What the heck happened to land prices?

No different than a human speculator who raises it often to a much higher percentage because they are operating on a lower volume.

Creative idea from the creative builder, but for the price a bot scripter would charge for the one-time use a person might as well just pay a premium and ACTUALLY SEE the land they are buying before the sale is complete.

You don't think it could work the other way around?

If a landbot owner isn't selling any land at 12.2 then they lower their buy price to 12.0?

Anyone with half a brain will only try to flip land that is cheaper than what someone else will pay for it. If I raise my price to 12.1 but you guys are only willing to buy land for 11 then I'm officially throwing money away.

Sadly, the term bargain is a relative one. What you consider to be out of your range today may be your bargain tomorrow.

The one thing everyone has to let go of (including myself) is the notion that 512s should cost $3000. Those days are over.

Unless you go estate shopping. Gorgeous land is available for next to nothing down if you are willing to put up with a few rules, most of which make for nicer scenery and less lag.

Really? Give me some price examples Ray. I've always thought estate parcels were way more expensive than mainland.

I've always looked at land price, or value, as a function of the cost of holding that land.

It used to be:
Now it's more like:
Which, honestly, seems like a more sensible ratio... but I was hoping it would occur by having tier fees come down, not by land prices going up.

Talking about the down payment, not the tier.

And the knowledge that no matter how much you pay or how good a tenent you've been the owner of that lovely island can, at any moment, toss you off the land with no recorse or refund.

Oh I know, I know ... That can never happen.

Yeah, it's a risk. After a year as a mainland fan, owner, broker and proponent, I just got my first estate plot and I love it. But I'm a visual person who prefers waves and palm trees to rotating signs and heinous builds. Also, the lag on the mainland was killing me. My best advice for those fearing estates is to go with the most reputable owner you can find.

Everything is a risk. When you get up in the morning and drive to work its a risk. I own land in two mainland parcells and have been very fortunate - no real problems. However, my b/f owns a beach house on an island, in addition to two mainland properties. We spend most of our time together on his beach property and it IS lovely with none of the lag and other problems often associated with the mainland.

IF I were to consider buying or de facto renting on an estate or island, I would be very careful in making sure I was dealing with someone honest, ethical and reputable. From reading Raymond's posts in the forums, I would not hesitate to do business with him.

Just my opinion.

Thanks Susanne, but I am not an estate owner, I am just a tenant. I've been converted to the benefits of estates lately and thought I would pass it on.

Okay, raymond,

I didn't know you were not an estate owner, but my opinion stands. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with you. I hope you enjoy your place as much as Rico and I enjoy his. now....IF I can just get him to take me somewhere other than bed!! GAWD!!! MEN!!!

I really don't see what the risk are in renting from a private island. Sure you can get kicked off, but if you don't pay your rent too far in advance, you don't lose anymore than one or two weeks's worth of rent.

I do have an excellent relationship with my sim owner on Explorers Rangeland, but if he kicks me out I'll just move somewhere else in a similar situation and adjust my ads. $195 or $295 is a lot of money for the sim owner to find each month, and unhappy tenants leaving do not help to pay that amount, so these things work both ways.

Meanwhile I am enjoying a quiet sim with very little lag, commercial at ground level, building a house at 400 m, and thinking of making a little home for myself up in the sky at 700 m.

And don't forget that pi's can have +- 100 m terraforming limits as against most of the mainland being limited to +- 4 m.

Even so, estate parcels are still more expensive than mainland when it comes to tier pricing - relative to the estate owner, that is. Most estates will charge approximately the same as LL for monthly tier, maybe with a small service charge, and can still make money. But you're dead on, all of the estate lots I've rented have either been fairly low, or had the deposit go toward the first month of rent.