay Regatta was returning to the yacht club that we left from.

After the sail, I bought him a beer, and we discussed sailing in general and the festivities that were about to begin. His daughter, who worked at the club, saw to it that we were both treated well while we were there. I felt like an honored guest, and was invited to stay. I was not going to make an offer on the day that I saw the boat, and definitely not after two beers. He did not pressure me to do so either.

The next day I made an offer of $4K less than he was asking for his boat. He said that he would have to think about it. Two days after our sail, he called to tell me that he had reached an agreement with another buyer for $1K less than he was asking. He was NOT asking me to counter, but he was providing me with information that would help me with my buying decision going forward.

In short this was a GREAT experience, and I wish that we had come to agreeable terms. However, now that I own a similar boat, I realize that I made the correct decision.

The success of an FSBO depends entirely on the owner that is selling the boat. When working through a broker, he mitigates the owner's impact on the sale, and this can help the sale process (as in the case of the FSBO that started this thread), or not.