Loading ...
I’m not an expert on buying and selling websites, but the question came up the other day. I do know about one website sale from personal experience.
Success Story: Selling a Real Estate Website
I have a client who was moving from Michigan to Virginia a while back. He contacted me to discuss options for his Michigan website. He had invested a fair amount in the Michigan site, and had some first page placement on Google and other search engines for prime keywords in his area.
We discussed the option of redoing his Michigan site for his new Virginia market, acquiring a new domain name and starting all over again. But, I really encouraged him to think about selling his Michigan site.
It seemed like such a waste to dismantle a website that had the design, local content, domain name and ranking in the Michigan market. And, since the domain name contained his Michigan keywords, there would be no benefit to his Virginia site for the age of his Michigan domain. Whether he kept the same site or not, he’d be starting over in the search engines for his new Virginia site.
I don’t know how he established a value for his website, but he did find a local agent who was delighted to purchase a turn-key website. I don’t think he got rich doing it, but I’ll wager it probably made a good contribution to tricking out his new real estate website!
Website Buying/Selling Resources
I did some research online for anyone who might be considering selling a website. I found a good article at Sitepoint - a Website Valuation Guide. I found the guide a bit over my head, but maybe some will have more time to go through the math.
While the author points out good reasons why most of the free online valuation tools are wildly inaccurate, he provided a link to his online evaluation tool which is worth checking out.
There’s also a site called WebsiteBroker.com that provides some information about the issue. If you do a search for real estate in the buy category, there are some real estate and related sites listed. They also have articles with tips for buying and selling websites.
I would think it would be much easier to reach the target buyers for a real estate website locally, rather than on a site that brokers websites. You pretty much know who your target market is - other agents in your market area. But, the general information on the Internet is good resource information.
Anyone ever bought or sold a real estate website? If so, let us know how you did it!
There are some for sale - this one has been around for a year or two - probably many more considering how many are leaving the business.
Paulette - Thanks for joining the conversation. Is this your website? How has it been promoted to potential buyers?
Always good to try and get something out if you’ve put a lot of effort into something. Another alternative instead of straight out selling may be to keep your license & the website active and either partner-up with someone, or just work referrals off of it. Just a thought.
I thought the same thing. I’d hate to see anyone who had a viable website just walk away from it.
And, your suggestion is a good alternative, too. Thanks!