Mooney Buyer's Agent?

[paulsalem]

I'm a potential first time airplane buyer.  Is there a buyer's agent who specializes in Mooney?

[elimansour]

You may want to contact Jimmy Garrison Jimmy@AllAmericanAircraft.com/ 1-830-438-4081.

[Rwsavory]

Neal Schwartz with Latitude Aviation gets rave reviews.  He is mainly a Beech guy, but he also brokers Mooneys.  

[carusoam]

+1 Jimmy...

If you are going to the extent of using a buyer’s agent, and you are buying a Mooney...

There isn’t anyone more specialized in pre-flown Mooneys...

The nicer the bird, the more this makes sense...

Best regards,

-a-

[paulsalem]

Yea I've heard good things about him.  But he's only going to sell me his inventory right? 

[carusoam]

I have not seen a Mooney buyers agent...

I don’t know of anyone that has successfully taken that route.. (I also qualify as a long term CB... )

The ROI on that service isn’t very good... unlimited travel to see planes around the country to decide they aren’t going to meet your expectations... distance is the problem.

It just sounds better than it is...
 

Take a look at AAA’s inventory...

They specialize in the top half of the market...

I urge you to do your own homework... the preconceived notions you will have are going to get in your own way... 

To use an agent with any level of efficiency... you really need to know what you want...  what are you expecting the agent to do for you?

• decide which plane to look for
• find the plane, and a few like it ...
• compare value vs, price...
• Select the best one...
• negotiate price...
• organize PPI...
• Complete the closing..
• acquire insurance
• complete registration documents.
• organize TT.
• supply the delivery flight.

You need to be pretty well off with no free time to appreciate the use this level of service...  Too much risk in being disappointed with simple things that are important to you, but not so much to other buyers...
 

When you compare what is available to you as a buyer... and those that are available for sale at AAA...

Simply visit AAA... see what they have. Then go on the wild goose chase...

PP thoughts only, not a plane sales guy...

Best regards,

-a-

[hypertech]

See if you can find a CFI that has owned Mooneys or at least flown a lot of them.  Then, take them with you to look at the plane and get their honest feedback about anything that didn't feel right or looks out of place.  If you buy it, then hire that same CFI to do transition training for you.

[ZuluZulu]

I haven’t dealt with him personally, but Jeff Lustick seems pretty active on both the buyer’s and seller’s sides.  If you look at his website you will find multiple Mooneys listed as “PURCHASED,” meaning he represented the buyer.

http://tomahawkaero.com/aircraft-sold-by-tomahawk/

[LANCECASPER]

For the most part any broker represents the Seller's interests. Where your interests get protected is first in dealing with a broker with a good reputation and then once you find an airplane that you are interested in buying is having an Independent Pre-Purchase Inspection done. Keep in mind though that the aviation business is a small world, so finding one that's completely independent and unbiased may present a challenge. A lot can be learned though by doing a careful study of the logs before you decide to put the airplane into pre-buy. 

[KLRDMD]

14 minutes ago, hypertech said:

See if you can find a CFI that has owned Mooneys or at least flown a lot of them.  Then, take them with you to look at the plane and get their honest feedback about anything that didn't feel right or looks out of place.  If you buy it, then hire that same CFI to do transition training for you.

I've helped a few people on this board and others find airplanes that were right for them. Over my flying career I've owned more airplanes than the average pilot, I would guess.  Feel free to PM airplanes you're looking at and I will tell you what I see and what I suggest. I am a CFI (and CFII, MEI & ATP) and have owned four Mooneys and flown dozens. I do a fair amount of Mooney transition training too.

Full disclosure: the last guy I helped ended up buying a Bonanza. I will truly suggest what I feel is the right airplane for you once we define your mission and that was the right one for him and his family. And I just do this for fun.

[spistora]

I'll pile on, +1 for Jimmy.

Even if you don't buy from him he will be very helpful.  He usually has a few that aren't listed that are coming up for sale in the near future.  I learned a lot about what I really wanted in a Mooney by visiting and looking at all the inventory.

As a first time buyer, I purchased from Jimmy and thought he brought a lot of value to the process. 

[ArtVandelay]

I used a buyer’s agent, he did it part time (full time Air Force). He also gave me my transition training. It worked well for me since he was able to look at planes in his area, the cost of not having to travel balance the money I paid him.

