Absentee landowners - how widespread?

My home has absentee landowners close by on three sides - I don't mean ad lots, although there are some of those too, but decent sized plots. These appear to have been bought by new residents who signed up for a year's premium, bought a plot, rezzed a few random things on it, then gave up on SL. As I say, I have three of these plots near me. One of these was previously owned by another absentee landlord that I never, ever saw (and I'm at my home a lot!). He put green pay toll lines all round his land but eventually it got turned over to the Governor and auctioned. The new owner terraformed the land and put what looks like a bus shelter on it and hasn't been seen since!

Am I scaring these people off or is this a growing phenomenon?

I suspect it can happen a lot. Considering the retention rate is low, i'm sure many people try,buy, then leave. While it seems unlikely that someone would continue to pay for something they don't use, it's not unheard of. I just realized the other day i've been paying for a service I haven't touched in two years! sneaky little payments...

Not sure if it's growing but for as long as you've gotten 512 free tier on mainland it's been an issue and in fact was probably worse back when first land was around.

I'm sure it's a lot more widespread than anyone realizes. Everyone has plots on their sim that are never ever occupied. I'm guessing the percentage of plots that are owned and just sitting there because the tier gets paid is around 40% with another 20% that will revert to Gov Linden eventually.

And of course, the new update and the end of Nicholaz viewers will only add to that tally.

Also, linked to this, it's quite interesting to find long forgotten places or signs that are gambling related or corporate lecture theatres, things left by people who swooped into SL with big ideas that didn't work or became illegal.

Until recently, near me, there was a large brick building that advertised 'Lind Millions', which was an in-world lottery. I don't think it was ever busy even when gambling was permitted. The place was finally demolished a few weeks ago.

Options are not mutually exclusive: It's happening all over the Mainland, and I really wish you'd stop scaring everybody off.

I think Ray's numbers are painfully close to accurate. And if you look at all the yellow, and consider at least half of that is home only to For Sale signs, it's amazing one ever sees a green dot anywhere.

Are you sure they're not in some skybox and the plots near you are prim land? I am sure that there are some absentee owners, but most are not going to pay LL for something they don't use. I could be wrong...

My neighbour (Who I almost surround) has owned the 512m lot next door since before I moved in. I've seen them online once, and 'group stalked' them twice... they haven't logged in in about 6 months at this point.

Obviously they're still paying or their account would be suspended/cancelled. And yeah, I know they aren't paying tier fees, just membership but still..seems odd.

Re: skyboxes. - one of these plots has bits and pieces floating in the sky but there's never any activity on the plots. They are not prim land as the owners don't own any other land in the sim. There is empty prim land next to my place too, but I know that's what it is, and I have my own prim land too, but I've made it nice with a few trees and I explain on 'about land' that it's public amenity land!

Last August, next to my business in Humboldt region, a brand new avatar bought a 256sqm and built a stupid looking, decently built, 50meter long rocket. Then set the land for sale at 450K.

The avatar never has been back.

I can see someone buying a year's membership and then buying a 512 and then leaving a couple months later. What's a bit odd is when someone owns more but never comes back. That's happed to me somewhat recently.

--Hugsy

Maybe they're playing an alt that has become the main?

There are several of those in my sim. There's one guy that owns 4608m and hasn't logged on since 8/07. Also there are several 512's that are owned by closed accounts and 4096m in five lots that are owned by a group that is owned by nobody. Some of these have been acululating junk for over a year.

A couple of them were reclaimed and auctioned last month, but most are still there.

Another possibility: People who pay higher tier and have multiple properties and spend 90-100% of their in-world time on one, neglecting the others. This was the case for me when I owned a lot of land.

There is another possibility too...I never see my neighbours but that is because I live in NZ and my hours are unsociable by most standards. when I am logged in most people are asleep. Could it be they are not absent but just using the place when you are asleep? Perhaps they are aussies or even maybe they are kiwis - there are a fair few of us around.

i have also seen many landowners / renters who only login maybe once or twice every 14days

With 10 regions dumping a day at a starting price of $750, look for a lot more unused land in the future.

Perhaps they are aussies or even maybe they are kiwis - there are a fair few of us around.


Where are Kiwis from?

New Zealand

There's at least 2 absentee landowners in my home sim. One of them has key pieces of land I'd sooo pay a fortune for, but she hasn't been online in ages and isn't old enough to be a lifetime member.

I have one who owns quite a lot of land in my sim but I figure that is quite good as the place is often empty - means I get very little hassles and can host big parties lol

Seriously they have a plot of land that I would love to buy sitting there at L$60000 for 2048 - I have asked them to make the price sane and I will buy it but they claim it is there to be a red flag about mainland prices. I guess when prices hit nearly L$30/sqm for normal land they will come back in to SL and sell it - grrr

Think yourself lucky, Gabrielle. In my sim, currently for sale is...

1024sqm $37,000 recently reduced from $43,000
1024sqm for $124,000 recently raised from $49,000
2500sqm for $120,000

and a not for sale 512 block - owner never been seen and never answers IMs... a previous resident of the sim, sent over 50 im's to him over a few months, never received one reply.

Back to the orginal topic, though. place a visitor counter at the edge of your block. You can then check if the neighbour really is absentee or the opposite time of day to you.

Well a good way to check is to look at the landowner's profile and join an open group they are in. Then just see what their last login was. I recall going around once doing that and finding that with almost every piece of land I checked, no matter how empty, the owner had logged in within the past day.

That is the lamest excuse for price gouging on the Mainland I've ever heard.