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.
I chose Zee (Zvonimir Kalinic) after posting an ad for a broker on Yacht Sales from about 15 other brokers because he showed professionalism and care right away compared to the others. Most of the brokers never intended to show people my boat but yet somehow expected to collect commission. Zee met me in Novigrad and spent 3 hours taking photos and drone footage and throughout the listing period was communicating continuously and advising me about any offers that came through. His service was at a high standard that I was extremely happy with and felt comfortable at all times especially since I’m in Sydney and my boat is in Montenegro. I can’t recommend Zee highly enough to anyone looking to sell their boat with peace of mind.
The brokerage team has been amazing. They helped me find the right catamaran for our family of four, with enough space for extended family and friends to stay with us anytime. The broker really helped me narrow down what I needed. I started with a long list and eventually narrowed it down to something that was the right fit and price for me.
I cannot speak too highly of Andrew Hodgdon and his colleagues at the Multihull Company.
The process of selling my boat was very smooth and well managed and with excellent communication – especially important as I was unable to be nearby during the sale process. Andrew’s deep knowledge of the market and my boat was very reassuring. We spoke regularly and he kept me closely advised all the way through to a happy sale. I found him a good guy, very helpful, willing to share and bounce ideas around, and I enjoyed working with him. Highly recommended!
Andrew Hodgdon and The Multihull Company are really professional! I just closed a deal with them, and everything was pretty smooth. Andrew was punctual, showed a lot of expertise, and he was honest about all the problems with the boat. He is also giving me the support I need to run all the projects on this boat. This whole process was much better than I was expecting, and I recommend this team! Thank you, Andrew.
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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