When you sell your car, you may envision your buyer driving off and a stack of cash in your hands. Unfortunately, the process is usually a little more complicated than that. It often requires multiple steps to ensure you and your buyer don’t hit legal snags along the way. Follow these steps to simplify your car selling process and keep your experience as stress-free as possible.
Gather your Paperwork Before You Sell Your Car
Much as you may wish the sale was as easy as exchanging car for cash, there is plenty of legal paperwork that goes into the selling process. In California, you’ll need to collect several documents from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) such as a Title Transfer Request, a Declaration of Gross Weight of the Vehicle, a Statement of Facts form, an Application for Replacement Tags, and other documents. The DMV may also require a bill of sale. Most of these documents are available to print online.
Get Your Car Inspected
Before transferring the title of your vehicle, the California DMV often requests the car has an updated emissions test and smog certification. If your emissions were recently tested, the DMV may waive this requirement. Although it isn’t a requirement before your sell your car, it’s a nice gesture of good faith to take the car for a full inspection by a certified mechanic. Though buyers can and do purchase cars without a recent inspection, you may find this increases the number of interested parties.
Sign the Forms
Once you have all your paperwork gathered and organized, it’s time to make the sale. Sit down with the buyer to carefully review and sign all the relevant documents. Depending on the document you and your buyer are signing, you may need a notary present to witness the signatures. If this is the case, do not sign any paperwork without a notary present. You may want a legal document assistant to help you both review the documents before you sign.
File Your Paperwork
Finally, it’s time to make it legal. In California, you have five days after you sell your car to file your documents with the DMV and report the title transfer. While you may need to pay for a few minor fees as you gather paperwork, all transfer fees are the buyer’s responsibility. A legal document assistant can help you understand when, where, and how to file your paperwork.
Assisting with Vehicle Transfers in the Inland Empire
Selling your car is no trivial feat. Though the process may seem intimidating, sellers and buyer alike can ensure the process goes smoothly by consulting the legal document assistants of ProSe Legal. Our team can help you have a more stress-free and simplified car selling experience by reviewing your legal paperwork. We offer locations throughout the Inland Empire to make organizing, completing, and filing your legal documents as fast and easy as possible. If you need to transfer a vehicle title, today or call (909) 497-1349.
