Story by Phillip Berman / June 20, 2017
Many brokerage companies claim to offer “buyer brokerage” services, but their brokers are not Multihull experts. Any yacht broker who sells a powerboat one day and a single hulled sailboat the next cannot be a true “buyer broker.” At The Multihull Company every broker is a true expert – all we do, year-in and year-out, is sell catamarans and trimarans. We know the pros and cons of all the new and used cats on the market and have attended multihull surveys for years. We know the current market conditions for various catamarans and trimarans, as well as the most expert surveyors, lenders, insurers, and shipyards that specialize in multihulls.
At The Multihull Company our brokers are members of the Yacht Brokers Association of America and follow the strict code of ethical and professional conduct of YABA. In addition, several of our brokers have been certified with the CPYB (Certified Professional Yacht Broker), a credential which is awarded only to yacht brokers who have years of experience and have passed a rigorous three hour examination that covers every aspect of professional yacht brokering. To learn more about our expert staff of catamaran and trimaran experts, click here.
The Multihull Company holds dedicated escrow accounts in Florida and Pennsylvania. When you make a deposit on a yacht with The Multihull Company you do so with the security of knowing that, should you reject a yacht, your deposit will be returned instantly. Do not become one of the many buyer horror stories found on the internet – do not send a deposit to a broker overseas as you may never see those funds again. We work only with American contracts which can be enforced in American courts and with your deposit sitting safely in a dedicated American escrow account.
Many brokers and brokerage companies push clients into purchasing in-house listings. In our view, no broker or company can honorably serve a buyer if he is not actively exploring the wide range of Multihull listings that best suit his clients’ needs. Any broker that simply pushes buyers toward “in-house listings” is a salesman, not a yacht broker. Here at The Multihull Company we take pride in the fact that we are “old school” yacht brokers. We know that the strength and growth of our company rests with happy clients, which explains why 80% of our business over the past three years was generated through referrals.
In the Multihull business, a great many catamarans and trimarans are built abroad and sold abroad. While a yacht broker cannot offer you the final word on taxation or serve as your accountant, an experienced broker who conducts multiple offshore transactions each year has a wealth of information on how to properly flag and title yachts to avoid unnecessary taxes or duties and how to properly and safely handle the transfer of title.
One of the most difficult dimensions of yacht sales is frequently “after survey” negotiations. It takes enormous knowledge and skillful negotiating skills to bring buyers and sellers together. A good broker will smooth out the rough spots and find equitable solutions. A good broker will also tell a buyer when it is time to “walk away” from a boat or a seller and look for something else.
Sold my L42 here with the excellent help and support of TMCs Croatia sales manager “Zee”. Despite my boat docked on the dry in Montenegro, in winter and in a challenging market, TMC and Zee managed to get her sold, managing the entire process from taking pictures and video’s, putting her out there on the web, prepping her and managing all for inspections….down to the final hand-over documents and managing the escrow payments when all boxes were ticked! Very professional, very helpful (Zee went above and beyond to make sure he delivers excellent service), responsive and successful. Thanks TMC!
We purchased our lagoon 410 through the multihull company, Andrew Hodgdon was the listing’s broker. From the start till the end of the process he was upfront honest and accommodating. Our situation was unique and required a bit more leg work. Andrew was always easy to get a hold of and willing to help. It was a pleasure working with a highly knowledgeable broker that values integrity. I highly recommend him.
My experience with Andrew Hodgdon was entirely positive during the selling process of our used catamaran.
He followed up at every stage, organized successful showings, and explained in detail the closing process.
I am happy to give a 10 out of 10 review.
We purchased our Balance 442 through TMC, Andrew Hodgdon in the St Augustine office, and the experience was excellent. We had a couple last minute issues like incorrect hull ID on docs, and they quickly ran point to get this all taken care of to help us close on time. It was all especially impressive given that most of this was happening during the end of year holidays. Good team, good follow up. Recommended.
Successful relationships cannot exist without it. At The Multihull Company we base every relationship on a firm commitment to earning and retaining our client’s trust.
Advice of any kind is valuable only when grounded in hard-won expertise. It too, must be trustworthy. Trust and expertise define the heart and soul of The Multihull Company. We are a team of skilled professionals who thrive on providing expert, trustworthy advice and service to catamaran and trimaran sailors around the globe.
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