When planning to get a buyer, any seller aims at making a quick sale in order to save time and money with ease, value, and convenience. It’s therefore essential to come up with a plan on how to sell my car fast.
What is the fastest way to sell your car?
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- Trade it for a new car. This does not give the best price but generally the quickest, easiest way to get a buyer because you’re accomplishing the sale of your current car at the same time you are buying a new one.
- Meet with an outside dealer. One can check around for car dealers that can purchase their car even if they don’t buy a new one from them.
- Sell to a private party. This is the best way to get the highest price for your car. It, however, takes longer than any of the other sales methods available. Sellers advertise anywhere that they can for free like on online sites, post flyers and sending out emails to everyone that they know.
1. Gather all your documents
It’s important to have all of the documents of your car that the buyer may require together for a quick transaction. This includes the registration certificate, tax details, documents of service history and any other papers regarding your car. This provides answers to many potential buyers.
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2. Give the motor vehicle a price.
For you to stand out from all the other used cars for sale by owner, you need to give your car an estimated value so that you can set an attractive ‘asking price’.
Look up your car’s value on Edmunds or Kelley Blue Rock. In both cases, you will be required to answer questions about your car, including make, model, options and mileage. They will also ask you about the condition of your car by giving you definitions of various conditions, and you should be very careful to select the one that most realistically describes the vehicle. It can make a big difference and therefore it’s key to be very honest. After completing the questionnaire, they will provide the estimate, you should print that page and have it ready to present it to a dealer or show to a private party.
Another way of selling a car is checking the price of similar models on local adverts. Set your price slightly above the current market value to allow room for negotiation. Still, you can also consult a car trader just to be sure you give the car the best value.
Where can I sell my car online?
The best way to sell your motor vehicle is by giving it a curb appeal so that the buyer is impressed by just looking at it. For an old car, you don’t have to fix every little dent and scratch but it’s important to wash and vacuum it. Giving it a professional detail is good for newer cars, but the higher the price, and the longer it will take to sell. Pay particular attention to all the details a prospective buyer will see when he or she approaches the car, opens the door and slides into the driver’s seat.
Having some good photos of the car and many of them could also aid the process. Visual images attract more buyers. Photograph your car just after sunset for the best lighting, take photos from various angles. Inside, take a picture of the driver’s seat, the back seat, and the trunk. It’s also important to take shots of the odometer (to show the current mileage), the tire (to show tread depth) and the engine. Most ads will ask you to add the basic information about your car such as year, make, model and price.
It’s also important to make a good choice for sites to post your ad. Some are free but it’s important to watch out for scammers, others charge a fee which tends to pull in serious buyers, also there are sites where you can auction off your car or buy an inexpensive ad. There are also specialty sites if you are selling a rare car.
Opting to move on from your car through online platforms will save you from all the hassle, choosing to sell your car yourself will fetch you the best price.
1. Screen callers carefully
When selling , you can save time and headaches by screening callers before you begin to interact with them. Consider creating a separate email account and getting a free Google Voice phone number just to use for selling a car privately. If you have posted a low price for a popular car, expect plenty of phone calls. Beware of buyers who try to negotiate before they even see the car, mostly they are not legit. When you get a buyer who sounds legit, call them back and be ready to review the basics about the car. Usually, you can detect the seriousness of the buyer when talking to them.
For safety, arrange a safe place that you are familiar with to meet potential buyers, bring a friend if possible. It can be at a mall or a local joint. Accompany them as they test drive the car, while at it, simply respond to their questions and avoid negotiating.
If a buyer wants to have a mechanic inspect the car, they should pay for the inspection, this will set good grounds to negotiate according to the condition of your car as per the mechanic.
2. Close the deal
Hopefully, the potential buyer will negotiate to buy the car after the test drive. Let the buyer make the opening offer. Negotiate slowly and repeat the numbers to make sure there’s no misunderstanding.
Before you agree to a deal, make sure the buyer is prepared to pay, make sure that you accept a cashier’s check in payment and close the transaction at the same bank that the check is issued by. Only then should you turn over the car title as well as the car itself to the buyer. Never accept a personal check because they can bounce. You might also be required to file a release liability form to prove you no longer own the car.
I want to get a buyer quick!
When choosing on the method to sell , it’s important to remember that each of them has advantages and drawbacks but in all of them, time is a key factor, the more time you have, the bigger the chances of fetching a good price for your car and vice versa.
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