Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive

These forums are CLOSED. Please visit the new forums HERE

second draft version 2: Land Buying Advice for New Residents

StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 09:46
here's the latest version:

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- Owning land means you have to pay monthly fees.
-03- "Renting" versus "Owning" Land
-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- 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.

-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. Some plots available at auction will be priced in Linden Dollars (L$), and others in 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, Traxx Hathor, Ardith Mifflin, Roberta Dalek, Juro Kothari, Alexa Hope, Merwan Marker
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
Pendari Lorentz
Senior Member
Join date: 5 Sep 2003
Posts: 4,372
05-10-2005 09:55
I want to read this over again when I get home from work, and if I have anything else to add I will then.

I did want to quickly mention that it may not hurt to put in a tiny blurb about how the amount of prims you have to build with is tied directly with the amount of land you own. I know that this can make a difference for a lot of people. They may actually *want* a bigger piece of land so they can have more prims. Or they may feel they don't *need* so many prims so a smaller plot is fine. Also, with rentals, it could be a whole other story about how many prims a person can use (in some cases more, other cases less, than they would if they owned the land).

Anyway, I'm sure you can word it better. But I think prim allocation is a very important aspect of buying land.
_____________________
*hugs everyone*
Jillian Callahan
Rotary-winged Neko Girl
Join date: 24 Jun 2004
Posts: 3,766
05-10-2005 10:00
From: StoneSelf Karuna
-01- You don't need land

To enjoy Second Life you do not need land. Though it can make things much more enjoyable.
-01- You don't need land
To enjoy Second Life you do not need land. Owning land is best if you want to:
* Build permanent structures, like a home or business.
* Have a retreat for you and your freinds that's always available.
* Have more control over what can and can't be done and who can and can't be there.
* Play with the land tools. (Terraforming is a blast!)

(I just thought being a little more specific would help in deciding.)
_____________________
Prokofy Neva
Virtualtor
Join date: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 3,698
05-10-2005 10:00
As I've noted elsewhere, this is biased, skewed, and unhelpful.

It opens with what it should close with:

From: someone
00- Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware
-01- You don't have to buy land for Second Life to be enjoyable.


These two biased, one-sided, tekkie-based concepts have no place interfering with people's game.

Newbies should be empowered to realize they have a great boon, namely free 512 of tier and $512 land buying capacity, which they can use to get a great starter home or resell quickly in many cases to make a profit and buy more land or have game money.
_____________________
Rent stalls and walls for $25-$50/week 25-50 prims from Ravenglass Rentals, the mall alternative.
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 12:44
From: Prokofy Neva
As I've noted elsewhere, this is biased, skewed, and unhelpful.

noted. i disagree with you.
anything productive to add?
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 12:46
From: Pendari Lorentz
I want to read this over again when I get home from work, and if I have anything else to add I will then.

I did want to quickly mention that it may not hurt to put in a tiny blurb about how the amount of prims you have to build with is tied directly with the amount of land you own. I know that this can make a difference for a lot of people. They may actually *want* a bigger piece of land so they can have more prims. Or they may feel they don't *need* so many prims so a smaller plot is fine. Also, with rentals, it could be a whole other story about how many prims a person can use (in some cases more, other cases less, than they would if they owned the land).

Anyway, I'm sure you can word it better. But I think prim allocation is a very important aspect of buying land.

good idea. i'll add that when i get home.
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
Merwan Marker
Booring...
Join date: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 4,706
05-10-2005 13:22
From: Prokofy Neva
As I've noted elsewhere, this is biased, skewed, and unhelpful.

---
Newbies should be empowered to realize they have a great boon, namely free 512 of tier and $512 land buying capacity, which they can use to get a great starter home or resell quickly in many cases to make a profit and buy more land or have game money.

Newbies could be empowered to focus on resources provided them from LL in a positive light (ie First Land) and player provided freebee content.

Self maybe an introductory statement re: that Land is the LL produced resources of this game, and they provide each new player 512M free and they can get started as suggested. Didn't Lisse L.'s notecard do a pretty good job of explaining the value of the free LL?

_/_/
_____________________
Don't Worry, Be Happy - Meher Baba
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 13:26
From: Merwan Marker
Self maybe an introductory statement re: that Land is the LL produced resources of this game, and they provide each new player 512M free and they can get started as suggested.

does this cover it? if not, what do you think is missing?
From: someone
-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.
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
Merwan Marker
Booring...
Join date: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 4,706
05-10-2005 13:37
That looks good.

