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I'd like to set up a "for sale by owner" type of website to marry to some very fsbo friendly domain names. I'm prepared to take the plunge.
There are several out-of-the box programs intended for fsbo or property listing websites. They range in price. I know they come with support and pay-by-the hour upgrade possibilities.
There are "the Russians", which I heard so much about at PubConf. Also, the Indians, etc. who I understand live pretty well on fewer dollars, who are competent coders, aim to please, etc. - if you can get through any language barriers when you attempt to explain exactly what you want the application to do.
There's my friend Bill, pretty well experienced with ASP - as a result of 'practicing' - but who hasn't built many websites. Bill will no doubt charge a lot more than the Russians. Bill would also not charge for all his hours because he understands that there's a learning curve and a benefit to him getting into a hands on project. Bill has been a MS man for 20 years, mostly network admin, but he's looking to branch out.
There are likely non-Russians (so to speak) who, while they charge a few much rubles/hour, may have coded a fsbo type site already and wouldn't charge all that much for a rerun.
I might even have the option of buying an out of the box program and paying someone to modify it.
I suspect that, as time passes, I may need to tweak or upgrade the application. Then what? Will the Russian's have migrated? What then?
HELP! Do you get my dilema? What do I do? What problems do I have to look forward to depending on the path I choose? Am I in a situation where I could pay $1500 to get the same product that I might also get for $15,000 if I don't know what I am doing or choose carefully?
1. Do you want to use asp or .net? .net has a lot more things that a competent coder can do, plus .net has an inherent URL rewrite.
2. Pricing: I live by the words; you get what you pay for.
3. "Out of the box" programs: They are nice, but do you want to ultimately want to end up having full control of the code, or is that something that you really don't mind?
4. Oh, and of course, either way you go, make sure to do the research into the company/person that you deal with. You will end up with a better product and fewer headaches in the long run.
Mac
You plan on investing a lot of money and time in creating a web based business that you hope will return some big money.
You have little to no experience making serious websites and you are looking to farm out all the work.
What other type of business would you be willing to start, invest money in, and farm out all the work? Would a restaurant succeed if you didn't know how to manage a restaurant? How about a retail store where you hired out all the work? A bakery?
My point is, you are about to embark on a *business* venture. You really, really, really need to understand what you are getting into and start learning about what it takes to code what you want to code.
After four years of coding my own sites I feel confident that I can successfully outsource some work. I know what to ask for, what reasonable time to allow and expect, and generally what to pay. Yes there will be a range, but I can confidently evaluate what people send me before I hire them.
You're about to make a big step without the necessary little steps in between.
Go slowly.
I understand the old saw about "you get what you pay for" but I know, from my years of practicing law, that a client can easily overpay too. I've gone up against attorneys with less experience and ability who charge twice what I charge. Does that make my service inferior? Not judged by the outcome in court.
So, do I consider working with a local pro who is willing to consider exercising oversight or offering assistance in developing specs/pricing that I contract out to India/Russia/other?
Anyone ever work along these lines and have any guidance to offer?
I want to support the local economy but my funds are limited. So, is there a win-win-win approach for someone in my shoes? Something local, something outsourced, some meeting of financial constraints?
1. Buy an existing product (do not spend more than $200)
2. Make sure you get the complete source code with rights to modify it per your own needs
3. Make sure the company selling you the product will also get it up and running (installed) for you.
4. Get it hosted somewhere. (you do not need to own a server and worry about it)
Hope this helps,
Elky
you can find some free and cheap application here:
[aspin.com...]
