updating the land buying advice

anyone want to help me update this?

Stoneself Karuna
formerly His Grace


Land Buying Advice for New Residents 2004-07-21


Land Buying Advice for New Residents

Hello and welcome to Second Life!

Here is some advice that should make your land buying experience more pleasant.

Summary (detailed comments follow after):
0) Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware
1) You don't have to buy land for Second Life to be enjoyable.
2) Owning land means you have to pay monthly fees.
3) Plot size matters.
4) Start with a Land for the Landless lot first.
5) Location! Location! Location!
6) You can buy land from Linden Labs directly through the land auctions.
7) Become familiar with land prices.
Your Friends can help.
9) Negotiate.
10) Things change.
11) If you have a problem... ask for help.

Details:

0 Caveat Emptor

Buyer beware. Or at least be aware. Learn what you can about buying land, why you want it, and what you can do with it. The advice in this notecard should keep you out of most land trouble, but in the end you are responsible for your decisions.

1 You don't need land

To enjoy Second Life you DO NOT need land. At the time of this notecard's writing, only 15% of the residents own land. You don't have to have land to have fun in Second life.

2 Monthly Fees

If you own any land, you will be paying a monthly fee in US$. For details about this check out:
http://secondlife.com/land/land-faq.php
and
http://forums.secondlife.com/showth...;threadid=10110

3 Size matters

Avoid buying lots smaller than 512 sq.m. at first.

Considering that the smallest amount of land rights you can pay for is 512 sq.m., and you can get 512 sq.m for cheap through Land for the Landless, you should only seriously consider buying a 512 sq.m. lot at first.

4 Land for the Landless

Linden Labs has a program where you can buy 512 sq.m. for Linden $512. At Linden $1/sq.m. you can't beat this price, and you can eventually sell this land for a tidy profit. But before you do sell your land, learn what it is you can do with land. This is a great opportunity to do that.

For complete details about the Land for the Landless program go here:
http://forums.secondlife.com/showth...;threadid=10110

To apply for land go here:
http://forums.secondlife.com/showth...;threadid=10109
(Make sure you REPLY to the thread.)

5 Location! Location! Location!

When you finally decide to buy a new lot, go look at it. What are the neighbors like? Is it conveniently located for you? Do you like the geography? Does the sim host many events (which cause lag)? Is it close to your friends or favorite hang outs? Or what ever other considerations matter to you.

6 Land Auctions

You can buy land directly from Linden Labs through the land auctions. You can buy land for Linden Dollars (L$) or for US dollars.

The auctions are located at:
http://secondlife.com/auctions/auction-list.php?id=1

7 Land Prices (L$/sq.m.)

Before you buy (or sell) land you really should look at the Find->Land Sales window. Look at what land prices for the rating and size you want are. Also, look at the auctions to see what land is going for there.

You should not have to buy at the highest land prices to get land you want, if you research land prices before hand.

8 Friends

If you let your friends know you want to buy land, then they may help you find a good lot at a good deal. And it might be nice and close to your friends.

9 Negotiate

The price listed is not fixed. The land owner can set the price to whatever they want. If you ask nicely, the land owner may lower the price for you.

10 Things Change

Even after you buy your land, you will find that Second Life changes greatly from day to day. One day your neighbor is an empty lot, and the next it may be an ivory tower or an ugly box.

If you don't like what's there now, wait around, it might change to something new in a couple days.

11 Help!

The advice in this notecard does not cover everything that can happen in a land deal. If you have a problem ask for help. Ask your friends, or if worst come to worst, search for someone with the last name "Linden. They are employees of Second Life and are there to help you.

* * *

Specials Thanks to:
Talen Morgan, Schwanson Schlegel, Camille Serpentine, katykiwi Moonflower, Almarea Lumiere, Darko Cellardoor, Zsinj Xevious, Cristiano Midnight, Billy Grace, Misnomer Jones, Rysidian Rubio, Planet Mars, Lisse Livingston

Land Buying Advice for New Residents (9May2005)

Land Buying Advice for New Residents

Hello and welcome to Second Life!

Here is some advice that should make your land buying experience more pleasant.

