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I'm doing a little market research on aircraft I'm interested in purchasing, and I'd like to know what aircraft of similar type are selling for. I pulled FAA registration records on a handful, but almost always sale price is either left blank (which I believe is actually not formally allowed) or contains "$1 + OVC" as in the photo below.

example bill of sale

Are there other practical ways to find out what aircraft are actually selling for?

I know there are many companies offering bluebook values, but if the raw data on sale prices aren't out there, I don't know that I trust their valuations either.

parkus
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    See the question Why do people put $1 & OVC on aircraft bills of sale? for more information on this convention. – Greg Hewgill Jan 25 '22 at 04:58
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    Have you looked at the prices on "aircraft for sale" websites? – DJClayworth Jan 25 '22 at 19:41
  • www.controller.com – Jpe61 Jan 26 '22 at 17:26
  • @DJClayworth, yes I have, but that is just the asking price. Presumably the aircraft could have sold for a different (probably lower) value. – parkus Jan 26 '22 at 22:11
  • @Jpe61, is there a way to view past (sold) listings on Controller? Trade-a-plane seems to give sellers the option to mark their listing as sold rather than remove it, which can be helpful (though, again, it will only reveal the asking price). I haven't found a way to view past listings on Barnstormers or Controller. – parkus Jan 26 '22 at 22:14
  • I haven't actully used that service for years now, it simply was the first one that popped into my mind, so can't really advice with the use much... – Jpe61 Jan 27 '22 at 09:27
  • Welcome to aviation.SE! I suspect that the data is most likely to come from state records. Most states charge some form of tax on aircraft purchases, although it can depend on the value, whether it's a private or business purchase etc. In other words, it's complicated and the best way to get reliable data is probably from a specialized data provider. That might not be helpful if you're looking for free data on light aircraft sales for your own personal use, but I don't think that the data exists in any central, public location. – Pondlife Jan 27 '22 at 16:53
  • Good to know, @Pondlife, and thanks for the welcome! I was looking for the free option :) And also just wasn't sure I could trust a specialized data provider if the data if there is no reliable way to get the data. – parkus Jan 28 '22 at 20:03

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Only auction listings will show price realized after the sale. Private sales are not required to put anything into the FAA bill of sale because the FAA has no taxation or other authority related to the transaction, other than to record that the aircraft changed hands.

Juan Jimenez
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