Buying a Boat or Yacht
Congratulations on your decision
Capt. Mark is a licensed Yacht Broker and has owned, operated and been helping others with their boat and yacht purchases for over 25 years. Originally from the Chicago area, he spent his earlier years on Lake Michigan where he boated with his wife Nancy and three children Scott, Brian and Kristen. He and his family have been on the east coast of Florida for 14 years and now lives and boats in the Stuart Florida area.
What sets Mark apart from many others eager to assist with your purchase is his vast knowledge of not only boats but the lifestyle, ownership, maintenance. and the buying process This combined with his customer focus and honesty makes Mark a great partner to facilitate your next adventure.
Summary of the buying process
When I work with you as a buyer, your priorities are my objectives. I am not here to put you in a boat. I'm here to represent your interests and to strategize with you to try to find a boat that matches your priorities and requirements.
Step 1
Understand your requirements: boat or boats of interest, what do you want your new boat to do, cruising locations, frequency of use, budget, financing and pre-approval, how long do you plan to own it, where do you plan keep it, etc.
Step 2
Research the market to find boats that meet your priorities and requirements from above. If appropriate make suggestions on particular models based upon my experience. Provide buyer with inventory of possible matches, locations, conditions, prices, etc.
Step 3
Create short list and talk to listing brokers to get additional information prior to schedule previews or showings of initial short list. Get back to buyer with additional details as appropriate. Schedule previews and showings.
Step 4
Visit select boats (initial short list), provide video walkthroughs, etc. depending upon location of buyer and boats. Determine if an offer is warranted for visited boats.
Step 5
Develop offer strategy by looking at recent sold boats, condition, options, maintenance history, etc. Present offer(s). At this time the buyer must provide a 10% deposit which is held in escrow until closing or refunded in the event no deal is done.
Step 6
Negotiate with listing broker to determine if the buyer and seller can settle on a pre-survey and sea trial number along with any identified buyer conditions at this point.
Step 7
If seller accepts offer we then go to conditional contract. I will help arrange the schedule of surveyor(s) and sea trial. if a captain is needed, I will coordinate that. note: fees for haul out, survey(s) and captain are paid by the buyer.
Step 8
After survey report is completed we will review and determine if there are any items which require either repaired or prices adjusted to remediate. This will usually result in an adjusted offer. The seller at this point can either accept the adjustment or decline the offer or negotiate something in between.
Step 9
If negotiations are successful and both parties agree after the survey and sea trial, we have an agreed upon contract. The buyer typically has between 2-4 weeks to provide funds. During this time, title checks will be done by the documentation specialist and new owner documentation will be prepared to be executed at the time of funds transfer. This time will also be used to identify dockage location, maintenance providers, transportation if needed, crew resources, etc.
Step 10
Upon closing, take inaugural voyage start your first "best day ever" and don't forget to invite Mark.