There's a domain I want

[AlphaMare]

There is a domain I want. I have been in contact with the owner - they are not currently using it for anything, and have mentioned a willingness to "lease" it to me. Has anyone heard of this before?
It sounds a bit fishy to me.

 

[silentg]

There is a domain I want. I have been in contact with the owner - they are not currently using it for anything, and have mentioned a willingness to "lease" it to me. Has anyone heard of this before?
It sounds a bit fishy to me.

No it's not fish. There are domainers / companies that leases domains.

 

[lachlandv]

Yes I have actually heard of people that make a living out of leasing/renting out domains!

 

[DNNinja]

They hold the registration papers while you lease (host) the domain elsewhere almost like a car rental service.

And I bet the company is BuyDomains.

 

[renek]

Be sure to get a formal agreement if you are thinking of using the domain for a long time. Furthermore if you are really investing in development I'd recommend buying.

 

[Sparhawke]

Without a solid contract stating your rights and usage of this domain including (duration) extension clauses then I would be very careful.

You do all the work and the owner reaps all the benefits, once you have brought the profile of the domain up and got some major traffic what is to stop him simply pulling the rug from under you?

 

[nielsencl]

Yes, while leasing may be an option to consider for a very expensive domain, the risks involved generally don't make it worthwhile for most people.

If you can't afford a purchase outright, the owner may consider a payment plan where you can use the domain while you make payments. Once the payments are complete, they would transfer the domain to you. Again, there are considerable risks that need to be considered first.

 

[AlphaMare]

Thanks for the input

I guess I was not clear enough in my first post - they do not want to sell. They only offer to lease.
I have e-mailed them agreeing to lease and asking for their price, and they have not responded, so i guess it is now off the table.
Thanks anyway for all your info.

 

[Sparhawke]

Every domain is for sale, it does not matter if the cost is $1 or $1,000,000. Everybody has their price at some point.

When someone steadfastedly refuses to sell and instead only offers to lease that is your cue to look very closely at the small print, all too often it will be one sided in the favour of the person writing it up; ie they will lease it to you for an exorbitant fee each monthly or yearly cycle and you do all the work and then at some future point they simply take it.

With any propert even if you are not interested in buying you always make sure you have the option to buy at some point in time, this gives you at least some kind of way to take advantage of the work you put into it. If you renovate a dilapidated shack in the middle of nowhere and get it somehow making money if you do not have a buyers clause the owner still holds full rights and can evict you at any point in time. (Though you need to ask professional counsel on this)

Thats just my thought, someone who will not even consider letting you buy the property you have spent time on is probably not someone you want to be doing business with.