Spring is here! Tips for preparing your boat for sale

A successful boat sale requires preparation. Here are our top tips.

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When we at Båtagent take on the assignment of selling your boat, you as the seller hand over most of the sales process to us. We handle all customer contact, marketing, viewings, and more. At the same time, there are a few general things to keep in mind that further increase the chances of a successful transaction. It can be summarised in two parts: First, the boat should be clean and well presented. Second, all requested information about the boat should be readily available to potential buyers.

When a customer comes to view the boat and decides to purchase it, it becomes their “new” boat. Even if the boat is pre-owned and may be decades old, it is new to the buyer – and that is exactly how we want it to feel from the very first moment. A new boat is clean, tidy, and functions as expected. A good comparison is walking into a car dealership. Often, it’s hard to tell the difference between new and used cars – they all look spotless and well presented.

Here are some of our top tips for preparing your boat for sale:

Clean and tidy up the boat

Remove personal items so the boat doesn’t look cluttered. Naturally, you are welcome to use the boat during the sales period, but try not to clutter it with unnecessary items and remove personal belongings before we show the boat to customers. Store any personal items kept on board in cabinets and drawers. For example, toothbrushes, clothes, toys, and similar items should not be visible during viewings.

Clean the boat thoroughly. When someone views a boat for the first time, the difference between a clean, tidy boat and one that is dirty and disorganized can be striking.

A few concrete cleaning tips:
– Clean around the toilet; remove hair and other residue.
– Be extra thorough in the galley. Clean behind the stove and lift grates and similar items so all stainless steel surfaces can be polished until they shine.
– Vacuum hard-to-reach crevices and corners, then wipe them down with a damp cloth.
– Clean the engine room and under the floorboards. There should be no spills or bilge water.
– Organize the cockpit lockers and clean the drainage channels around the hatches and similar areas.

Sometimes it pays off to hire a professional company for a full detail/reconditioning to make the boat shine and ensure it is presented effectively.
We have contacts with reputable firms that can assist with detailing if needed.

Prepare information about the boat

When we begin a brokerage assignment, we gather facts about the boat to present it in the best possible way and to answer any questions from curious customers. As experienced boat brokers, we already have much of this information in mind or in our databases containing thousands of previously sold boats, but every boat is unique, and sometimes the seller’s help is needed to fill in the details. We usually ask for the following information when starting an assignment:

– Equipment list – a list of equipment included with the boat, specifying when onboard equipment was updated. For example, if sails or covers have been replaced, electronics, heaters, included dinghies, etc.
– Purchase documents from previous owners – sometimes documents exist that show the ownership history; this can be of interest even if it is not a requirement.
– Known faults or defects – please prepare a list of any known faults or defects that we need to inform a buyer about.
– High-quality photos of the boat in the water – this is only relevant if the boat is on land when we start the assignment. We always take our own professional photos of the boats we sell.er.

The best time to sell your boat

Selling a boat should not be done under stress or time pressure. The best conditions for a successful boat deal are created with peace and quiet. Sometimes deals move quickly, and we have buyers ready after just a few days, but the starting point should always be without excessive time pressure. Therefore, our recommendation is to contact us well in advance if you are thinking about selling. This allows us to prepare for the transaction and launch at the optimal time to find a buyer for your boat.

Many people ask when the best time to sell a boat is. Spring, summer, autumn, winter…? In short, it doesn’t matter much when we start the sale. We sell many boats year-round, and transactions of this size are rarely spontaneous. We launch the sale when you are ready and find buyers when they are ready, it’s as simple as that! redo, svårare är det inte!

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