9 Tips to successfully sell your car

I'm sure there were emotional steps you had to go through to finally let your vehicle go. Leaving the hard part behind, allow us to give you great tips into reaching that “acceptance” stage. Here they are.

1. Get your paperwork ready
Here are the most important documents you should gather before selling you car. Trust me, the availability of these will determine your readiness to sell your vehicle.

• Original Official Receipt of vehicle purchase (OR)
• Original Certificate of Registration (CR)
• A Deed of Sale template
• Vehicle service history - It is better to keep the documentation of vehicle service records and parts ordered in the past as this will show how the vehicle was well taken care of.
• Insurance policy - This adds up to the resale value of the vehicle as it can be endorsed to the new owner of the vehicle. It also helps build up the owner’s character - and again, it shows how the car was taken care of.

2. Do your homework
This is when you gather everything that you know about your vehicle. Having the mileage, car make and year model, a description that says “lady-driven/slightly used/perfect condition” is just not enough. Putting everything in one place will help you quickly answer questions buyers may throw at you. As you know, it is very important to get back to inquiries as soon as they come. Aside from the ones in the paperwork listed above, here are some information you may need to take down:

• Your vehicle’s specs that I’m sure you know about - Things like mileage, engine displacement, current horsepower, current kilometers traveled per liter of fuel, etc.
• Market selling price and how your vehicle competes with others - Not compete in terms of how fast it can outrun others. Well, it could be that, but more specifically, justify why your vehicle is being sold for a price higher than or at the same average price for that model.
• Common issues of the car and if they were resolved
• A better description of the car to be posted online - Again, do not just put “good condition/slightly used” there. Everyone who sells a car does this. Make sure to describe your car in the most honest and sincerest way possible.

3. Thoroughly prepare your car for resale
Putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes, would a filthy car impress you? Here are some suggestions to prepare your car for a date with buyers:

• Have dents and scratches repaired
• Have your vehicle checked for small mechanical hassles - Make sure your car doesn’t produce “knocking sounds” that are easily noticed when buyers run for a test drive. If it does, honestly tell the buyer about it.

• Have your car professionally detailed - Making your car look good doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s ok to do the washing by yourself, but detailing never fails to bring back that “new” feeling into the vehicle’s finish - and having a great feel of the car is what the buyers are paying for.
• Take as many detailed pictures as you can - Buyers would like to see as many angles of your vehicle as possible even before seeing it in person. Avoid using low resolution pictures of your vehicle for online posting.

4. List your vehicle online
There are a lot of channels you can list your vehicle in for online selling. Since selling has always been a numbers game, I suggest that you list on every one of them, including social media. This reference may help you find good websites to list your vehicle in.

5. Be accessible to potential buyers
Great customer service never fails to impress. Answer inquiries right away. In a buyer’s perspective, not being responded to immediately after seeing a good deal online brings a lot of frustration. Make sure you leave a landline/mobile number and not just an email in your posts - anything that’s easy for you to make responses right away. Just for the purpose of selling the vehicle, it is recommendable to get a new prepaid simcard for your mobile phone to receive and make calls so you don’t have to expose your personal number to a lot of unknown people - unless you’re single and that’s also an intention.

When it’s finally time to face the buyers...

6. Tell buyers about “imperfections”
Secrets are made to be discovered. Not only it is ethical to tell buyers exactly what your vehicle has and has not, being honest about giving details is also a good tactic to build up the seller’s credibility on the spot. Here are some examples of details you’d like to “remind” them about:

• Minor mechanical troubles in the past and how they were fixed.
• Condition of the tires and when to replace them.
• Body imperfections acquired in the past and how they were fixed.
• When the last wheel alignment was performed.
• Anything that still needs to be fixed.

7. Price your vehicle competitively
While it builds your credibility, reminding buyers about “imperfections” can give them room to negotiate. If your price is negotiable, provide a buffer by inflating your price by 10-15 percent and move within that buffer. Make them feel like they’ve saved a lot. Base your selling price according to market value and not sentimental value. It has to be realistic. Make sure you don’t go down the average resale price for your vehicle model if there is enough demand.

8. Let buyers feel your vehicle
Do not interrupt the buyer from literally imagining themselves owning the car. Instead, have your vehicle paperwork ready just in case additional details are required and only answer when asked. During a test drive, your role is only to accompany them and make conversations to create rapport. Sounding like a salesman - especially when it’s not your profession - can easily alienate some buyers that know what they are looking for.

9. Closing the sale
Make sure to fill up the deed of sale template and have it printed out in legal size paper and have it notarized to transfer the ownership of the vehicle from you to the buyer. It is still possible to provide a blank deed of sale to the buyer but never ever do it. Technically you will still own the vehicle even after the transaction. This means it will not lift the liability from you in case of car accidents the buyer gets involved in.

Conclusion
It is very important to be honest at all times before and during the sale. As buyers would most likely be living with the vehicle, they would eventually know everything you currently know about it. You would want them to love the vehicle exactly how you loved it in the past. You don’t want to be bothered by persistent rants coming from an unsatisfied buyer just because you kept a small detail.

If your motivation for selling your car is to buy a different one, you may want to consider asking yourself the right questions before doing that.
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