How can you tell why an owner is selling their aircraft, and the level of offer they will accept for it? Getting those answers might be easier than you think, as Chris Kjelgaard discovers...
Buying a pre-owned business aircraft isn’t just a matter of paying the sticker price listed in an advertisement by the seller’s agent and walking away with the aircraft’s title documents.
Contacting the seller’s agent – or, more likely, having a broker do so as your representative – is just the first step in a complex and sometimes lengthy process of communication, negotiation, compromise, physical inspection, and (occasionally) modification of the asset in question.
But at the root of all purchases of pre-owned business aircraft are three important questions to which the buyer needs to learn the answers if they’re to know that the aircraft they are pursuing is worth buying.
- What’s the seller’s motivation for selling the aircraft?
- What level – below the asking price or otherwise – will the seller agree to sell the aircraft for?
- Is the aircraft worth buying for that price – or for any price?
Research the Aircraft Seller’s Background
Knowing something of a seller’s background and why that seller is motivated to sell their aircraft provides the first important clues the buyer needs in understanding the complete picture of the transaction.
Luckily for the buyer, says Forrest Owens, Principal of Aviation Legal Counsel, “The [stories sellers] tell are usually apparent: they usually come to light pretty quickly. Based on the price of the deal and how urgent they are, you usually can figure out why someone is selling.” Indeed, the reasons are varied across the board.
This article was originally published by AvBuyer on June 10, 2026.