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A bill of sale is a legal document that is used to transfer ownership of an item from a seller to a buyer. It includes relevant information such as contact information, descriptions of the items, payment methods, and warranties.
The bill of sale proves the owner of a given item. This can be used in a court of law to demonstrate ownership for items such as vehicles, boats, motorcycles, and many more items.
A legally binding bill of seller makes the lives of both buyers and sellers substantially easier.
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A vehicle bill of sale is a piece of paper that transfers the ownership of a vehicle from one party or parties (the Seller(s)) to another (the Buyer(s)). It is a document that varies somewhat in content depending on the location of the sale. You will need to review your state and local websites to ensure your bill of sale is obeying all laws and bylaws. It’s the sort of document one can easily draw up using a car bill of sale template – it’s not that complex. You can simply download a auto bill of sale from the internet and just fill it out (though do be sure you are using a reputable resource). However, you’ll want to have every one of your details in order before starting.
A vehicle bill of sale should contain the following -
Details of vehicle purchase
This includes the date of the sale, as well as any details about the consideration paid for the title transfer.
Buyer and seller information
This part should include the full names and addresses of both the buyer and the seller.
Vehicle information
This should include all possible details, such as year, make, model, VIN, color and condition. “Condition” refers to whether the vehicle is new/like new or “as is.” “As is” is a term that basically negates any guarantee of functionality and lets you to evade liability for any problems down the line.
Signatures
The contents of this section vary by region. A vehicle bill of sale should generally include the signature of seller, or sellers if the vehicle is jointly owned, as well as the signature of a notary public and/or witnesses. Whether or not a vehicle bill of sale requires witnesses depends upon state laws. Be sure to review your state’s official website for details.
Any representations or warranties
If the seller issues a warranty, that means the seller is assuring the buyer of the property transfer. No one but the seller or the buyer may claim ownership of the vehicle. If the seller transfers without warranty , you are not providing this defense.
Legal Considerations of a Vehicle Bill of Sale
If you’re preparing to sell a vehicle, or even simply use it as an asset, you’ll need to have all your official paperwork in order. This means creating a vehicle bill of sale. Legally speaking, any bill of sale is a pretty heavy document. A vehicle bill of sale is no exception. Here are a few aspects to keep in mind when drawing yours up.
As security
Oftentimes, people will use vehicles as collateral for loans . If you are doing this, you will need to be prepared to submit a vehicle bill of sale. You can tailor the sale terms to state that the sale only becomes valid if the loan is not repaid.
Check your state laws
The specifics of what should comprise a bill of sale for cars vary from state to state. Some states, for example, require that a vehicle bill of sale form be notarized. Others require that the odometer reading be recorded. Different states also have different rules in regards to using these bills of sale in loan arrangements. Be sure to check your state website for details.
Make all necessary disclaimers
If you are selling a vehicle on which a warranty is maintained, include that in the document. If you are selling the vehicle “as-is,” as many owners do, you need to state that. The term “as-is” covers you as far as damages or accidents are concerned. Just be sure the party you are selling to is on board with the “as-is” clause.
Don’t stress
A vehicle bill of sale is a simple enough document to draw up. The main thing is to retain all necessary legalese and not miss any key points. You can save yourself time and money downloading a vehicle bill of sale template from the internet. Provided you use a reputable website, this will work just as well as, if not better than, a document you draw up from scratch.
Passing a vehicle from one set of hands to the next is not nearly as complicated as you might think. However, it does require going through official legal pathways. The Bill of Sale is a document that legitimizes the transfer of a vehicle’s ownership from one party to another. It must be drawn up and executed regardless of price (even if the vehicle is free) or relationship between the parties. Here are the main components of a vehicle bill of sale.
Buyer and Seller Information
This should include the full legal names of the buyer and seller, as well as the street addresses and any other relevant information. The seller must identify him or herself as the owner and explicitly state that he or she is transferring said property to the buyer.
Witness Information
In order to be considered legal, every vehicle bill of sale must have an official witness . This includes the full legal name and street address of the bill of sale’s witness.
Description of Property
This must include model, make, year, vehicle identification number (VIN), seller registration number, and physical details such as color, condition, and odometer reading. If the title of the vehicle has been applied for in the past, this must also be specified.
Payment Details
This must specify the method of payment, the exact amount due, and payment schedule, including amount of installments and the date(s) that payment is due. If the vehicle is a gift, this must also be specified, and the relationship between the parties (parent/child, spouse/spouse) must be declared.
Signatures
This must appear at the end and follow a direct statement conveying all parties’ agreement to the preceding terms and verifying the information contained in the document under penalty of perjury. It must include the signatures of the buyer, seller and witness beside each of their printed full legal names, as well as the date the bill of sale is being signed.
Congratulations! You just landed your dream job in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District, and somehow also managed to find a (relatively) reasonably priced "fixer-upper" in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, right on the Berkeley border. Life is good.
