Question for those of you that own homes :)

Hi All

Currently I have a basic account which I manage fine on

However I have been toying with the idea of upping my membership to premium and then looking into getting a place in sl.

I have lots of questions running through my head about doing this....

I have heard that it is better to buy on mainland rather than private - is this the case?

For those of you that do have homes, what do you get out of them - do you use them a lot? Are they only a means for getting changed or activities that evolve from getting unchanged - lol (not that either of those activities are not worthy you understand - lol)

If I am starting out - what suggestions would you give me - things to avoid or things to definitely do.....

Sorry for so many questions.....

TIA

BB x

Hi Barrowness,

I have a premium account and have lived on private islands now for over a year with no problems at all.

Some private islands ( or continent in our case ) have a charter that all the tennants agree to, governing build styles and the use of banlines - Otherland is a great example of this.

You can own land on a private island with a basic account too.

As for the mainland I cannot comment as I rarely go there these days

Amy.

http://www.otherland-group.com

I didn't realise that you could buy land without having a premium account...so thanks Amy - another useful piece of information that I have gained

BB x

I use my land a lot, not just my house. The house I use for more "private" moments but the land has a beach and all sorts of things to be enjoyed either by me and my bf or by my friends, who are always welcome. My land is on a private class 5 sim, which runs smoothly and lag free (sort of. LOL) Mainland can be pretty laggy but imho that's a decision you'd have to make for yourself. Personally I love beaches so that made me decide to buy 2 lots on an Island.

As for houses...there are many gorgeous prefabs for sale for a good price (depending on the size of course). When you bought one, the fun of decorating starts. At least that's my favourite thing to do. Any way...enjoy this episode...it's fun!

Mandy C

Thanks Mandy - I really do think that I want to own a bit of land and build a small home - I don't need anything mega overpowering - am a simple girl at heart - lol!

I suppose the thing that concerns me is the costs per month and whether it is managable, so this is something that I really need to look into....

I just feel that now that I have been in sl for a few months this is the next step for me to take

BB x

BTW sorry to ask but what exactly is a private class 5 sim *blush*

Private means it's not owned by LL, there for you pay tier to the owner of the sim and not to LL.

Class 5 means it runs on a Class 5 server, the highest classification as of yet, meaning there's hardly no lag.

Mandy C

There was a time when I would have recommended renting, but alas, that particular land lord has left Second Life. While there are many great private rental sims available (Caledon springs to mind), most of the really good ones (like Caledon) have covenants that restrict what you can build. So, look around. If you're looking to live in Victorian splendor, for example, Caledon would be a good choice--but if that's not what you're looking for, you should look elsewhere. (And sorry, Desmond, if I'm not spelling Caledon correctly.)

Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the mainland. There are no covenants, which can be a positive thing (you can build whatever you like, wherever you want to) but the down side is that you might find your lovely garden parcel surrounded by some of the ugliest architecture you've ever seen when you log in the next day. Certainly, I'd rather deal with Linden Lab than certain other studios that shall remain nameless, since LL doesn't have a marked tendency to up tier payments (in fact, the only increase in tiers on the mainland was when they instituted them), impose height limits, impose zoning ordinances, or most foully drop the value of your land by rezoning your entire residential sim as commercial. LL is a stable landlord with a stable covenant (i.e., NO covenant) that has not and will not be changed.



I do change there, but that's not the primary purpose. I use my home as an office for my inworld business and charitable activities more than anything else. It provides me with a place to hold meetings without having to rely on finding an empty cafe somewhere (for example) in which to discuss business. I also use my land for inventory storage, server placement for my SLExchange items, and building (when I'm actively doing that). I don't use it for socialization much--though I know some people do.



*Be patient and don't buy the first nice piece of property you see. Look at the surrounding area--try to find a parcel near established landowners (check their profiles for their join date) who have invested time and money into making their parcel look nice--they're less likely to sell out to someone who'll throw a casino up next door to you.

*Start small and expand. Don't lay out a lot of money for that 4096m2 until you're sure you need it. If you want a big house, fine, but very often large houses with large rooms exceed the capacity of the land to provide enough prims to furnish it in a way that doesn't leave the viewer feeling hollow and empty. (Yes, you could buy more land, but do you really want to pay 125 USD in tier to have enough prims to fully furnish a house that can sit on a 2048m2?)

*If you can find it and can afford it, get a parcel on a finished or well-established coastline. Make sure your property fronts LINDEN land (i.e., owned by Governor Linden) and NOT privately owned land. You can look at the map to determine if the coastline looks reasonably finished or like it's slated for further expansion. Also, land in Mature regions will always be more valuable than land in PG regions, especially if Phil's now stated desire to create "family areas" on the main grid is realized.

*Buy low, sell high. You'd think that was obvious (I certainly do) but it never ceases to amaze me how many people try to buy land during a shortage, only to turn around and sell it at a loss during a land glut. Land Prices do fluctuate in SL, but the swings are brief (rarely longer than a month). Wait until there's a glut, and buy your land then. Watch the Land tab on Search to get a better idea of how the market works before buying. Establish limits on yourself, e.g., "I'll only buy under $L14 per m2, and sell at $L40 per m2." (Those are my limits--and in the last land shortage, I made a $L100,000 profit on my property. It's not tough to do.)

