So suffer a noob a bit on land question.

Do I have it right that if I buy say two or three plots (4096 or such) I am still really just a renter answering to someone elses wants and desires?

There are few really tempting large plots available now in SLX and on here, but i'm gathering this is still the case. That if I buy it, its not really buying its still renting. The only true way to be completly free is to buy an island correct?

Some one please straighten me out on this.
Thanks in advance.
Ciera Spyker
POP Ind.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Uknown%20tranquility%20/123/134/24/

If you buy on mainland you are buying from Linden Labs.. I guess you could still call it renting but the only way you would lose your land is if you got banned, did not pay your bills or LL went bust overnight.

If you its a private estate you are buying on then you are paying for the right to rent off a private landlord, most private island owners if charging you up front for a plot and not just tier do allow you to resell it if you choose to when you leave...you need to check that.

There are pros and cons to both. You are at the mercy of the landlord if buying on a private island so the best thing to do is ask around..put their name in google see if any forum posts come up about them e.t.c.. speak to their other residents and ask what they think..

There are some fantastic landlords out there its down to you to be pro active and suss them out

r u talking about mainland or private island ?

if u buying land on mainland its yours and u will pay tier directly to LL trought your account

if u buy land on private island thats totaly different thing, the land is yours but u need to pay tier to island owner and for me there is not much difference between renting land or buying on private islands, maybe u have more rights but its almoust same...

Oh and if buying on a private island please check the covenant tab and read it properly..can save a lot of heartache

Tiana u r 2fast

At some things....

I want to become the landlord. And I think you said that in a round about way.

the only way is to buy an Island? Im confused.
I need to be crystal clear on this before I spend a few thousand dollars on a game that crashes every half an hour.

Maybe I should buy a full grid. (kidding, kinda, maybe not..................)

If you buy on the mainland, it's yours=you're the owner, and that part of the grid is yours to do what you want. If you 'buy' off the mainland, you are simply paying for the privilege of renting. There are many honest/fair island owners out there, but they are the ultimate owners in the eyes of LL. If they kick you off their land and decide to resell it, they can. Most make a living off their reputations, so would try to treat you fairly, but 'buyer beware'.

ETA: Gee, just got up for coffee, and everyone else posted

I either buy a complete island from scratch, not from a landlord but from linden labs Or I buy massive amounts of mainland only.

hehe, and whats with these deals for 4096 sim for 1L buynow blah blah blah.

Wow, first I would find out why you are crashing. I rarely crash at all.

Mainland is linden land. You buy and it is yours...but you have to pay tier, which is like taxes monthly to linden. There is no covenants on linden land

If you rent there is a convenant and you pay a landlord, you don't actually own the land.

Check the covenant first.

Ok so if you want to become a landlord your going to have to be even more careful about buying on a private island..as some private island owners do not allow you to sub-let as in essence thats what you will be doing. Also a thought to remember is that if you buy a plot of land on a private island then pay the tier to the resident that owns that island..and you rent out that land to other people...not only you but your tenants will be at the mercy of the private estate owner...

If you were to buy on mainland and pay tier to linden labs then your tenants will only be at your mercy as you will only lose your land if your banned, dont pay tier or LL goes bust.

If you buy on a private island from a fellow resident and log in one day to find your assets returned.. there is NOTHING you can do...so its best to know who you are buying /renting from.

You could buy your own SIM for 1000USD using the land store.. you will have full control over your private island and can assign permissions to tenants as you see fit. Again you would only lose your island if your banned, dont pay tier or LL goes bust. The person who pays the money direct to LL is God in their eyes.. the rest come along for the ride

No, you could always buy ON the mainlaind. I don't know if there are complete sims available though. But you could get a land broker to help you find something. Especially if your willing to spend that kind of money, and you haven't dabbled much with land in the past.

In the long run, any land owner is renting. It just depends on who the landlord is.