As the dream job does not allow telecommuting, the question that keeps plaguing you is how to negotiate the daily commute while maintaining your sanity and saving all the pennies you can for that new house. Thrilled to live in an area that has so many public transportation options, but already tiring of hearing all the complaints about nightmare commutes, you want to weigh all of the options with an open mind.
While there are many modes of transport in the Bay Area and possible combinations, for your purposes -- journeying from Rockridge (Claremont Ave./College St.) to San Francisco (Market St./Montgomery St.) at rush hour -- four modes of travel are most realistic.
Financial cost (weekly) | One-way journey time | Carbon footprint | Social index (qualitative) | |
BART | $38.50 | 25 min. | Best | love a crowd |
Car (solo) | $55.00+ | 45-60 min. | Worst | loner |
Car (shared) | $10.00 | 45 min. | Good | neighborly |
Transbay bus | $42.00 | 45 min. | Better | low-profile |
The Bay Area doesn't have a subway -- it has BART. Love it or hate it, this is the fastest and most efficient way to travel between San Francisco and the East Bay, and if you can find a seat, BART trains beat most other public transportation options for size and comfort.
The only problem is, you will be traveling during rush hour, and you will not have a seat. With so many people being driven out of the city by San Francisco rents and ever more people moving to the area, and many landing in the East Bay to take advantage of public transport links, the BART system is feeling the pressure. Even many hardy commuters complain that they can no longer take the overcrowding of the trains at rush hour, and that it is only becoming worse.
By any other measure, however, BART seems the obvious choice. A ride from Rockridge in Oakland to Montgomery Street in San Francisco is $3.85. You live close enough to BART that you can walk to the station, so your weekly commute will cost $38.50. Time-wise, at 25 minutes per trip, it is by far the fastest option, and you never have to wait for the bridge traffic. At a busy time, you may have to wait a couple of minutes for the next train.
From a sociological perspective, traveling by train puts you in contact with all of the diverse workers, students, tourists and other characters who make up the social fabric of the Bay Area -- hands-down, the best people watching.
If you choose to drive, then this would also be a good time to start developing a meditation practice. Know that you will spend a lot of time inching forward toward the Bay Bridge toll plaza drumming your fingers. If you are not carpooling, then you will wait in the longest lines trying not to curse the person who will not let you merge. You will pay $6 per toll, but at least you only pay that going into San Francisco. So plan to pay $30 per week for tolls, and let's say $25 for gas.
Of course, you already know about all of the other costs that come along with maintaining a car in the city -- including city parking if your company does not provide it (upwards of $300 per month). Due to the longer wait for the toll booth on the Bay Bridge, your commute could be 45-60 minutes or more for the mere 11-mile trip into San Francisco, but will probably not exceed 40 minutes on the return trip.
Traveling solo can be a blessing if you enjoy having quiet time to yourself, singing along to a great playlist, or can conduct business en route over your hands-free phone. If you do not enjoy long stretches in the car by yourself but still want to drive, then either buy a motorcycle or join a carpool.
There are numerous rideshare options in the city. One long-standing informal option is casual carpool. There are designated locations throughout the East Bay where commuters in search of a ride form neat, orderly lines and drivers with free seats in their car pull up and take as many riders as they can. Most cars take three riders, and then drop off at a set place in the Financial District. The return trip is not as popular for carpooling due to varying schedules, but there is a designated pick-up location near Beale Street in the Financial District.
In terms of cost, unless you are driving, this is the best deal around. Etiquette requires that you offer the driver $1 for tolls. If you carpool to and from work every day, then your weekly commute costs just $10! And, even if you are the driver, you have your toll costs covered, can take the carpool lane at the toll plaza thus reducing your commute time, and you have eased your conscience by reducing your carbon footprint.
Socially, you get to meet some of your neighbors. Etiquette dictates that usually the driver initiates conversation or chooses the music. Conversation will be minimal, but do brush up on your small talk.
Unless you have experienced a BART strike and suddenly had to scramble for alternative transport options, you may not even have known that there were buses from the East Bay to San Francisco. Alas, there are a few AC Transit buses that make the trans-bay trek, and, in fact, one particularly convenient line comes right down Claremont Avenue cutting across College Street in the heart of your neighborhood. Your stop, fortuitously, is also next to a casual carpool location. From there it jumps on the 24 Freeway and is shortly (well, in 45 minutes or so) in the heart of San Francisco at the Transbay bus terminal, which is also not far from your job on Montgomery Street.
A one-way fare will cost you $4.20 ($42 weekly). The beauty of the bus is that you have a good chance of getting a seat, and then can relax and read or just stare out the window. Even when the bus is stuck in traffic, the ride somehow feels more pleasant. Plus, you get to share this daily joyride with a diverse cross-section of local commuters. If you simply cannot handle the crowded BART trains, then this is for you.
Of course, there are still more transport options: Ferries cross the bay; bikes can be taken on BART and buses; and services such Lyft or Uber will take you for a nice fee ($25 off-peak). With plentiful choices for public or private transportation, experiment and discover what works best for you. Above all, maintain a healthy perspective about your commute and be grateful for all of the options available. Then every day can feel like a new adventure. Bon voyage!