Cosmetic staging and detailing

Clear it out

Remove personal items, clutter and spares you are not selling. Open lockers should show space, not a heap. Keep the inventory you promised, and put it in labelled boxes. See The seller's document pack: VAT, registration, CE, service history.

Clean from the top down

1. Deck and cockpit: wash, clean the teak by hand along the grain, clean stainless, check the lines. See Teak deck inspection.
2. Hull: polish the topsides and wax them. See Gelcoat and hull care: UV damage and osmosis prevention.
3. Canvas and cushions: wash or replace stained pieces, and fix zips.
4. Interior: deep clean, air out, and remove smells. Make beds with fresh linen for viewings.
5. Galley and heads: clean and descale. A dirty head sells a boat for someone else.
6. Engine room and bilges: degrease, wipe, and dry. Buyers open the hatches, and a clean engine room says the boat was cared for.

Small repairs

Replace blown bulbs, tighten loose handles, fix sticking drawers, and renew cracked caulking. A list of 20 small items removes 20 reasons to haggle. See Pre-listing survey and mechanical audit.

What not to do

• Do not paint, gelcoat or fill over a fault to hide it. Surveyors find it, and the buyer stops trusting the rest.
• Do not over-polish the hull to a thin gelcoat.
• Do not stage with items that are not part of the sale, unless the listing says so.

Photographs

• Shoot on a clear day, early or late, with the boat at its berth and the sun behind you.
• Take 30 or more pictures: exterior from all sides, the cockpit, the helm, the saloon, each cabin, the heads, the galley, the engine room, the rig, the sails.
• Add a video walk-through.
• Photograph the plate and the engine hours meter.
• Avoid wide-angle distortion that makes cabins look larger than they are. Buyers notice on arrival.

Related guides

• The brokerage marketing plan
• Showings and sea trials, including selling while you're abroad
• Gelcoat and hull care: UV damage and osmosis prevention