Boat buying.

[BigDog98]

Quick question for everyone who purchased a used boat through a brokerage company. Is it safe to complete a boat purchase via online scan documents? I have meet the broker in person and saw the boat in person and had a seatrial on it , now i wanna sign for it and finalize the purchase and the broker sent me a scan copy of the contract , told me to sign it and send it back plus wire or send a check for the balance. Is it reliable and safe to do so? The reason for it is because he is 2 hours away from me and he said i can do it via online to save me the trip. Thank You

 

[batman99]

Knowing what I know today...
- Never buy a boat because someone says its good. Hire your own experienced boat mechanic to look it over.
- Never buy a boat because someone says its good on the water. Take for a drive yourself.
- Never get pressured by someone saying "buy it - before someone else buys it".

Same rules apply when buying a used vehicle.

 

[BigDog98]

Knowing what I know today...
- Never buy a boat because someone says its good. Hire your own experienced boat mechanic to look it over.
- Never buy a boat because someone says its good on the water. Take for a drive yourself.
- Never get pressured by someone saying "buy it - before someone else buys it".

Same rules apply when buying a used vehicle.

I already had a full survey on the boat and everything came out good, already took a seatrial on it.

 

[alldodge]

Quick question for everyone who purchased a used boat through a brokerage company. Is it safe to complete a boat purchase via online scan documents? I have meet the broker in person and saw the boat in person and had a seatrial on it , now i wanna sign for it and finalize the purchase and the broker sent me a scan copy of the contract , told me to sign it and send it back plus wire or send a check for the balance. Is it reliable and safe to do so? The reason for it is because he is 2 hours away from me and he said i can do it via online to save me the trip. Thank You

A lot of stuff is being done over a fax machine these days, not saying in your area this is or is not acceptable. My first question would be is this a broker which has been doing this for a long time. Is it well established and is it a member of the Better Business Bureau and maybe chamber of commerce?

If well established and a member then my next thought is call the DMV if it will be licensed or USCG if it is documented to find out if faxed documents will work for transfer. Then take what you find back to the broker if there is a discrepancy.

 

[jbcurt00]

Batman, not relevant to the question or the situation.

I have used both Adobe PDF electronic signatures and other secure scan electronic signatures for property transfers before. No problems, and I received the deeds as expected. YMMV

Based on your posting this question though, I'd suggest you ask the broker to overnight the documents that need your signature, if only to satisfy your hesitation. If the owner didn't notarize a consignment agreement or the titles that's a different problem.

I put it in the same category as trusting electronic banking. I use it extensively for management of my accounts, tracking my accounts and transferring money, w/ out physical printed checks, in and out of my accts. My father would rather walk 12 miles to the bank, in a blinding snow storm before he'd bank electronically. He does track his accounts online, but won't move money that way.

 

[BigDog98]

Not sure how long he has been doing this but he is licensed and is YMMV signed. He just basically took the contract and scanned it and send it to me via email. I mean i did the same thing with the offer contract. The owner has signed the first contract for the acceptance of offer and the deposit that i already gave.

 

[batman99]

full survey on the boat and everything came out good, already took a seatrial means you visited the place already.

For stuff like this, I don't do online. Short 2 hour drive "again" would be my choice.

 

[BigDog98]

Excuse me , i mean he is apart of the YBAA not the YMMV. YBBA is Association of Yacht Sales Professionals. The contract looks pretty legit , just scanned.

 

[alldodge]

I think your fine, when I worked for the DoD we sent stuff back in forth all the time using scanned PDF files. Just like jbcurt's dad, I don't bank on line, but I'm good with fax and pdf

 

[jbcurt00]

YMMV is Your Mileage May Vary. As in: just because I didnt run into problems doesnt mean you wont, but on its face, I dont think theres much to worry about if nothing raised your suspicions up to now

 

[BigDog98]

YMMV is Your Mileage May Vary. As in: just because I didnt run into problems doesnt mean you wont, but on its face, I dont think theres much to worry about if nothing raised your suspicions up to now

The only thing that pissed me off about the broker is that after the deposit i gave him and signed the offer contract he did not list the boat as under contract on his site and quit possibly was showing other people the boat at that time.

