Planning to sell your car? Often, selling your vehicle can seem a little difficult – but this shouldn’t have to be the case. With this thought in mind, today, we’re looking at some of the key things you should know to help with this, including tips on finding the right buyer.

7 Important Steps Not to Miss When Selling Your Car

Planning to sell your car? There are several different factors and steps you’ll want to take to get the most from this process.

#1 Do Market Research

Before you go any further, make sure you’ve started by checking the market in your area. During this process, look out for similar vehicles for sale to see how much the seller is asking. This helps you find the right price for your car, so you’re asking in line with the market value.

#1 Purchase a HPI check

When selling your car, it’s important to provide the customer with a hpi car report. A hpi check includes valuable information about the history of a vehicle, such as written off details, mileage discrepancies, number of owners and outstanding finance details. This will provide you with confidence and making you better prepared when meeting potential buyers.

#3 Find the Documentation

Before you can sell your car, you’ll need to ensure you’ve gathered all the necessary documentation. You’ll require numerous different things in this regard; one of the most important documents is the car’s MOT history and repair history, as this will help reassure buyers regarding the vehicle’s history.

If you can’t find these or want to reassure your buyers, you could get a hpi check done to show this information. Remember: being upfront about your vehicle’s history is one of the best ways to encourage a sale since customers are unlikely to put much faith in you as a seller if you’re not open about these things.

#4 Give the Car a Little TLC

In many cases, it’s easy to leave our car’s maintenance on the back burner when life gets busy. However, this all changes when selling your car since buyers often want to see it in its best light.

Luckily, this doesn’t mean you need to spend hours refurbing the car. However, cleaning and polishing the vehicle and removing any dust will make it more presentable and appealing to potential buyers.

#5 Market Your Car

By now, you’re all ready to sell your car; all that’s left to get things rolling is to market! There are numerous ways to advertise your car, from adding a “for sale” sign to the dashboard to listing the vehicle online. Whatever the case, make sure buyers have a chance to get a clear view of the car, as this can help encourage them to view it.

#6 Check Buyers

Once you have advertised, it’s just a case of waiting for interested buyers to come along. However, not everyone who expresses an interest will necessarily be genuine; in line with this, you’ll want to ask buyers about how they plan to pay and so on to ascertain whether they’re likely to be serious. There’s no point in wasting hours of your time with a buyer who’s not genuine about buying the car.

#7 Negotiations

If you’re happy that the buyer is genuine, the negotiations process can begin. During this stage, the buyer will often try to offer a lower price than is being asked; the seller then has the opportunity to either negotiate or stay firm on their original price. Make sure you have a clear minimum price in mind first to make this process easier and be aware if the customer is paying by cash, bank transfer or car finance.

#8 Seal the Deal

Once you’ve found a buyer and both parties are happy, all that’s left is to close the deal. During this stage, make sure you draw up a receipt of sale for both you and the buyer to provide protection for everyone involved.

Final Thoughts

Selling your car is a massive decision. However, this shouldn’t have to leave you feeling unsure about where to turn or how to market your car. Fortunately, with a few simple steps, you can easily take hold of your own car sale and get the most from the transaction.