Hi,
Hope someone can help me:
Is it possible to sell a car that is registered to my brother?
I would like to use it for a few weeks while it is still registered and insured on his name and sell it in another state.
Is that possible?
would it be possible to let my brother sign the back of the title and leave the new owner blank? or should he put in my name?
the thing is that i am not a US resident, so he can’t transfer the title to me. or could he?
Maybe your brother can sign and mail you the title when you find a buyer. You should check with the state your brother lives in and the state you will be in to see what they say. Just be honest with them and they will be straight with you.
You do not have to be a resident to purchase a vehicle in the united states.
Just have him sign the title now and keep it in a safe place.
Yes, you can legally sell the car for your brother, and do so in any state. Your brother will have to sign the title and you will sign the bill-of-sale if the new buyer asks for one. Transferring the title is another simple option, likely unnecessary. You need not be a US resident.
don’t I need a address when i register the car?
can I be the owner, while it is registered to my brother?
when he signs the back of the title and leave the new owner blank, could i sell it and just put the new owner in myself?
so he does not need to put my name in the back of the title?
doesn’t it look a little bit dubious to the new buyer when there is a different name on the bill than on the title?
He would NOT put your name anywhere on the title. Whoever has the title, that your brother has signed the OWNER block, can use the title to transfer ownership at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle), or MVA. Anybody who has the signed title, even if they stole the title, has legal ownership of the car. So, keep the signed title safe.
It could be a problem of persuasion that a prospective buyer might question if the signature on the title is, indeed, your brother’s (the owner). Maybe, if you got a notarized power of attorney, signed by your brother, that you were selling the car for him. The signature on the notarized power of attorney would match the signature on the title.
State laws vary but here in OK you would need to have your brother sign the back of the title and to whom the vehicle is being sold. He would have to do this in the presence of a notary public who would then notarize it after the blanks are filled in.
The safest way to do this is to get someone to place a deposit on the vehicle and then deliver the car and signed off title at the same time. Selling someone a car and running into a snag or delay on the title can cause some very major headaches. A friend of mine was arrested not once, but twice for getting involved in something like this; and it was on the same car no less.
Here is something people who don’t live here often find hard to understand. The law varies from state to state. In some states, like Virginia where I live, you can transfer a car title between family members without paying the price of a “sale.” In other words, I can sign over a car to my daughter and she can get a title in her name without paying the sales tax. Other states don’t allow that.
As OK4450 said, some states, Oklahoma and North Carolina that I know of, want to have a notarized signature from the seller and the buyer to get a new title. Virginia doesn’t care about notarized signatures at all, but they really want a signed statement or bill of sale with the price so they can charge sales tax.
So, the answer is it depends on which state your brother is in, and which state you sell the car in, and which state the purchaser intends to title the car in. All 3 could be different states and the rules will vary depending on just which state(s). In general, though, if you have a signed title from your brother and maybe a signed and notarized document from him saying you have his permission to sell the car, you can probably do this. If you are looking for quick and easy, a used car dealer will probably buy the car. They may not give you the best price, but they can deal with title assignment issues without too much trouble.