Get new blog and site ready before DNS transfer

[KLWilliams]

I want to transfer my current domain name to bluehost after I get the new blog, static pages, and a photo gallery set up. However, I find that I can't access the WordPress admin using the temporary address with the IP number.

How would I go about setting all this up before doing the domain transfer?

Is it sensible to create everything using a spare domain name and then re-transfer the "real" domain name?

[dkinzer]

Is it sensible to create everything using a spare domain name and then re-transfer the "real" domain name?
That is what I did when I transferred here last summer. It made it much easier to ensure that everything was working properly.