Summary (detailed comments follow after):
-00- Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware
-01- You don't have to buy land for Second Life to be enjoyable.
-02- "Renting" versus "Owning" Land
-03- Owning land means you have to pay monthly fees.
-04- Plot size matters.
-05- Start with a Land for the Landless lot first.
-06- Location! Location! Location!
-07- You can buy land from Linden Labs directly through the land auctions.
-08- Become familiar with land prices.
-09- Your Friends can help.
-10- Negotiate.
-11- Things change.
-12- If you have a problem... ask for help.

Details:

-00- Caveat Emptor

Buyer beware. Or at least be aware. Learn what you can about buying land, why you want it, and what you can do with it. The advice in this notecard should keep you out of most land trouble, but in the end you are responsible for your decisions.

-01- You don't need land

To enjoy Second Life you do not need land. Though it can make things much more enjoyable.

-02- Rent or Buy

You can "rent" land from other players in island sims (off the mainland).

Or you can "own" land directly. If you own land, you will need to pay monthly fees.

-03- Monthly Fees

If you own any land, you will be paying a monthly fee in US$. For details about this check out:
http://secondlife.com/land/index.php
and
http://secondlife.com/faq.php

-04- Size matters

Avoid buying lots smaller than 512 sq.m. at first.

Considering that the smallest amount of land rights you can pay for is 512 sq.m., and that you can get 512 sq.m for cheap through the First Land program, you should only seriously consider buying a 512 sq.m. lot at first.

-05- First Land

Linden Labs has a program where new residents can buy 512 sq.m. for L$512. You can only do this if you have not previously owned land. More details at: http://secondlife.com/land/index.php

At L$1/sq.m. you can't beat this price, and you can eventually sell this land for a tidy profit. But before you do sell your land, learn what it is you can do with SL land. This is a great opportunity to do that.

To find first land:
- In the SL client, click "Find"
- In the Find window that opens, select the "Land Sales" Tab
- In the unlabedl drop-down menu select "First Land"
- Click "Search"

This should list the First Land you can buy. Sometime all the first land is gone; Linden Labs adds more land regularly so you shouldn't need to wait too long for new land to show up.

-06- Location! Location! Location!

When you finally decide to buy a new lot, go look at it. What are the neighbors like? Is it conveniently located for you? Do you like the geography? Does the sim host many events (which cause lag)? Is it close to your friends or favorite hang outs? Or what ever other considerations matter to you.

-07- Land Auctions

You can buy land directly from Linden Labs through the land auctions. You can buy land for Linden Dollars (L$) or for US dollars.

The auctions are located at:
http://secondlife.com/auctions/index.php

-08- Land Prices (L$/sq.m.)

Before you buy (or sell) land you really should look at the Find->Land Sales window. Look at what land prices for the rating and size you want are. Also, look at the auctions to see what land is going for there.

You should not have to buy at the highest land prices to get land you want, if you research land prices before hand.

-09- Friends

If you let your friends know you want to buy land, then they may help you find a good lot at a good deal. And it might be nice and close to your friends.

-10- Negotiate

The price listed is not fixed. The land owner can set the price to whatever they want. If you ask nicely, the land owner may lower the price for you.

-11- Things Change

Even after you buy your land, you will find that Second Life changes greatly from day to day. One day your neighbor is an empty lot, and the next it may be an ivory tower or an ugly box.

If you don't like what's there now, wait around, it might change to something new in a couple days.

-12- Help!

The advice in this notecard does not cover everything that can happen in a land deal. If you have a problem ask for help. Ask your friends, or if worst come to worst, search for someone with the last name "Linden. They are employees of Second Life and are there to help you.

* * *

Specials Thanks to:
Talen Morgan, Schwanson Schlegel, Camille Serpentine, katykiwi Moonflower, Almarea Lumiere, Darko Cellardoor, Zsinj Xevious, Cristiano Midnight, Billy Grace, Misnomer Jones, Rysidian Rubio, Planet Mars, Lisse Livingston

Looks great StoneSelf.

No, StoneSelf, it's a crappy job. And who are you? What are your qualifications for this?

By fronting these two common tekkie notions -- that people have to be afraid and "beware" and that there is "land trouble" lurking out there to grab them is prejudicial, stupid, and unfair. It contributes to the climate of hatred in this game of those in the land business. And it creates a skewed and biased picture of the transactions newbies can expect.

This constant tekkie refrain to the effect that you "don't need land to enjoy the game" is one of the single biggest throttles and breaks on the game. It needs to be exploded wide open. There are numerous people never getting premium accounts in fear, or in reluctance, and listening to this bombardment of propaganda from the Holier Than Thou crowd to the effect that "you don't need land to enjoy this game".