[MikeOH]

I was a looong time shopper for my Mooney (my first, and so far only, plane).  At one point I considered the buyer's agent option to the point of contacting a couple of guys (honestly can't remember their names, and one of them was killed in a crash a couple of years back, I'm afraid).

Bottom line, for a $50K plane, I was looking at around a $5K fee.  IIRC they had minimum plus a percent of the purchase price.  A 10% premium just wasn't worth it.  Near as I can tell, they were just going to follow leads with a few phone calls and logbook reviews; for that money they are NOT going to travel the country inspecting airplanes for you.  I got the sense that if you didn't buy the first couple of planes they 'researched' you would stop getting any of their attention.  They would provide assistance for the transaction but escrow, title search, PPI, are still on you.

I was a complete novice when I started my journey, but knowing I wanted a Mooney (though I did have a Bo under contract at one point) I became very good at logbook review and knowing what to look for when I went to check out Mooneys.  When the right one came along I had cash in hand and jumped on it.  3 years in and I'm very happy (probably more due to luck, but I'll never admit it)

Honestly, I'd jump all over Ken Reed's offer above (KLRDMD) rather than figure it out yourself, or pay an agent.

[Guest]

I thought that all of us here on Mooneyspace were the buyers agent of choice.  This group has more Mooney ownership experience than anyone and can dissect a Mooney faster than anyone I’ve seen.

If you don’t mind it being in public, post the ad for the Mooney you’re considering here and wait for your free analysis.

Clarence

[MikeOH]

2 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

I thought that all of us here on Mooneyspace were the buyers agent of choice.  This group has more Mooney ownership experience than anyone and can dissect a Mooney faster than anyone I’ve seen.

If you don’t mind it being in public, post the ad for the Mooney you’re considering here and wait for your free analysis.

Clarence

LOL! After we're done with our analysis, the poor guy will never buy ANYTHING!

[carusoam]

Sounds like the days of buyer’s agents and real estate agents are bumping into the same limitation...

Cost...

And there is so much information available about the house or plane that is available to the buyer... the buyer is his own best agent...

Of course...  when it is your first plane/house... this can be difficult...

The day after your first attempt at purchasing something...goes down the tubes.... you know exactly what you are going to do and not do on the next one...

It really helps to have a friend who has been through this before...

Best regards,

-a-

[Parker_Woodruff]

4 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

And I just do this for fun.

Because who doesn't like spending other people's money? 

[Schllc]

I tried the same thing when I bought my first mooney. 
in theory it sounds good, but it just wasn't practical for me for a few reasons. 

1. inspecting and vetting planes that a broker doesn’t have in his possession will be expensive, and of little benefit for your education about them 

2. you will inevitably by subjected to the brokers preferences, or their interpretation of yours.

 3. You will not truly understand the nuance and differences between models and features without seeing them for yourself.  

In my humble opinion, educate yourself, it takes a while.
Took me six months to learn enough to feel comfortable with both what I wanted, and what I should pay for it. 
everyone's, mission, proclivities, desires me demands are different.
Yours will manifest as you learn. 
I started thinking I wanted a mid body, older Mooney  to fix up, and ended up with a g1000 long body. 
absolutely 100% right choice for me, have had four of them, but just as many guys say they would never buy a glass cockpit. Bad choice for them. 

yours will become evident as you look, fly and learn. 
if you want to make a smart first purchase, educate yourself, don’t just expect someone else to know what you want. 
jimmy garrison is a good guy with a deep network and knowledge  

richard simile and lee Drumheller are two others who have an enormous amount of experience, and large networks as well.

im sure there are other good guys out there too, I just haven’t met them  

lastly, I’d say buy one that flys often, not just a low hour hangar queen  

my two cents  

good luck!

 

[mike_elliott]

I have done this for a couple of new Mooney owners, and frankly, spent way more time on each one evaluating dozens of planes for each prior to PPI than it takes a person to get their instrument ticket. Both people saved far more than it cost them for this service and both are on this board from time to time. But Clarence is right, post it here and you will get opinions all over the map, mostly about price, and it should help you narrow your search down to a few.

Best piece of advice I can give you for free..Prebuy the current Owner as carefully as you screen the plane.