Immaculate Bilges
One of the first places buyers look when viewing a yacht is the bilge. Your bilge tells a lot about how a boat is kept and assumptions are drawn about the rest of the boat from the condition of the bilge. A buyer's overall impression of the boat will be greatly influenced by a clean, sweet-smelling bilge. Buyers remember the cleanest and the dirtiest. Clean your bilge!
Head Hoses
Stinky boats don’t sell. If your boat has a head odor it’s probably the hoses. Head hose has a 10-year lifespan and 95% of the boats out there have hoses that need replacement. Just because you can’t smell it doesn’t mean buyers can’t.
Bottom and Running Gear
If your boat is offered for sale on the hard, a good way to boost curb appeal is to paint the bottom and polish the running gear and replace the zincs. Shiny sells.
Depersonalize and Empty the Boat
Buyers enjoy inspecting the storage areas of a boat and imaging storing their personal effects in those spaces. Full lockers tax the imagination and can create a feeling of intrusion for the buyer. It is good practice to remove everything except for the equipment used in the operation of the vessel. Empty boats sell faster.
First Impressions
As an owner, you are selling the boat to all who see it, including your broker. Spending the time and money to make the boat look her best before anyone boards will pay dividends by obtaining a higher market evaluation and will reduce the time on the market. Clean, Sweet-Smelling, Shiny, Empty, Sold.