I love my buyer's agent

[Rigged4Flight]

It depends on what people want. If people are doing their own shopping around and want me to go evaluate the planes, I charge $300 a day + expenses. If they want me to shop for them as well I charge $20hr for that. Usually it ends up between $750 and $2500 depending on travel.

Thanks!

 

[Dr. O]

Ignore the peanut gallery... And especially ignore those who "know everything"..

You did good to hire a pro... He probably already saved you a bundle on a plane that would have been needing a new this and an overhauled that, five minutes after you signed the deal..
As far as the time comment - I spent thirty five years of my life working 14 hours a day during the week and loafing on weekends at only 7 or 8 hours a day... I found time to fly... I could not have found time to kick tires and travel around the country looking... Anything that needed doing during those years we hired done...

Keep us informed as your search goes on...

 

[Henning]

That's the key right there.

A buyer has a mission. They want an airplane that'll get them places at 3 miles per minute, for example. Bonanza? Mooney? There's other options, too... But finding the right airplane when you haven't even decided on a particular type could be a real bear.

I was more referring to knowing what you're looking at when evaluating the particular machine, it's expensive to have A&Ps do complete 'annual list' type prebuys on several planes just to eliminate them. Typically I'll know within 15 minutes of arrival if the deal is worth pursuing.

 

[Dave Theisen]

The FreeBird wasn't Steingar's first plane. Just sayin...

Fair enough.

 

[Drachen596]

Location, location, location?

I suppose that is true if they're in a poor place for you to visit and see in your time off from work.

personally, if i ever get to fly and own a plane of my own, i will have a buyers agent or someone similar in addition to the information from places like this message board to help me not screw up the whole buying process.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

But if you really knew that much about PA-30s or PA-39s, you would know that Twinkies are worth dick today. PA-24s are worth more than Twinkies given the same condition and avionics.

Yeah, but I want a twin. Big, cold body of water nearby that I'd like to fly over fairly regularly.

If you're just dying to buy a twin, there are plenty of A & B-55 Barons out there that can be bought for less than a PA-24. Yeah they have those wonky levers - PTM instead of TPM, but hey, if you want to be Sky King you can't be too picky.

They have wonky levers, yes, but worse yet is they lack the relative efficiency of the Twinkie and I bump my head in 'em. Oh, and then there's the whole Beech price premium which just isn't worth it for me.

All due respect, but you're an airplane enthusiast. You will never make a dollar as long as you are.

Dude, the only reason I've even thought about this is that I've already made a dollar (quite a few, actually) doing this, even though it was for fun.

Please don't think I am a dikwad for saying this, but you haven't expressed a thought that someone else didn't come up with 10 years ago.

Wow, dude. Just wow. You're telling me what kind of airplane I should want, you're telling me that I'll never make a dollar when I already have, and you accuse me of not having any original thoughts. You don't have very many friends, do you?

 

[nddons]

Wow, dude. Just wow. You're telling me what kind of airplane I should want, you're telling me that I'll never make a dollar when I already have, and you accuse me of not having any original thoughts. You don't have very many friends, do you?

I guess BurtM never read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" book.

Trolls don't just live in the SZ any more.