Still thinking about what Prok mentioned re: the order of the headings.

And this NC is just about buying land, right?

:)
_____________________
Don't Worry, Be Happy - Meher Baba
Iron Perth
Registered User
Join date: 9 Mar 2005
Posts: 802
05-10-2005 14:26
I think this is a great improvement over the previous version, and I would like to compliment everyone on their obvious intellect and enthusiasm to tackle this project. It's a great feeling to be amongst some obviously very intelligent and creative individuals!

However, I believe that the direction this advice is going in is not conducive to a pleasant and exciting experience for the new user because it focuses on land ownership, and not land renting.

The best experience for the new user, in my personal opinion (which I recognize not everyone will completely share, but hear me out... I think I can present a strong case) is renting.

This is because

a) There is no upfront capital investment.
b) You can usually pay week by week, instead of month by month
c) You get all of the same rights as you do with owning the land
d) You don't have to worry about your land value depreciating
e) You can often get support from your land owner and you can often get into a zoned area, which will avoid all the w-hat nonsense.
f) Often, the tier costs are cheaper than what you have to pay Linden Labs.
g) You can usually get into a community and automatically have people to associate and socialize with.

Low price and low risk with all the benefits of land ownership make for a strong case as to why renting deserves to be emphasized strongly when encouraging new players to experiment with rezzing objects on a semi-permanent basis on world land.
_____________________
http://ironperth.com - Games for SecondLife and more.
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 15:32
From: Merwan Marker
Still thinking about what Prok mentioned re: the order of the headings.

i don't pay much attention to porky. what in particular?
From: someone
And this NC is just about buying land, right?

primarily. the amount of data needed for renting information looks like it needs its own notecard.
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 15:34
From: Iron Perth
I think this is a great improvement over the previous version, and I would like to compliment everyone on their obvious intellect and enthusiasm to tackle this project. It's a great feeling to be amongst some obviously very intelligent and creative individuals!

However, I believe that the direction this advice is going in is not conducive to a pleasant and exciting experience for the new user because it focuses on land ownership, and not land renting.

The best experience for the new user, in my personal opinion (which I recognize not everyone will completely share, but hear me out... I think I can present a strong case) is renting.

This is because

a) There is no upfront capital investment.
b) You can usually pay week by week, instead of month by month
c) You get all of the same rights as you do with owning the land
d) You don't have to worry about your land value depreciating
e) You can often get support from your land owner and you can often get into a zoned area, which will avoid all the w-hat nonsense.
f) Often, the tier costs are cheaper than what you have to pay Linden Labs.
g) You can usually get into a community and automatically have people to associate and socialize with.

Low price and low risk with all the benefits of land ownership make for a strong case as to why renting deserves to be emphasized strongly when encouraging new players to experiment with rezzing objects on a semi-permanent basis on world land.

i'll work on putting a rental notecard together.

however, i'm going avoid "make strong case" for anything. mostly presenting information about options, not telling people what to do with their money.
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
Nolan Nash
Frischer Frosch
Join date: 15 May 2003
Posts: 7,141
05-10-2005 15:36
From: Merwan Marker
That looks good.

Still thinking about what Prok mentioned re: the order of the headings.

And this NC is just about buying land, right?

:)

Hi Merwan :)

In my experience in RL and online, it's common practice in any sort of guide like this, to lead off with "buyer beware".
_____________________
“Time's fun when you're having flies.” ~Kermit
blaze Spinnaker
1/2 Serious
Join date: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 5,898
05-10-2005 15:49
While it is possible to be objective and partial in a debate because we can freely take on both sides of an argument, when presenting a completed thesis which we feel adequately represents what we feel needs to be represented, we will necessarily end up making a 'strong case'.

And I think that debate is healthy, but I question its effectiveness when trying to create an ejoyable and exciting experience for the new user.

The new user, in most cases, is looking for someone to tell them what to do. I feel it is our responsibility to present them with a clear and effective answer to that question and not to simply get them involved in a complex debate.

Renting is the same as 'land ownership'

In the end, it's all about tier and the monthly fee we pay. Yes, there is a difference between paying that hosting fee to LindenLabs and paying that to a third party and we should not be intermixing the two, but currently the facts show that the low cost and low risk benefits to renting far outweigh the experience that 'buying' land from LindenLabs currently provides.