Buy Mainland, and Linden Lab is your landlord.

Buy your own sim, and you're still renting it from Linden Lab.

Buy land on a private sim, and the sim owner is your landlord, while he in turn is renting from Linden Lab. Buying land on a private sim is subletting.

In any of the above cases, if you stop paying your monthly maintenance (or your Premium dues for mainland), you'll lose the land.

On the mainland, you only control the land that you own, and so your property value can be wildly affected by what your neighbors do. You could have a perfect paradise set up in a beautiful sim, and come back tomorrow and find your beautiful view has changed to a field of flaming toilet plungers. You have no recourse. On the other hand, no one can tell you what you can do on your land, either.

A private sim owned by you gives you the most control. Linden Lab is still your direct landlord, and you have full control of access. At worst, if someone manages to place a new sim right next to yours, you can always pay a fee to LL and have them move your sim elsewhere on the grid.

If you obtain land on a private sim and you don't own the sim yourself, you are subject to the whims of the landlord. The sim owner could reposess your land. But most won't, because as word of such bad treatment gets out, fewer people would be willing to deal with them. And most sim owners enforce some sort of zoning, so if you have a nice view today, you probably still will have that tomorrow.

If you rent a parcel on the mainland, you are just as subject to the whims of the landlord as you would be on a private sim, PLUS you have the disadvantages that the landlord only controls what they own. So you could still have your land usability destroyed by what someone else drops on a nearby parcel.

Think about any "land purchase" in SL as server space rental, and you'll have a more accurate picture of how it works. Set up a web server directly via your Internet Server Provider, and you only deal with the ISP to keep the website running. Sublet space on someone else's web server, and you have them to deal with, in addition to whoever they rent server space from.

<You could buy your own SIM for 1000USD using the land store.. you will have full control over your private island and can assign permissions to tenants as you see fit. Again you would only lose your island if your banned, dont pay tier or LL goes bust. The person who pays the money direct to LL is God in their eyes.. the rest come along for the ride >

Its my only real option,I dont like answering to other people.
Its why I can afford a few islands in the first place.
hmmm
much to consider.
Taxes, write offs etc. being some of them, I'll have to do some research. I want to tie in my RL business models to one of the islands and claim it as an advertising expense.

I have a lousy connection/ISP service that just sucks. I ask if I can get a T1 laid in and they go "Whats a T1?" Its the ONLY one that can reach me where I'm at. In fact its the only service period. So unless I lay all new cable myself to a branch, I'm kinda limited.

No matter what you do.....you have to pay a monthly tier.......you're just renting server space & memory so you can do your own thing. Keep that in mind.....read land covenants very carefully too.

If you decide to go with a private island (I have three 4096 plots on a private island and I'm totally happy with it) just be sure the covenant says you have re-sell rights. That way, if you decide to move on.....you'll be able to recover some $$$. But, bottom line.....you have to prepared to pay your tier. If you are wanting to go commercial and open a store or club......you might be able to make some of your tier each month.....but I wouldn't bank on it. Do it for fun.....buy what you can afford assuming you wouldn't be making any money off the land. That way, you're not buying stress.

I'd advise a little bit of caution. While it may seem that you have full control on your own private island - you don't.

Full stop.

You do NOT have full control on a private island, even your own.

Repeat that three times.

* * * * *

But Des, how can you say that!?

Here's how you can find out how little control you have:

- late on payments

- abusing members, violating the 'bix six' community rules

- ripping people off. See "interstate wire fraud" if in the USA. Our service provider may generally stay clear, but they do answer subpoenas. Do you REALLY want to risk a high-penalty felony for say, a fifty dollar dispute? One bored, retired lawyer could put you in the slammer.




If your motivation for getting a private island is 'control'... especially where other people are concerned... you are better off not getting it.

People are smart. They don't like being controlled any more than you do. And they are the ones that control one critical thing, worth far more than a few paltry regions: your reputation.