Buying Land Questions

1. Can I buy land on a free account?

2. How can I tell how big a piece of land is?

3. What would be the minimum amount of sq. m. I need to build a house/buisness/apartment?

1. Not on the 'mainland', but on a private estate controlled by another player, yes, the 'buy land' function will work for you. Question is: is that really 'buying'? Personally, I don't think so.

2. Click on the land description you see on the top of your screen. That will bring up the 'about land' tab with land sizes noted.

3. Well, that's a complex question - items are made out of 'prims', and only so many prims are allocated per square meter of land. More prims = more detail. So... much to learn

Where are these private estates? Any buys for about $600? L

Six hundred L will, ah, not buy you very much.

That might get you 32 square meters and 6 prims.

I think you should check out the classifieds and land listings in world to get an idea of what is available at various price ranges.

If you're considering land on an estate/private sim, go with the ones where you're not forced to pay for the land. Whether you pay "tier" to a private sim owner, or pay rent, it's exactly the same thing.

Make sure you're familiar with mainland tier prices so you have something to compare. If someone's charging more than what it would cost on the mainland, keep on looking .

Also make sure you read the covenant so you're aware of any restrictions.

OK. I now know what I want to do when I get the land. I already have a "floor" built. I want to have a buisness/residential complex. If you decide to build an apartment there, great. If you want to open a store, fine, just pay me the dues.

Each floor is about 12-15 prims. All are wooden rectangles.

So, that brings me to more questions:
1. I have about 12 prims per floor (just walls and floors, and a ramp to go upstairs). How much space would I need? (I calculated it, and the space is 10x30m)

2. How do I cut a hole out of a wall so I can use it for a door?

3. How can I combine all prims to make one large "level object" and have it operate as such?

4. How can I make so that whoever owns their floor can edit it anyway they want?

5. How do I make a questionaire and have the answers sent to me?

6. Would anyone be interested in such a building?

The large private estate owners get discount on the tier they pay to the Lindens, which they pass on to you. By and large, buying from a private owner is cheaper in the long run than buying the equivalent plot on the mainland.

People will tell you you're just renting, not buying, but that is equally true on the mainland. Tier is a sort of rent.

The restrictions enforced on private estates generally work to your advantage, as you are guaranteed not to suddenly find a huge horrible casino next to you.

Why does it say I need billing information? I have a free account and I thought I don't need it to buy land.

Estates/private sims tend to be zoned (either residential or commercial). If you want to mix both you'll probably need to settle for the mainland, unless you do come across a private sim owner who just doesn't care.

Also, chat carries 20m in any direction, so unless each floor is >20m high, chat will bleed through from one floor to another.

Questions 2 & 3 would be more appropriate in the building forum, but there are a few places in world where you can get great tutorials on building (Ivory Tower of Prims (sp?) is one of them).

Land size isn't the only factor to consider. Unless you plan to have a lot of open, unused space, it's the amount of prims you need (plus any furniture others put out) that will dictate how large of a plot you need (in most cases it'll be 117 prims per 512m²).

Do a search for survey on www.slexchange.com . It should come up with a few results .

Its stated all over the SL main website you have to have a Premium account to by land.

http://secondlife.com/whatis/pricing.php
"Acquiring Land:
Acquiring land in Second Life requires a Premium Account. From a tiny parcel to an entire island, the pricing structure is extremely flexible to suit any need or budget!"

I have my eye on a 512 sq. m. piece of land. And I know what I want to do. Anybody own an estate who wants to help me?

I'm looking for a space about 512 sqm.

I have seen 512 sq m blocks for $L 265/week in Explorers Rangeland.

Can you hook me up?

This only applies to the mainland, whatever it says.

Just type "Explorers Rangeland" on your map, teleport there, and find an empty block. I think there are some on the southern side. Just pay the rental sign for however many weeks you want to be there (minimum 1, I think).

Read the land info notecard first to make sure you get what you want.

Jules Gregoire gave me some land! Yay! Or let me rent it...

I'm taking offers for both residential and commercial space.

Buisnesses and residents get one floor. Teleportation services availible.