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.
Your team delivered on every mark. You’ve got an amazing broker in Mark Wattrus and I’m confident you will have continued success moving forward together. He was available 24/7 whenever I had questions. We had a great initial visit on the boat and his marketing plan and photos were superb
I bought a yacht that I had never seen. I did this because I trusted my broker Andrew Holland. It was not an easy job for Andrew, as I am an experienced boat builder and owner of previous yachts, but work in West Africa. Imagine how hard it was to communicate what I was looking for. Andrew came up with exactly what I wanted. He dealt with time delays, all my questions at odd hours, and was there for the survey. He reported honestly and professionally. After buying the yacht, I arrived at the boat on a Sunday night, after dark, after travelling from West Africa to the Caribbean, and found it was better than expected. He never pulled punches and made me aware of shortfalls. I expected to spend my one month leave working on the boat, but actually spent less than one week, and was able to spend 3 weeks sailing – wonderful bonus.
Thank you Andrew for putting up with all my questions, all my worries and all my crazy out of the time zone concerns – you were totally professional, but also I know that if and when we meet up, it will be like a friend finally meeting. You are always welcome on Aseka.
Outstanding company with professional subject matter experts. If I were to buy or sell cruising sailboat, particularly a catamaran, Andrew would be my go to broker.
I have been sailing since I was a child and attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy. But when my wife and I began the process of purchasing an ocean cruising/racing catamaran, I realized that this is a world unto itself. Obviously, we needed to find someone knowledgeable to help us make an informed decision. More importantly, we needed someone honest and willing to put our interests before his or her own. I was lucky to work with Phil Berman at The Multihull Company. He repeatedly shunned the fast buck, choosing instead to work the long road to connect us with the “perfect boat”. I would be glad to recommend Phil and his company to anyone planning to purchase or sell a performance sailing machine.
Andrew Hodgdon was our broker when we bought our 2018 Lagoon 450F in Antigua in April 2922. He provided great service and was very attentive to our needs. We would highly recommend Andrew and the Multihull Company.
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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