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My '59 150 goes up for sale next month.

But bypass surgery last month will keep me away from my airport (an hour away) for at least two months. The local flying club manager has agreed to serve as broker for the airplane, advertising it and conducting test flights, but we have not yet talked about fees. I am thinking that brokers charge a percentage of the sale proceeds. If so, what percentage is reasonable? 6 per cent? 8? 10?

thanks.

The guy who sold Wally Peterson's Cub here charged 5%. Said standard was 6%; the 5% was presented as a personal sweetener. Broker was in the business of buying and selling airplanes.

Henry,
Sorry to hear about your heart problem. I sincerely hope that all is going well for you. When I had a stint placed the FAA would not accept any reapplication for a Third Class Medical for at least six months. It take the medical branch in OKC at least three months to process a request for special issuance. I was without an medical for about one year. Now I have to have a very through annual inspection to keep my medical.

For goodness sake talk money with your broker before any sales transaction; it may save you a lot of grief in the future.

Although I am not a broker I have sold a few planes for other folks. We always agreed upon a fee at the outset. I charged a larger percentage for a low cost airplane because the time and effort is about the same (maybe more) to sell a 150, Cherokee, Pacer or the like as a 310 or 414. Low cost airplanes will likely be sold to first time buyers and they can be a real pain. I did the low cost planes for 10% and 5% and 6% for the higher value planes.

Good luck to you and keep walking.

Hello All:

I have been lucky enough to work at a Cessna Pilot Center/Service Station selling used Cessna planes as a broker, ferry pilot, parts manager, and warranty administrator for the last 2 years. Our brokerage fee 5% for aircraft under $100K and 4% for aircraft over $100K. There is also a $300.00 setup fee charged to the seller for scanning of the logs, pictures, and web posting. This charge assures that the seller is a serious seller if he is willing to sell the aircraft and not just wasting your time with an outrageous asking price.

I am a new member here (just this week) and hope this helps.

Joseph,
From you post it sounds like you folks have your act together. After some of my selling adventures it is my opinion that your fees are very reasonable. I am not at all surprised that a pro can do the job cheaper than an amateur.

I am glad that you have joined us with your knowledge. I think that a lot of us are a bit leery of brokers because of our lack of experience in dealing with them. Perhaps you can make us all more comfortable with the advantages and of course disadvantages of using a broker to sell our planes.

Maybe a short tutorial here in the “Buyer & Sellers” forum would be in order?