Questions For Domain Developers

[Whogister]

I been developing sites for about 12 years now for my own businesses. But I never developed a site with the intention of selling it. So I have some questions for those of you that buy domains and then develop the site to sell later on.

Hosting
Would it be easier to buy a seperate hosting account so when you sell later on you can transfer ownership of the hosting account as well as the domain and website? I would think transferring data to the buyer's host could be a PITA, especially if the website is database driven.

Support
This is one of my main issues. I'm afraid that if someone buys my site they will continue to hound me forever for free support long after the transaction. How far do you go with support issues?

When To Sell
Do you usually sell right when the website is done and functional? Or do you wait until you got established traffic with monetary value?

I think that's it for now...
Thanks for your input

 

[-TV-]

Hosting: you do not have to have a special hosting for a website, because sometimes buyers are picky on who you hosting with etc…, you may need to mention what O/S your are hosting the website on is it Linux /windows/ and what type of hosting is it, shared / vps specially when you do have some other applications that are required for the website to work perfectly,
Transferring the website, you can zip all the files, including the DB with content and as mentioned above if buyer expert no need to help just send everything and wait, if buyer no expert in dev or hosting you may need to give him/her a hand to install back everything in his hosting…IMPORTANT: you may need to mention that in your sale post/thread and some conditions too about support etc…

Support: depend on the buyer experience/knowledge about dev/hosting , if expert then no problem just zip and send they do everything them self’s except if file missing etc…, if not too much knowledge I would help the buyer and install the website for him/her FREE/paid depend on the agreement you make until the website is running and everything is working tested perfectly , then that is the end of it , anything else other than that like updating , or help with new scripts etc…IMO that is not support that hiring someone to do it …

When to sell : depend on the demand if offer I would sale right away if price is good, if no offers or interest yet , then nice to have traffic stats and would be nice if you add some ads too see if can generate revenue that will boost the sell too …

If I am missing something, other guys here my mention it 


Good luck with your project


Tv

 

[Michael]

Hosting: I would not bother with a separate hosting account. Most of the people who bought developed sites from me wanted to choose their own hosting company that they are familiar with. It isn't that hard to transfer most sites as long as the servers are similar (WAMP, LAMP, etc).

Support: Just be clear in the purchase agreement what responsibilities you have. I usually offer support for free for a very limited time. Sometimes this is a good opportunity to make residual income on the sale, you can offer a paid support contract.

When to sell: I would wait for the site to have traffic and revenue, as they drastically increase the sales price. Otherwise they are just paying for development costs, and you would be better off just waiting for someone to hire you for their own project instead of taking the risk that someone will buy your site.

 

[Ross]

Hosting: I have a couple of reseller hosting accounts. So for every site i create a seperate shared hosting account. Basically each site has their own account with their own passwords. This way when you sell you can either offer hosting for a price or just give them access for 3 days to get the files and then wipe that account.

Support: If there is anything extra that the site needs i will tell them about it. Most sites i have sold have been mini-sites so there is little to zero support needed to run them.

When to Sell: Whenever you feel like it. I generally do not parade around asking to sell sites unless i am asked. Why try to sell a website that is making money?