Car Selling Logistics

[Travis]

I'm selling one of our cars and this is the first time I've done a private sale.  I have a bunch of people coming throughout the day to see and test drive it.  Being a Sunday I don't expect anybody to actually pay me today.  Arizona DMV states "You'll provide a notarized signature on the back of the title when transferring ownership to the buyer."  Does this mean the buyer and I have to be in front of the notary together when I sign the title or would I do this on my own and then hand it over to the buyer after they've paid me?  Does it make sense that we'd test drive today and conclude the transaction tomorrow? Should I have signed the title before posting the ad?  My thought process was I might spend the next 100 miles showing the car so it'd be too early to touch the title.

I put the ad out last night at 5pm on Craigslist and Facebook and I received 20 responses by 8am.  Two of them were low balls that went straight to the trash and two made counteroffers without having seen it yet.  We'll see about the rest after they come test drive.  I'm a little nervous about this process.

[Travis]

So this moved quickly. I just wrapped up my first appointment and they offered full price.  We both have to wait until tomorrow to seal the deal so they can get the money and I can get the title notarized at the DMV (they do not have to be with me for that).  I have four more appointments set up for today.  Would you recommend cancelling them or holding them and saying "I'll call you?" I don't want to waste their time. 

[Dave1442397]

So this moved quickly. I just wrapped up my first appointment and they offered full price.  We both have to wait until tomorrow to seal the deal so they can get the money and I can get the title notarized at the DMV (they do not have to be with me for that).  I have four more appointments set up for today.  Would you recommend cancelling them or holding them and saying "I'll call you?" I don't want to waste their time.

I would call the people who have appointments, tell them the car may be sold, but let them come see it if they want to. If the first offer falls through for some reason, then you can call them back.

As for the notary, if it's only your signature that needs to be notarized, then the buyer doesn't need to be there. The notary is only verifying that you, the person signing the title, is in fact the person whose name is on the title.

[Travis]

Sale complete. Thanks for the advice.  Please check out my journal if you're curious how it went down.