I share all the frustration which has been reported. Yet the following approach works better (for me) than any other I tried before.
- call immediately (don’t email)
- if no response try 3 times, than dump it
- if the call goes well request full disclosure and ask how long he will need,
- if papers don’t come in, call again, and eventually … (you guessed it) dump it
- if it comes in, and looks promising, make an appointment
- if it does not … dump it
- always do your own pre-buy : a very good look at plane and papers before you call an expert in. He is worth the money on the last plane you really want to buy. But you can find many, many show-stoppers yourself.
And a last lesson I learned by wasting a lot of money: if you determine that she needs re-registration (example swiss planes unless you are swiss) … dump it.
PS: I hear that selling can be even more frustrating. Half of the Saudi peninsula is calling and emailing, and there is no chance in hell that any one will ever buy your beautiful plane built in 1989 or before. If you turn your phone off, you don’t sell. If you don’t you won’t sleep any more. That’s why some buyers turn to “email only”, which of course busts my first step above ;)
