14 California New Car Dealer Quarterly Taking Care of Your Out-Of-State Buyers’ Title & Reg. Doesn’t Have to Be a Nightmare BESIDES ACCURATE FEES, PRE-FILLED FORMS AND NATIONAL EXPERTISE, CHANCES ARE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A TRUE PARTNER. By Mike Platteter, Vitu You read the headline correctly. It really doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Think of how you currently take care of your out-ofstate buyers. You either a) have a service take care of it all, b) place the burden on your staff to research and facilitate your out-of-state buyer’s title and registration process, or c) have your buyer take care of it themselves. It doesn’t matter which option you choose, it’s all a nightmare. Worst of all, if you are currently using an existing service, how often are you or your buyers left in the dark? How Complex is National Title and Registration? Short answer — very complex. Think about it. When a vehicle is purchased, it always has an origin — the state it’s being sold from. Your buyer may or may not be living in that same origin state, but either way, the title and registration are needed for the buyer’s state. This process involves a wide variety of rules, requirements and fees from state to state, not to mention the specific circumstances for each vehicle and buyer. It’s clearly evident that a comprehensive national title and registration solution is a necessity. What Do You Really Need When Selling to an Out-of-State Buyer? When you are selling a vehicle to an out-of-state buyer, you need details — and fast. How much do the registration fees cost for the vehicle in the buyer’s state? What forms do they need? How do I get these forms? And, maybe most importantly, “Can’t someone complete the title and registration — we’re busy selling cars?” Give Me the Estimated Fees Of course, one of the most important questions your buyer may have is, “How much is it going to cost to register the vehicle in my home state?” This is where fee estimates come in. With some basic information about the vehicle, the buyer and the selling and destination states, a detailed fee estimate is needed. State registration and title fees, county fees, taxes — you need all of this information to present to your buyer. With a comprehensive set of fee estimates, you and your buyer have a good idea of just how much titling and registering the vehicle is. Being able to provide an in-depth breakdown of fee estimates is a great way to provide a complete picture of the complete cost of a vehicle sale. A Checklist of Necessary Documents Titling and registering a vehicle always requires specific paperwork — either state forms or ancillary items such as a driver’s license or proof of insurance, to name a few. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of those required items were on a single, easy-to-read checklist? The vehicle title or MSO, bill of sale, title application, odometer disclosure, power of attorney — the list goes on as you all know. And when dealing with out-of-state transactions, the scenarios and possible permutations number in the millions. As a dealer, you expect a checklist that is easy to follow and in plain English — especially if you ever needed to present this type of information to your buyer. All of the paperwork and documentation needed for a smooth title and registration process is listed and needed for eventual submission to your buyer’s home state. Having
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