How to Choose an Aircraft Broker: Vetting Questions, Commissions, Red Flags, and Sales vs Loan Brokers

This guide is for buyers about to deal with an aircraft sales broker, whether you're answering a broker's listing or hiring one to find an airplane for you. It covers how to vet the broker, what commissions look like, the red flags, and how a sales broker's job differs from that of a loan broker who arranges your financing.

Who's who: the intermediaries in an aircraft purchase

Sales broker vs loan broker: why the difference matters

The two are easy to confuse because both are called "brokers" and both help you buy an airplane. They answer different questions. A sales broker answers "which airplane, at what price?" A loan broker answers "which lender, on what terms?"

Jaken Aviation, the division of Jaken Finance Group that handles financing inquiries from this site, is a loan brokerage. It doesn't list or sell aircraft, and it doesn't lend. It arranges financing through a national network of banks, credit unions and specialty aviation lenders. The lender underwrites, sets the rate and funds the loan. The process runs:

1. Apply and consult. Pre-qualification typically takes 1–3 business days.
2. Get matched with lenders that fit the aircraft and your profile.
3. Underwriting, typically 1–2 weeks once there's a signed purchase agreement.
4. Closing, typically 2–4 weeks from application.

Whoever you use for financing, ask:

• Are you the lender, or do you place the loan with lenders? Which kinds (banks, credit unions, aviation lenders)?
• How are you compensated, and where will that appear in my closing documents?
• How many times will my credit be pulled, and by whom?
• What happens if the appraisal or the pre-buy changes the deal?

Get pre-qualified before you ask a sales broker to write an offer. A seller takes an offer more seriously when the buyer already knows the loan amount they qualify for. See the pre-approval process.

12 questions to ask an aircraft sales broker

1. Whom do you represent in this deal? A clear answer, in writing. If they represent both sides, that should be disclosed.
2. How are you paid, by whom and when? Commission percentage or flat fee, stated in the listing or buyer agreement.
3. Do you have a signed listing agreement with the registered owner? Confirm the seller on the FAA registry matches.
4. How many aircraft of this type have you sold in the past two years? Type knowledge matters for pricing and records review.
5. Can I speak with two recent buyers? Buyers, not sellers, tell you how the broker handled problems.
6. Are complete logbooks available to review before I travel? Scans of every airframe, engine and propeller log, plus 337s.
7. Which escrow or title company will hold the deposit? It should be independent and named in the agreement.
8. Can I choose my own pre-buy shop? The answer should be yes. The shop should work for you, not the seller.
9. Is there any known damage history or open squawk? Ask in writing and keep the answer.
10. What's included in the sale? Spares, covers, headsets, towbar and any warranties or engine programs.
11. How will you handle a low appraisal or pre-buy findings? Listen for a process, not a promise.
12. What's your timeline, and does it fit my financing contingency? Underwriting typically needs 1–2 weeks after a purchase agreement.

Commission norms: who pays and how much

Commission terms are negotiated privately, and published ranges run from about 1% to 10% of the sale price. On lower-priced piston aircraft the percentage tends to sit toward the higher end, because marketing and closing take similar work whatever the price. Some brokers charge flat fees instead. On a listing, the seller pays from the proceeds, but the commission is built into the price the seller needs to net.

Illustration: on a $180,000 sale, a 5% commission is $9,000 and an 8% commission is $14,400. A seller who wants to net $171,000 after a 5% commission needs your offer to be $180,000. That is why a private seller with no commission to pay can sometimes accept less.

If you hire a buyer's broker, you pay that fee yourself, usually in cash at closing. Don't assume a lender will add it to the loan, because lenders generally lend against the lower of purchase price or appraised value. For the full broker-vs-private-seller cost comparison, see buying from a broker or a private seller.

Red flags when choosing an aircraft broker

• Asks you to wire a deposit to the broker's own account or the seller's personal account instead of a named escrow agent.
• Emails new or changed wiring instructions. Verify by phone with a number you found yourself.
• Can't show a listing agreement, or the seller isn't the owner on the FAA registry.
• Resists a pre-buy by a shop of your choosing, or wants to "handle" the inspection.
• Won't release complete logbook scans before you travel.
• Is vague about who pays them, or refuses to put fees in writing.
• Pushes you to waive financing, inspection or appraisal contingencies to "lock in" the airplane.
• Steers you to a specific lender or escrow agent without disclosing any relationship with them.
• Has no references from recent buyers of similar aircraft.

How to verify a broker in an afternoon

1. Look up the N-number on the FAA registry and confirm the registered owner matches the seller.
2. Order a title and lien search through an aviation title company. See aircraft lien searches.
3. Call two buyer references and ask what went wrong and how the broker handled it.
4. Search type-club forums for the broker's name.
5. Confirm the broker's business is registered in its home state.
6. Phone the escrow company at a number from its own website, not from the broker's email.

Industry association membership is voluntary. Groups such as the International Aircraft Dealers Association and the National Aircraft Resale Association have their own member standards. Treat membership as one data point, and don't rule out a piston specialist who isn't a member.

Where a good sales broker helps your financing, and where it can't

• Helps: complete records and a clean spec sheet make the appraisal and lender review faster (see records and loan approval).
• Helps: realistic pricing lowers the risk of an appraisal gap.
• Helps: a timeline that respects your financing contingency and closing through escrow.
• Can't: change your rate, down payment or term. Those come from the lender and your profile. As of September 2026, piston loan rates quoted by major aviation lenders generally start around 7% for well-qualified borrowers and run to roughly 10%.

How this guide differs from related guides

This page is about vetting a sales broker and telling a sales broker from a loan broker. For whether to buy through a broker at all, or from a private seller, with a side-by-side cost and financing comparison, see buy an airplane from a broker or private seller. For the escrow mechanics, see aircraft title and escrow. For market timing, see seasonal trends in aircraft pricing.

Frequently asked questions