Is there professional buyer help in California

kldzx9r · #1 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

I have been searching boats for sale for a couple months now on the internet and I am ready to go look at boats in California. I was told there are advantages to buying a boat in CA because it is a good state for consumber protection and that brokers are bound by law to take good care of buyers. I don't mean to side-track my question on this issue so let me just say I was told this and it sounded good to hear. I have about 20 boats for sale that I may be interested in. Some seem to be priced way too low and may need repairs. Some have lots of terrific accessories. I do plan to have the boat surveyed before making an offer. I certainly do appreciate this forum but I can't bear to keep asking questions to narrow down 20 boats and I don't think that would be appreciated. I was told in a previous thread there may be a broker for the seller and the buyer may have his own broker as well. My prospective boats to buy are along a distance of a thousand miles so I really don't think a broker would care to drive around with me for a few days even if we used my car and gas. I think also if I asked one broker what he thought of boats that were too far for him to drive to he would not be interested to help me worrying that I would change brokers.

Is something like this sound do-able? To approach a surveyor and pay him per hour or a fee to go through all the boats for sale using a search criteria and comment on what is for sale? For that to work he would need to telephone all the listings and ask if the boats needed repairs or were ready to go for him to determine if the boats were worth looking at.

If you understand my problem and don't think this will work do you have any other ideas? I understand I need to learn this stuff and I am spending hours on the internet and I have been contacting brokers saying I plan to look at their boat and also if they have other boats and I get some replies saying the boat is sold and surprisingly I sometimes get NO replies.

Sorry for the long message

Fstbttms · #2 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by kldzx9r

I was told there are advantages to buying a boat in CA because it is a good state for consumber protection and that brokers are bound by law to take good care of buyers.

Bwhhahahahahahahaha... oh, umm, sorry.

thomfredrika · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Hi
My name is THom Hofmans I live in NZ can i suggest an outragiuos idea to come here to buy your boat we have an amazing amount of boats (idon't know what you are looking for) and also experienced people who sell them and surveyors. Over the top? prices are the best around

Cheers thom

camaraderie · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

I don't know of any California laws that will really protect a consumer of a used bought from anything other than outright fraud which would be difficult to prove and time consuming and costly.

That said, I think you need to narrow your search considerably from 20 boats BEFORE you engage professional help. You will know in 10 seconds on a lot of boats that they are not suitable for you. My suggestion would be to go to California, rent a car and visit the boats that seem most likely to satisfy your needs. THEN get local surveyors involved to help narrow the list down before you make an offer on one. Of course, you will want a full survey once you settle on a boat, but I think local surveyors would be willing to help you with pre-purchase quick looks and advice and may know the history of a particular boat and be able to provide guidance as to the boats value.

Many brokers typically do not pay much attention to internet inquiries off yacht world. They get a lot of tire kickers and respond much better to phone calls.

RickLaPaz · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

I know 3 different brokers here in So Cal that I would trust my life with. P/M if you'd like to get their info...........

Rick

sailingdog · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

You really need to get down and visit the boats in question. A quick look aboard will often tell you if the boat is even worth investigating any further. Asking around the boat yard or marina is often a good way to get background on the boat. For example, if the scuttlebutt around the marina is that the owner never ever came down to the boat, and that it was rarely used, chances are excellent that the boat is badly neglected—if the dock rumors say the owner was down every weekend doing work on the boat and sailing her, chances are far higher that the boat was well maintained.

capttb · #7 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

1000 miles sounds like everything from San Francisco to San Diego, somewhat akin to looking at boats from Maine to Maryland. It's really 2 maybe 3 markets, 1.SF/Monterey 2. Ventura to LA/Long Beach, San Pedro and 3. Newport, Dana Point, Oceanside, San Diego. Even then each of those is a pretty big bite.

kldzx9r · #8 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Previous quote:
I was told there are advantages to buying a boat in CA because it is a good state for consumber protection and that brokers are bound by law to take good care of buyers.

Maybe I should have left this remark out as it may or may not be true. Either way it seems to attract replies. This remark was based on consultations with brokers who told me when making a bid on a boat with a written contract there are many loopholes for a buyer to back out and fewer for the seller to. There are also consumer protection organisations in CA but in any case I didn't mean for it to be the topic of discussion. Sorry...

RickLaPaz · #9 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by kldzx9r

Previous quote:
I was told there are advantages to buying a boat in CA because it is a good state for consumber protection and that brokers are bound by law to take good care of buyers.

Maybe I should have left this remark out as it may or may not be true. Either way it seems to attract replies. This remark was based on consultations with brokers who told me when making a bid on a boat with a written contract there are many loopholes for a buyer to back out and fewer for the seller to. There are also consumer protection organisations in CA but in any case I didn't mean for it to be the topic of discussion. Sorry...

Well, I believe us residents of Cali were once buying electricity from Enron........

labatt · #10 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007

A couple of notes... unless you are paying the broker out of your own pocket and mandating that they don't receive a commission from the seller, a broker representing you is going to receive their payment from the seller of the boat, once a deal goes through. Keep this in mind as you judge how agnostic they are in their recommendations. I'm sure most brokers are ethical and can maintain a separation between who they are representing and how they are being paid, but just be aware of the fiscal relationship. Second, if you currently have it "narrowed down" to 20 boats, it sounds like a perfect time to get engaged with a broker. Most brokers are very knowledgeable about different brands and models of boats (obviously their livelihood depends on it), so if you tell them what boats you are looking at and what you hope to do with the boat you buy, I'm confident they will be able to help you further narrow down the list. Many brokers also become familiar with the boats listed in their region (since they visit them when showing them) so they may be able to tell you a lot about the boats on your list without even having to go visit them. I'd suggest taking Rick or others up on their offers to hook you up with a reputable broker.