By presenting a notecard which does not explain this, we are making the strong case land ownership (and all that implicitly connotates) is different from renting. While you and I know the different, the new user will not.

We will have made the strong case, by choice of language alone, as to what is a positively connotated experience and what is not. Our mere choice of the word "ownership" will immediately bias the user towards a decision we wish them to follow.

I do not argue against doing this. I think picking out a very positive experience and encouraging users to pay for that experience is a good thing for all concerned. Good for the new user, good for the land owner, and good for the community at large as people partake in cohesively zoned areas.

So, as we write the notecard we need to decide what is the strong case we wish to make? Do we wish to repeat the word 'ownership' and steer users away from renting? Or do we wish to avoid more neutral language that will steer users towards or at least closer to what I have argued is a lower cost and lower risk experience?
_____________________
Taken from The last paragraph on pg. 16 of Cory Ondrejka's paper "Changing Realities: User Creation, Communication, and Innovation in Digital Worlds :

"User-created content takes the idea of leveraging player opinions a step further by allowing them to effectively prototype new ideas and features. Developers can then measure which new concepts most improve the products and incorporate them into the game in future patches."
Iron Perth
Registered User
Join date: 9 Mar 2005
Posts: 802
05-10-2005 15:55
While it is possible to be objective and partial in a debate because we can freely take on both sides of an argument, when presenting a completed thesis which we feel adequately represents what we feel needs to be represented, we will necessarily end up making a 'strong case'.

And I think that debate is healthy, but I question its effectiveness when trying to create an enjoyable and exciting experience for the new user.

The new user, in most cases, is looking for someone to tell them what to do. I feel it is our responsibility to present them with a clear and effective answer to that question and not to simply get them involved in a complex debate.

Renting is the same as 'land ownership'

In the end, it's all about tier and the monthly fee we pay. Yes, there is a difference between paying that hosting fee to LindenLabs and paying that to a third party and we should not be intermixing the two, but currently the facts show that the low cost and low risk benefits to renting far outweigh the experience that 'buying' land from LindenLabs currently provides.

By presenting a notecard which does not explain this, we are making the strong case by using the term land ownership and all that implicitly connotates.

We will have made the strong case, by choice of language alone, as to what is a positively connotated experience and what is not. Our mere choice of the word "ownership" will immediately bias the user towards a decision we wish them to follow.

I do not argue against controlling the experience of the new user. I think picking out a very positive experience and encouraging users to pay for that experience is a good thing for all concerned. However, I argue against that the experience we chose being what people like to call 'land ownership'. I believe what is good for the new user, good for the land owner, and good for the community at large is areas where people rent and partake in cohesively zoned areas.

So, as we write the notecard we need to decide what is the strong case we wish to make? Do we wish to repeat the word 'ownership' and steer users away from renting? Or do we wish to avoid more neutral language that will steer users towards or at least closer to what I have argued is a lower cost and lower risk experience?
_____________________
http://ironperth.com - Games for SecondLife and more.
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 16:03
From: Iron Perth
The new user, in most cases, is looking for someone to tell them what to do.

hmm.... i'd say the goal here is to tell them what they can do.
what they do is up to them.

* * *

i think renting can be considered a type of ownership. however, on of the competing goals of this notecard is to be as brief as possible. too much detail people tune out. there will be another notecard about renting linked into the landownership notecard, and people can read about the details involved in renting.
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .
Iron Perth
Registered User
Join date: 9 Mar 2005
Posts: 802
05-10-2005 16:11
Well, I think if we use the term 'ownership' we will confuse the user and improperly steer them along a particular course which I think can be argued is not the best.

If you don't wish to intermix the two, I think more accurately would be two notecards:

One entitled, 'renting from linden labs' and one 'renting from third parties'
_____________________
http://ironperth.com - Games for SecondLife and more.
StoneSelf Karuna
His Grace
Join date: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,955
05-10-2005 18:51
From: Jillian Callahan
-01- You don't need land
To enjoy Second Life you do not need land. Owning land is best if you want to:
* Build permanent structures, like a home or business.
* Have a retreat for you and your freinds that's always available.
* Have more control over what can and can't be done and who can and can't be there.
* Play with the land tools. (Terraforming is a blast!)

(I just thought being a little more specific would help in deciding.)

added
_____________________
AIDS IS NOT OVER. people are still getting aids. people are still living with aids. people are still dying from aids. please help me raise money for hiv/aids services and research. you can help by making a donation here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1409 .