What's the point in protected land when it gets sold off?

So I log into SL today to find the protected sea infront of our beachfront 1024sqm plot, which I am certain was protected when we bought it, sold off and has a floating island built on it. I know it has only just happned as it says it was only claimed yesterday.

So my questions are, what is the point of having protected land? Did I miss understand what protected means? Will more protected areas become open for sale in the future? How do I find out what protected land is going to be up for sale?

I have searched for faq's on protected land but can't find anything.

This has made me feel so mad. Please say it has been sold off by mistake!

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Was it titled "Protected Land" and was it owned by Gov. Linden? Was it part of a waterway that crossed sim borders? If it met these criteria, those parcels normally aren't sold. But, LL reserves the right to change their mind.

If it was not a "Protected Land" titled parcel owned by Gov. Linden, it was never really protected in the first place.

You might try filing a support ticket to ask LL about the situation.

Was it protected land actually owned by SL? There are a lot of land-barons out there that claim "protected land" just because they happen to own all the land in front of your house as well, but they're selling it too, maybe for higher prices to "discourage lower quality builders" or some rubbish, but there's no real protection whatsoever.

LL are at liberty to 'unprotect' and sell off any of the Guv'nors protected land. It doesnt happen very often but happened to me twice on the mainland in 2006 in different regions. I had protected borders one day and the next day the land was up for Auction. Roads or strips of land awaiting roads are pretty safe, protected water seemed a bit risky. Back in the days when anyone could click a button and speak to a Linden in Live help, I negotiated the purchase of a piece of their protected land, so take the word 'protected' with a pinch of salt. I have recently seen protected land being built on to facilitate the public works project too but the land was still owned by LL rather than sold and the objects build on it were good quality and in keeping with the surroundings etc.

Thanks for clearing up that. Yes I suspect it was just some ones land who had put protected in the title. I shall be more careful in the future.

Thanks again for helping!

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This is why my two "prim-storage" parcels (ie, empty parcels in the same sim used just to add to my available prim count) are labeled "Semi-Protected". As long as I own them, they'll never have anything on them, and they'll always be "smoothed" to the surrounding terrain (about once a week or so). I wouldn't dare call them "Protected Land", though, because I may not own them forever, so thus, "Semi-Protected".

-Buckaroo

There were three small lots next to my property that were marked maintenance and were next to a protected Linden road. I read on another thread that these go up for sale sometimes so I submitted a support ticket asking to buy them. They were all former adfarm plots that ended up as Linden maintenance. The Lindens sold me the plots, which I am very grateful for.

I had no idea that the plots could be sold. I'm glad I was able to annex them to my property because I needed the extra room and prims.

This wouldn't happen to be near the new Nautilus city sims, would it? (Was any of that protected water before, or just void?) If it's near the new Nautilus: congratulations! Your property values just quadrupled!

I think it can depend on which Linden you talk to. Some of them will not even consider selling you protected or abandoned land, some of them will insists the land goes to auction to give others a chance to purchase and others will just negotiate a price for you there and then.

Is pot luck in my experience.

The southern continent has a ton of stuff for sale south of the new land. Of course it is quite overpriced. 15 per square meter and on up. Surrounded by other yellow for sale parcels that stretch back away from it and beside it.

Oh, and there were those protected water Sims on the north of those properties, that now connect up to the new land.