*Most importantly, keep posting your questions. You'll also want to read Angel Fluffy's Land Buying FAQ, something I wish I'd had three years ago!

Good luck!

Kam

Here's a threadabout class 5's which I started with... "excuse my ignorance but waht exactly is a class 5 sim"


/327/60/179915/1.html

Thanks everyone - gosh sooooo much to think about and take in!!

I need to do a lot of reading/research....so my nights in sl now will be filled with learning about this and not so much clothes shoppig

*BB can feel herself going into shock at the last statement* - lol

Well, for most users, there actually isn't any noticeable increase in performance between a Class Four and Class Five server, though there are HUGE backend improvements affecting grid stability and the like. Honestly, I don't care how powerful a server is, if some idiot sets up a texture heavy, particle heavy dance floor next to your property, you'll have client-side lag at the very least. If that property draws a lot of traffic, you'll have server-lag as well. People will tax any system instituted, demand always rises to meet available computing power--that's just the nature of the beast.

The original announcement of the introduction of Class 5 servers is here. Pretty much all servers after agni2120 are Class Five servers, which means that most of what you see in SL runs on them.

Kam

this is really useful information folks - thank you so much...

Would it be possible for any of you to IM me with some recommendations of Private Estate Owners and their land?

I am not inworld at the moment but I will be later tonight and so I could have a look then...

Many thanks

BB

Hi Barrowness. IM me in-world and come and look see what I've managed with a little 1024sm plot. It's ample for my needs, a place to change, toy with inventory, that all important piece of land allowing build so you can open product boxes!
I'm on mainland, on a west-facing hillside with gorgeous sunsets (except for the present sun - when will LL give us the real one back?) over the virtual sea.
Whilst 1024 is quite economical on tier, it does however limit you somewhat with the prim count but small is good

Thank you bilbo99 Emu - I will IM you tonight and try to catch you if you are on - so sweet of you )

BB

My preference is to live on a private island precisely because it does have a covenant. My partner and I, after watching the area around our mainland plot turn into unnecessary high-rises and other blights, sought and found a place with a covenant to our liking. Now we live as we want to and have some assurance that the neighbors are bound by the same restrictions.

That's purely a matter of preference.

You are also welcome come to take a look at my little spot on the mainland. But I have to say, it works in progress... although it is already very nice.

My plot 8000 sqm (all in one sim), but the usages of the prims is all concentrated around my house (a large logcabin, with bathhouse and photostudio near). Outside the fence around my house I have my gallery (and this is really work in progress).

Morwen.

Hi Mickey

Would you be prepared to IM me with the details of the island that you stay so that I may have a look - np at all if you are not happy to do this - I totally understand

BB

And it looks gorgeous, Morwen!

Mandy C

Well, I won't jump into this whole private island vs. mainland debate, because it's been done to death - you can also search for past threads debating this, there's plenty.

But I will tell you that it's really nice to have a familiar place to come home to when SL gets too crazy. Having a home when you log-in means that you know what you're going to see when you come in world, and as much as things change here, it's nice to have a little place you can control. It's a security thing kinda like a cozy blanket.

If you're interested in learning to build, having a home means you can play around with prims to your heart's content without getting griefed in a sandbox.

I personally like mainland, for a lot of the reasons people have already mentioned. If you go with mainland, I would suggest building your home in the sky, where you're less likely to get interrupted by people wandering by, and you can avoid the ugly ads that people put up. Buying along a protected Linden roadside or waterway is nice, though often a little more expensive - but it guarantees that you won't have a neighbor on one side to build right up against you.

If you are a very private person, you may want to invest in a security orb - there are lots out there to choose from. There's always the free banline option in the land tab - where you don't allow other people on your land at all - but that tends to upset people who are just trying to pass through, and many private sim owners don't allow you to use them because they look ugly from the outside. A security orb can be set so that people have a certain amount of time to be on the land if they're just going through your land on their way somewhere else, and to eject people who linger too long.

And I'll reiterate - take your time and make sure you get something you really like!

Thank you Morwen - I will pop over tonight when I am online - much appreciated

Thanks for the advice Annabelle

Or do both . I have my house on the ground. But high in the air I have an platform where I can build scenes to make pictures I would like to make.
But some times when I really want to be alone, I TP up to my platform... pop out a chair... switch to busy mode and enjoy the sun sets .

Morwen.

Sounds lovely Morwen

Hi BB.... I've just opened up my own private sim for a small number of tenants, themed around Victorian/Edwardian architecture. I'm not looking to make a profit out of other players, so the rental is actually just below what it really costs me per square metre. We have an English pub for socialising and plenty of open space to wander around - oh an a little underwater area for scubadiving (or being a mermaid!) Do drop by when you're in-world - Fatimas Love is the island name.

Here it is short and simple...

Buy land on the mainland and you own the land (well, unless LL comes and takes it away from you). The mainland has more lag and can have problems because of annoying neighbors. You also need to have a premium account.

Buy land on a private island and you only RENT the land. You can't own private island land. If the island owner chooses to boot you out at any time, they can. There is not much lag on islands, also a lot more private (if that's what you want). You don't need a premium account.

I personally chose to buy land on the mainland because I don't trust island owners. LL is in it for the long-haul, so I'm pretty much guaranteed to always have my land. Private island owners can come and go. More risk.