I think I have found a trailer that I really want to purchase. The owner says that he needs me to transfer funds directly to his bank for payoff then he will send me the title when he gets it.

I know I can get a sales contract but how can I guarantee that I will get the title? 

I would either run from the deal or insist on going with the owner to the bank to get the title as part of the payment process.  Both the lein holder (bank) and trailer owner will need to sign the title which you could then send in to get a "clear" title issued in your name.  Your fears are well founded in my opinion.

how can I guarantee that I will get the title?

You can't and has Hunter well said, walk away from the deal. The title should be produced with no encumbrances, before any funds are exchanged. You may end up with a trailer that you can't legally own, register or sell.

 quote... What is a girl to do !!!!!

I would look for another trailer......

Perhaps a dealer can tell us po folks how they handle this sort of transaction.

I would speak to the bank.  Since they hold the title, the bank is the legal owner.  Perhaps a letter of instruction to the bank from the seller will send the title directly to you when the load is paid off.  Also check with the bank to see if there are any other liens or encumberances. 

I wonder if the trailer can have a lein placed on it without the title holder agreeing to it.

I am in the same situation with selling a trailer.

I called our bank where the trailer is financed and spoke with them. They can accept the payoff for the trailer, have us sign the power of attorney and then send the title directly to the buyer. Our bank has an electronic copy of the title in house, but the physical copy is held by the state in our state capitol. The bank said once the payoff is made, it usually takes between 10-20 days to get the title into the hands of the buyer.  

I am willing to provide the buyer with the name and contact person at our bank if they have any questions and my banker will help them out any way she can.

I bought a new trailer from an out of state dealer last year for full cash. I didn't get the title for a month later, but I had the trailer. I didn't think I wouldn't get a valid title. These situations are not uncommon. Suppose you want to buy a car from an owner that hasn't paid it off yet. In this remote trailer transaction, it would seem that the buyer could talk to their local bank where their money lies and ask their bank to be the intermediary with the bank that owns the trailer. I paid off our mortgage held by another bank by my local bank wiring money to that bank. The solution probably lies with a knowledgable person at your bank. As another poster stated: Where there's a will, there's a way.

As a dealer, we are in the same position when it comes to selling a consigned trailer that has a lien on the title.  We guarantee the title to the buyer, and we guarantee the funds to the seller.  That is part of the reason that we charge a commission.  So far, it has not come back to bite us.

In today's economic climate, the seller sometimes has to add to the proceeds from the sale in order to pay off the loan and get the title.  In these cases, we make the proceeds payable to both the seller and the bank and keep close tabs on the progress.  Sometimes it takes four to five weeks to get the title in our hands.  It's all a gamble, and we always hope that we are dealing with responsible, ethical folks on both ends.  As I said, so far so good but it is always a risk.