How to Hire a Broker to Sell You Website

There are basically two ways to sell your website. You can list the site, find a buyer and negotiate a fair price. The other option is to use a website broker as an intermediary. There are also brokers who specialize in domain names.
The job of a broker is to facilitate the sale of your blog or website. They strive to find an agreeable price for the property using their knowledge and experience. Most times a broker would get a better deal than the owner if they choose to sell by themselves.

Who Needs a Broker?

Generally a broker only deals with sites that earn $100,000 to $4million a month. If your site earns $400 you are better selling it yourself. However some brokers would consider sites that are worth $25,000 and above.
Why Hire a Broker
The question is why hire a broker and pay a percentage of the sale. The answer is simple. The broker understands the market and has a wider reach. They generally have people interested in certain property.
The broker is driven to perform because they earn only when a sale is concluded. They also protect the confidentiality of both parties and maximize the sites earning potential. They also remove the burden of negotiating or stress associated to property sales.
A good broker should have a contact list, sales channels and credibility. They also need to have god negotiating skill and promotional strategy. They understand the buyers market and organize and present relevant statistics to backup their sales pitch.

Advantages of using a website Broker

•    The broker understands the market
•    has a wider reach
•    they have a contact list
•    sales channels
•    credibility
•    god negotiating skill
•    promotional strategy
•    They understand the buyers market
•    present relevant statistics
•    good sales pitch

What They Do

The broker manages the portfolio of the client.  They discus with website owners and agree on a percentage on sale of the web property. A good website broker works with statistics. They valuate ascertain the true value of the website and ways to improve the stats.
Functions of a broker include understanding market potential, traffic analysis, price, business model and profitability. They also identify buyers, draft contracts and assist in the sales. They also improve the site SEO in the short term to improve the value.
They negotiate, advertise, list, and facilitate money transfers. The web broker would work on a presentation, compile offers and do the paperwork. This includes writing a letter of intent, escrow and sales finalization.

Job of a Website Broker

1.    manages the portfolio of the client
2.    discus with website owners
3.    agree on a percentage on sale
4.    works with statistics
5.    valuate
6.    ascertain the true value of the website
7.    improve the stats
8.    they understanding market potential
9.    study traffic analysis
10.    price
11.    business model
12.    profitability
13.    they identify buyers
14.    draft contracts
15.    assist in the sales
16.    improve the site SEO in the short term
17.    they negotiate
18.    advertise
19.    list
20.    facilitate money transfers
21.    they work on a presentation
22.    compile offers
23.    do the paperwork

What Happens When You Use a Brokerage Site?

The seller could alternately list the property on a brokerage site. The brokerage site lists the website and takes a set percentage after the auction is concluded. So any way you look at it you still have to pay someone a percentage. Some brokerage sites collect an upfront listing fee.
There are some good individual brokers on Flippa. Before using their serves there are a few things to ask. You need to know their success fee and type of exposure your listing gets on the site.
The account management serve should have a success fee not higher than 18%. There should be a listing upgrade to homepage / premium auction. Other advantages should include editor’s choice, message handling and feature in the weekly newsletter.
The websites listing sent through email to top watchers, social connections, research and outbound marketing services. The broker should also monitor post auction transactions.

Flippa Broker Account Management Services

•    A success fee not higher than 18%
•    listing upgrade to homepage / premium auction
•    editor’s choice
•    message handling
•    feature in the weekly newsletter
•    email to top 200 watchers
•    social connections
•    research
•    outbound marketing services
•    they should also monitor post auction transactions

How Long To Sell a Site

The duration for a sale could be a few days to several months. A site like Flippa allows a maximum duration of one month. If the site is not sold within this period it could be re-listed. Therefore a good time frame is between 1 to 6 months.

How to Find a Website Broker

The first step to hiring a broker is to study his antecedents. Find out the persons success rate and professional background. Make sure the person is legitimate, certified and trustworthy.
Find out if the person is part of a bigger organization or a freelancer. Look for reviews or testimonials. Ask relevant questions such as commissions, websites they have sold and their sales strategy.
You need to verify if the information you receive is accurate and search third party websites for information. Verify the contact information and operational base of the broker.
Find out how many websites they have in their current portfolio. A good broker should have a few at every given time. It is essential to verify their claims and use only legitimate professionals.

Top website Brokers

The size of the website would determine the website broker to engage. If your sites market value is less than $ 60,000 then you need a mid range broker. A good place to list your property is Flippa.
They accommodate low and mid range websites and charge a small listing fee.  The site is put up for auction and the highest bidder wins. Payment is done via escrow or PayPal depending on your preferred payment option.
Another broker options for website owners are Digital Exits for high end websites. If your site revenue is $100,000 to $4million then they are your best bet.
Other good brokerage sites to consider are FE International, We Sell Your Site, Digital Acquisitions and Quiet Light Brokers. To use FE International your site should generate $25,000 to $5 million.

List of Website Brokers

•    Flippa Deal Flow
•    Wired Investors
•    Digital Exit
•    We Sell Your Site
•    FE International
•    Flippa
Ways to Sell Digital Products from your Website
7 Places to Sell Your Website or Blog

Conclusion

The website and domain market offers webmaster a veritable source of income. There is huge potential for growth and the market keeps improving. To maximize your success you could leverage on the skills of a broker.
However, most website brokers deal with site with revenue $20,000 to $4 million. The broker would offer the seller a better chance at making top dollar for the property. If you intent buying or selling you can use a broker.
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