I just purchased a Canadian registered Velocity. What I would suggest
is that you have the current owner fly the plane to the US (a non-event
for them). If the current owner is shrewd, he/she will not be willing
to de-register until you purchase the plane outright (because
re-registering is a big hassle in Canada). That puts you at risk
because you've then purchased a plane that is un-airworthy (since is
not registered here, which it can't be until it is de-registered in
Canada). The way around this is to come to an agreement with your DAR.
Pay him to do the inspection / registration in two parts. A
pre-registration inspection will assure you that the plane is indeed
airworthy in the eyes of the FAA (or their designate in this case).
Once the DAR he has confirmed it is airworthy and he/she will certify
it, the owner can de-register in Canada (which only takes a few days).
Then all you have to do is plaster with N-number and experimental
stickers and fly away. If you need a loan, it get's quite a bit more
complicated but can be done (I did it and both buyer and seller were
pretty well protected).
Jeff

ted wrote:
I am considering purchasing a Canadian built and registered Searey
homebuilt. What do I have to do to get an N-number on it?

thanks,

ted