What should I watch out for before signing a contract with an agency, legal costs...

i wrote the contract myself, then hired a lawyer when problems arose then the lawyer ended up costing more.

Showing the agency code in their portfolio = are they showing my company secrets to other clients?

IP Rights: all 'original work' should belong to the client. Frameworks, open-source = agency can keep those.

Before signing the contract prepared by the agency: 1) Write the Scope clause, 2) Timeline, 3) Payment, 4) Revision rights, 5) IP clause.

Agency contract templates are available online. Use them as a reference compare with the agency's template.

Quick summary for newcomers: Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. If it's your first time, start small; scaling comes later.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

thanks a lot I'll try it today.

I agree with this. Payment schedules should be tied to project phases, not calendar dates.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

Absolutely. If I were to add anything: Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth.

This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

The most overlooked point about agency contract clauses is this: The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it.

The real issue isn't the number, but what it's based on. Proven by experience.

Quick summary for newcomers: Weekly written progress reports are much more useful than asking for dates.

Everything goes well for the first three months; problems arise in the fourth. Hope this helps.

Thanks, this was very helpful.

Correct.

Following. Payment schedules should be tied to project phases, not calendar dates.

I agree with this. Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval.

If I were you, I'd go this route.

Thanks, this was very helpful. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

The harder it is to reverse a decision the slower you should make it. Just leaving this note it might be useful.

The answer above hits the nail on the head. Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down, it speeds them up.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.