What's the point of buying?

Kandee Herrey is my sim owner, and you couldn't ask for a better sim owner. She and her husband, breeze Herrey, are extremely responsive to issues or questions.
They also offer automatic payment via Paypal, so if you're away, you don't lose your land.
On the island where my parcels are, the covenant is very liberal. I also have been lucky with wonderful neighbors.

As a matter of fact, I have a 4096 parcel for rent, if you want to try renting. I think that a lot of people rent for a while, to test the waters before buying. Buying is more of a comittment.

I have owned on the mainland,and I would never go back. It may look wonderful at the time you buy, but it can change tomorrow (and yes, that happened to me). The lag on most of the mainland is much more significant than on the islands I visit regularly.

I bought a Mainland parcel at one point, and it started out well. Then came the massive clearcutting, a neaby club appeared, a used furniture store set up, even a nuclear power plant popped up...it was like having virgin wilderness suddenly turn into New Jersey. So, I sold for a rather...large...profit, and moved on. I rented on a private island for a few months, which was very nice, but a difference in philosophy with the owner engendered my departure on good terms. I bought land on another private island, which was also very nice, and stayed there for a month. A windfall and some SL profits gave me the opportunity, so I divested myself of all my other holdings around SL and bought myself an island. It's just about as good as it gets.

Like the man said, you get what you pay for, and in SL you pay for control of your environment.

What we need is for this to be a major article in the wiki.

Here is a good example of why I choose to buy land on the mainland.

Dreamlands Blackmail:
http://uncensored.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=20002&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I think you're absolutely right Temptation. There is no such thing as "ownership" in second life. It's all rent. If someone once to view Tiers as being equal to a mortgage I guess that's ok, but it's a mortage that will never go away and will continue to go up over time.

Why buy land? Investment is the only reason I can see. Buying one lot doesn't make sense IMO.

Unlike RL where there is real benefit from buying, I think renting is the way to go in SL.

Oh, there is another reason to buy...beauty. I can choose to "buy" to live in a beautiful location like Caledon. Buying there makes sense to me, but know that the reality is...it's rent.

Only one thing..you could always buy the whole darned island yourself..then the only land-owner you're beholden to is..YOU.

If you're thinking of staying here a while buying is cheaper long term. You'll need a premium account to buy mainland, but if you then bought a 512M parcel, you'll pay no tier.

If you then don't like that plot, you can either sell it or rent it out.

LOL ROFL !! Klang, I laughed out loud for a full half-minute when I read that. Too funny. Especially so for me because I lived in New Jersery for a short time so I know what you mean.

Thanks,
Avanti