I am looking into buying a .com that I already own the .net to, and based on the fact the site seems to not have changed in a 2 years, and the domain info was last updated near 3 years ago, I'm being to think this person has forgotten they own it. Once it expires in about 3 weeks, will it become available to purchase instantaneously after expiry if they do not renew?
No, there is a grace period for the owner to renew, it lasts 40 days, after that the domain is sent to the registry for deletion and returned to the available pool. Deletion at the registry level can take 1 to 10 days
If you tell us the whois info relative to updated/expire date, we'll be able to tell you the exact day in which the domain expires.
You can also backorder it through Snapnames, GoDaddy, and others. It costs more, but if no one else is interested in the domain, you are certain to acquire it. I would also be careful not to say what the domain name is you want, just keep it your secret, so as not to invoke interest in the name. Otherwise you might end up with competition for the domain. Also, if the domain is registered at GoDaddy, and is close to deletion, it should be listed at tdnam.com in "closeouts". You can buy it for 5.00 plus reg fee, and if current owner doesn't reclaim the domain, it's yours on the date TDNAM says. Nice thing about the closeouts is the domain doesn't drop, so it keeps it's age. And if the domain is reclaimed, you get your money back.
there will be a grace period and then a period until it completely drops. your best bet is a service to grab the domain once and if it truly expires. also, don't hold your breath. if it truly is a good domain, others will want it too.
I know not to tell the name. But yeah, I should try that. $18 for a back order isn't that much. btw, its not a real valuable name, its just something that will match one of my .net's, it has some value to me personally, but I don't think its of much interest to many others.