My car is paid off so I have the title and lien release in hand. The buyer for my car is in Seattle and he is getting a loan to pay for it. His bank called me and is telling me I will have to mail the title, not just a copy of it, to the bank in order for his loan to be finalized. He is going to come here in 2 weeks to pick up the car and drive it home.
Does this sound legit?
I’ve sold cars before but never to anyone out of state with a bank I’ve never heard of, so I’m a little skeptical when it comes to mailing the title. I guess as long as I have the money in my account before I give him the keys that’s fine, as long as it doesn’t end up being some crazy Western Union shit.
I sold my Lexus to a guy in Vermont. I only had to send a copy of the title, a documented receipt signed by me for the agreed upon sum and a scanned copy of my drivers license. They were able to issue him a loan and when he came here, I signed the title at the bank once the check was verified authentic.
Did you have the car paid off when you sold it? The lady that called me from his bank said that because there are no banks on my end or a dealership involved, sending the actual title is typical.
A copy of the title should be enough for now. The bank is putting you in a catch-22. How is the buyer going to finalize the bill of sale process with you in person if you have already mailed the title to the bank? A copy should be enough for the bank to issue the check, then the new buyer can actually bring in the title within a set time frame.
Everyone I’ve talked to has told me not to send the title until I have the funds, which makes complete sense. If this is how the bank needs to process his loan then I will not do business with them, unless they let us set up an escrow account.
No bank needs the original title they just need a copy, this applies for any car and state, I’ve delt with this so many times, I just make a PDF or copy of the title… Always good enough, they just wanna make sure the car is in your name and no liens