The buyer does not need to be present when notarizing the title, but the buyer’s name needs to be included at the top of the title, and this commits the buyer to sign the title upon receiving it.
Without a buyer, the title would be left open, and the seller can jump the title, which is illegal in all states.
Title jumping is the act of buying a vehicle and selling it without registering it in your name. The title “jumps” from one owner to the next, without any record. Title jumping is also known as a jumped title or floated title.
The bottom line is that it is illegal to sell a car that is titled in someone else’s name.
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