How to sell a car in Georgia is not as difficult as it may seem. With a game plan, as well as the know how, you'll sell your car in no time.
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So, check out our detailed guide that explains what forms you need, as well as where you can go to get them.
We'll also provide some tips on how to get your car ready for that all important sale!
In the words that follow, you'll know how to sell your car and make the money you need and deserve!
As a Seller What is My Responsibility?
When selling a vehicle in Georgia, the vehicle owner has to transfer ownership AND cancel registration of the vehicle too!
To Transfer Ownership – On the back of the original title, you must complete the following:
- “Purchaser information using their full legal name as it appears on their Georgia Driver’s License or Georgia Identification Card.
- Purchaser’s current address.
- Date of sale or ownership transfer (month, day, and year)”, as the Georgia Department of Revenue states. Click here to read more!
“Caution: An altered purchase transfer date results in a $10.00 penalty. Get more information on corrections and title penalties,” according to the Georgia Department of Revenue.
How To Sell a Car in Georgia –
Transfer Vehicle Titled in Georgia
You can get both the title as well as the license plate at your County Tag Office. Be sure to have the following paperwork and information ready to go:
- You must submit form MV-1 Title/Tag Application – you must fill it out and sign it.
“Save Time! Start your MV-1 Motor Vehicle Title/Tag Application online BEFORE you visit the county tag office,” adds the Department of Revenue.
- Did your vehicle undergo financing? You must then enter the lien holder or security interest holder’s name as well as address in the spaces provided.
- Be sure to include an Emission Inspection Certificate, if applicable to the sale.
- You also need an original valid title that has an assignment to you. All liens and/or security interests against the previous owner must show release in the spaces provided.
- Don’t forget that Georgia liability insurance!
- “Payment of all fees and/or taxes due:
- $20 license plate fee
- $18 title fee
- Title Ad Valorem Tax
- Any penalties due,” as outlined by the Georgia Department of Revenue.
How to Sell A Car in Georgia – Instructions from the Department of Revenue
To sell a car in Georgia, you the owner must do the following:
- Transfer Ownership utilizing the form located on the back of the title.
- Be sure to cancel your registration – even for a car that you sell or trade-in to a dealer. You should do this within 30 days of cancelling your insurance to penalties and fees.
- Remember to cancel your registration online using DRIVES e-Services.
- You can also cancel your registration by filling out Form MV-18J Application of Voluntary Registration Cancellation
- Don’t forget to complete a Bill of Sale (You can use form T-7, the Bill of Sale form).
Additionally…
You have to cancel your registration within 30 days of cancelling insurance coverage. Doing this keeps you away from fines and penalties. Georgia reminds you that it is illegal for you to drive or allow someone else to drive a vehicle an uninsured vehicle. Need more information? Click here!
Required Documents for a Complete Sale
To successfully sell your car in Georgia, you and the buyer will need to complete several pieces of paperwork:
- The vehicle title. You may be exempt from holding a title. But you need to find out by visiting the Georgia's title requirements at the state's Department of Revenue website.
- For a car that doesn't need a title, you can provide its certificate of origin or the bill of sale.
The Georgia Bill of Sale
The Georgia Department of Revenue's Motor Vehicle Division provides a bill of sale that you are able to download. Click here to download it! You are also able to craft your own. Be sure that your own bill of sale has the following information:
- The date of the transfer of ownership.
- The agreed-upon cost of the vehicle.
- A list of any liens presently on the car.
- Your name and address.
- A list of any liens on the vehicle.
- The name and address of the buyer, as it shows on a GA driver's license or ID card.
- The car's year, make, model year
- The vehicle identification number (VIN)
- The odometer reading. Many vehicles are exempt. Click here to learn more about odometer readings.
What About The Odometer Reading?
Vehicle sellers have to accurately disclose the vehicle’s odometer reading at the time of sale. You must do so, on a secure transfer document. The following information needs to be entered on the odometer box:
- Actual mileage
- The word “exempt “written out, when the vehicle is exempt from an odometer disclosure.
- Click here to read more from The Georgia Department of Revenue!
How To Sell a Car in Georgia – Change a Name on a Title
In order to change your name on your Georgia title, you must:
- Update your Georgia driver’s license or identification card. You can do so at the Department of Driver Services.
- Then, be sure to change the name on your Georgia title at your County Tag Office.
Change your name in person- You need the following:
- Current Georgia title.
- A valid ID which can be your driver’s license or a picture state ID.
- A certified copy of a court document, that authorizes the name change. This document can be a: a) court order, b) divorce decree or c) marriage certificate.
Change your name by mail – You need the following:
- Form MV-1 Title/Tag Application
- Your current Georgia title
- Copy of your Georgia driver's license or state identification card.
- A certified copy of a court document authorizing the name change. Just alike above, this can be a: a) court order, b) divorce decree or c) marriage certificate.
Click here to read more from the Georgia Department of Revenue!
Online Services That Department Of Revenue Provides
The state of Georgia knows that selling a car and even buying one can take work. Thankfully, there are a multitude of services that the Department of Revenue provides online. They include:
- Tag renewal
- Canceling registration
- Getting your title status
- Paying insurance fines
- Changing your address
- Getting your vehicle registered and insured and more!
- Click here to look at all you can accomplish online!
What About a Vehicle Report?
As a seller, you want to be the most trustworthy seller there is. Therefore, it's in your best interest to make all potential buyers feel at ease, when they express an interest in your car. Once you offer buyers a vehicle history report, you are showing the buyer that you are honest as as seller. The vehicle history report tells sellers all about the vehicle he or she is purchasing. The report will tell the buyer if the car as endured any frame damage, flood damage or even theft. You can click here to obtain a vehicle history report.
How to Sell a Car in Georgia – Appealing To A Wide Range of Buyers
One of the great mysteries about selling a car is not knowing who the actual buyer will be. Will you have someone who is recently starting over from a divorce buy your car? Are you going to sell your car to a recent college grad? Regardless of who you end up selling your car to, you want to make sure that you reach as many buyers as you can.
Check out some tips we are offering to help you secure that fast sale!
1. Clean the car. Regardless of who you sell your car to, you have to clean the car. Make sure that you get in between the console. And don't forget to remove your personal belongings out of the car!
2. Assess your car. Grab a mechanic and find out what works and what doesn't about your car. You want to know as you sell your car. Do you have brakes that are in great shape? Do you have a starter that needs to be replaced? Know what your car has and doesn't have and price accordingly.
3. Get a value for your car then price it. You can visit the Kelley Blue Book site and get a figure for what your car is worth. Then, take that figure and compare it to the state of your car. Make sure that your price is a competitive price, that allows room for negotiation.
4. List five great things about your car. Make a list of at least five great things about your car from how clean it is, to the gas mileage it has. Regardless of whom buys your car, they are going to be a buyer, who wants to feel as if they got a great deal.
5. Be honest. Even though you have a car to sell, be honest with your buyer. We provided information about supplying your buyer with a vehicle history report. An honest seller is a seller who avoids lawsuits later.
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