That getting and selling land is an *enjoyable* thing is completely absent from these cards.

I'm for dispelling these myths and writing completely different kinds of cards.

Ah oh - run Stone - Prok missed ya!

just this guy who listened to what people told me and wrote it down.
and then asked people to submit revisions.

a resident of sl who cares.
you're welcome to write your own card with your own agenda.
i'm just going for the 80/20 rule.

hon, you ain't going to be anyone's heroine. give it up.

woohoo.

got any suggestions for the new revision?
what's awakening's advice wrt to land?

My head just sploded.

He plays the forum version of Calvinball.

hehehe BATS AREN'T BUGS!

Edit: StoneSelf is right. Why inflame things when we could be discussing the matter at hand.

got any suggestions for updating the notecard?

got any suggestions for updating the notecard?

This is good solid advice. I like the general tone suggesting that the new player do some homework while discovering SL, and not rush to make a decision about land. That serves as a counterbalance to any self-interested sales pitches the new player might encounter.

One minor point:


How about a slight change for clarity:

-07- Land Auctions

You can buy land directly from Linden Labs through the land auctions. Some plots available at auction will be priced in Linden Dollars (L$), and others in US dollars.

done. i'll post a full notecard after a few more suggestions.
thanks.

You don't necessarily need to rent from a private island, as there are landlords on the mainland. Consider rephrasing to take this into account. I started rewriting the passage, by I don't think it's simple enough. I've included it below anyways.

"When you are ready to get some land of your own, there are two ways to go about it. You can rent land from other players, or you can buy your own parcel of land. By renting, you are free from the obligation of paying Linden Labs a monthly tier fee. Instead, you pay your landlord rent on a weekly or monthly basis. This gives you more freedom to move, though some landlords have rental agreements with specific terms and conditions with which you should familiarize yourself. If you opt to own land, then you will pay Linden Labs directly."

I changed the numbering a bit. The phrasing is still a little awkward. Let me know what you think? The extra blank lines are to make reading the note card a little easier.

-02- Monthly Fees

If you own any land, you will be paying a monthly land tier fee in US$. For details about this check out:
http://secondlife.com/land/index.php
and
http://secondlife.com/faq.php

-03- Buy or Rent

You can "own" SL land directly. If you own SL land, you will need to pay monthly tier fees to Linden Labs.

OR

You can pay for the use of land from other players on the mainland. You can also "rent" land from other players in island sims (off the mainland) which is more like ownership; you will have access to land control features. Neither of these two options require you to have land tier, so you will not need to pay tier fees to Linden Labs.

while we're at this...
who should i give the finished notecard to?

last time i gave them to every group that helped newbies i could find only i'm not sure which of these groups are still active.

possible list:
mentors
live help
instructors
sl university
awakening avatars
ask me for help
touchstone
newbie centre & mall
white castle newbie center
<apartment complex groups>
sl public library
univesity of second life
laka learning place
the learning center

also, i gave the card out to anyone who asked for one.

anyone else you can think of to give the card to?

I would love a copy. I run into new residents frequently due to my home being next door to the Stillman Bazaar.

Nice job, all!

Brace's Yellow Pages...

I'd like to add more about renting in.

Dunno how to word it but the key points are:

Basics can rent
Land for rent can be developed or undeveloped (ie it can have houses on or part of a mall, or it can just be a plot of land)

Renting can be cheaper than buying because of the economies of scale.

You will either pay a box of some sort, or directly to your landlord.

You should be able to choose music and video streams if you rent a parcel.

You will most likely have to join a group and set objects to that group to use the land.

SL contracts are not currently enforcible - I would advise not to pay more than a month in advance unless you are renting from a well established landlord.

There is no central registry of land for rent - many times you will see boxes flying around, or posts in the forum. Many times it is word of mouth.

Some land sellers will rent the land instead.

I'm trying to keep the notecard short, but if you want to flesh this out (or leave this as is, i'll put a note card in the note card with this information. I'm unsure the particulars of every kind of renting is right for the level of detail in the main notecard.

Maybe summarize each topic, then expand in a notecard that you link to that is embedded in the overview notecard?

Just a thought.

maybe
one of the goals is to no overwhelm new people with too much information.
k.i.s.s.