 

[alldodge]

The only thing that pissed me off about the broker is that after the deposit i gave him and signed the offer contract he did not list the boat as under contract on his site and quit possibly was showing other people the boat at that time.

My guess is you didn't offer full price, and he had others looking so wanted to keep his options open. If he was working for me I would hope he would do the similar. Look at it from if you were the seller, you want the most money. So if there were others which came to look and/or they had so many hours to approve or reject the offer, anyone would want to keep it open as long as possible.

 

[BigDog98]

My guess is you didn't offer full price, and he had others looking so wanted to keep his options open. If he was working for me I would hope he would do the similar. Look at it from if you were the seller, you want the most money. So if there were others which came to look and/or they had so many hours to approve or reject the offer, anyone would want to keep it open as long as possible.

I understand that but i gave an offer on the boat about 2 weeks after it was put on the market in January. The seller could of just denied my offer and waited for others to offer more. The owner literally accepted my offer 2 hours after i made it.

 

[jbcurt00]

An under contract listing might keep someone looking for that size/type/priced boat from calling.

If I call about a boat that isnt listed as under contract, but is, the broker has the opportunity to point me toward another similar boat.

I'd bet thats more likely then the broker hoping to get a higher offer.

And shopping for used cars I can attest that listings arent updated regularly, and I fully believe its to drive traffic/calls for as long as possible.

Either way, you've got the contract now

 

[BigDog98]

An under contract listing might keep someone looking for that size/type/priced boat from calling.

If I call about a boat that isnt listed as under contract, but is, the broker has the opportunity to point me toward another similar boat.

I'd bet thats more likely then the broker hoping to get a higher offer.

And shopping for used cars I can attest that listings arent updated regularly, and I fully believe its to drive traffic/calls for as long as possible.

Either way, you've got the contract now

Thank god!

 

[alldodge]

I understand that but i gave an offer on the boat about 2 weeks after it was put on the market in January. The seller could of just denied my offer and waited for others to offer more. The owner literally accepted my offer 2 hours after i made it.

That would tick me off also, and have to agree with jbcurt's point. Guess next time make the offer and if accepted the boat will be taken off the market or shown as sold so many hours after acceptance.

Hey, got some pic's? We all like to see new boats

 

[BigDog98]

An under contract listing might keep someone looking for that size/type/priced boat from calling.

If I call about a boat that isnt listed as under contract, but is, the broker has the opportunity to point me toward another similar boat.

I'd bet thats more likely then the broker hoping to get a higher offer.

And shopping for used cars I can attest that listings arent updated regularly, and I fully believe its to drive traffic/calls for as long as possible.

Either way, you've got the contract now

Either way the broker told me that he needs a deposit to take the boat off the market and that what i did but he did not hold up his end of the deal and that is not very professional either. He got very mad when i called him and asked why. Told me to not teach him how to run his business and that the listing will stay the same. He is really lucky i liked the boat and got a steal deal, otherwise i would of walked away that same second.

 

[BigDog98]

That would tick me off also, and have to agree with jbcurt's point. Guess next time make the offer and if accepted the boat will be taken off the market or shown as sold so many hours after acceptance.

Hey, got some pic's? We all like to see new boats

Not really new but new to me, lol

 

[BigDog98]

No Title

 

[jbcurt00]

IMO a boat listing could not be labeled (yet?) under contract and the boat could still be off the market.

Sorry, but I agree w the broker.

Unless you know he showed it to other buyers....

I bet you could find at least 1 boat thats been sold and removed from the consignors lot, not just under contract, on most boat listings sites.

Besides, has nobody ever agreed to buy a boat, sent a deposit and still walked away?