Where is the choice of getting a home on the mainland instead of a community?

[Zero Upshaw]

When signing up for my Premium membership it appeared to me I could get land on the mainland also instead of one of the communities... now, when I click on the "get my home now" I merely can choose from 4 regions and 4 house styles each... and honestly... not what I would REALLY like...

Some help please?

[Ohjiro Watanabe]

Your premium membership includes the monthly cost of a 512 plot of land. You can either go buy a 512 plot on the mainland or you can get a Linden home which is on a 512 plot. You can put up to 117 prims on a 512 plot of land.

 

Linden Home

Linden home is free.

You effectively get more prims because the Linden house doesn't count against your 117 prim count. That is like getting 50 prims free.

There are more restrictions on what you can do in a Linden Home which can be a good thing because the area doesn't look so crazy with people building all kinds of weird and messy stuff.

You can always abandon your linden home and go buy a place on the mainland with the first 512m included in the price of your premium membership. So you are not committing yourself forever regardless of your choice.

ETA: A Linden home fits exactly on a 512 plot and you have some space around it which remains owned by linden lab and no one can build on it. On the main land you could have some one build up to the exact line that is the boundary of your plot.

 

Mainland Plot

You will have to buy the plot (but it isn't that much, land is cheep these days). You would also have to buy or build a house if you wanted one.

You can do just about anything you like, including building all kinds of weird messy stuff.

You are not restricted to a 512 plot. You can buy a plot of any size. It will cost you more each month

[Lindal Kidd]

It's exactly as Ohjiro says.

There are several ways to find land to purchase.  There is a category for land sales in the Marketplace, and land forums here on the website where parcels are advertised.  In world, you can use the Map and Search to find land for sale.  To use Search, go to the Land and Rentals tab and select "View All Land and Rentals."  Set your search criteria to Mainland, For Sale, and the maximum size or price you're looking for.  You can also use search terms like "protected waterfront."  To use the Map, click the Land for Sale checkbox in the legend.  Parcels for sale will show in yellow.  Teleport to ones that you want to check out further.

There are also auctions for mainland, although most parcels are sold by direct purchase.  The auctions can be found here: http://usd.auctions.secondlife.com/  These work like eBay auctions.

I recommend buying a larger parcel than 512 sq m, although it will, as Ohjiro says, incur a monthly fee.  But it need not be a large fee.  A 1024 parcel will cost you just $5 per month for 234 prims, since you get the first 512 free with your Premium membership.  See the tier table here: https://secondlife.com/my/account/landfees.php?lang=en-US

What purchase price to pay?  Land prices vary just like RL real estate.  Waterfront land will cost more, maybe $L10 per sq. m or even more.  A lot of Mainland is Abandoned Land, and that will cost just $L1 per sq. m.  People eager to unload their land may offer it for even less than that.  You don't have to accept the seller's offered price.  If you think you can negotiate a better deal, IM the seller and make an offer.

I teach a class on land at Caledon Oxbridge University.  It's held Fridays at 5 pm SL Time, and it's free.  I hope to see you there!

[Abigail Longmeadow]

You must have a premium account to directly own mainland, but you do not need a premium account to rent from a landlord. There are some landlords who run themed communities on the mainland, although most landlords work off private islands. The service, quality etc of landlords vary. Some are better than others. Generally, don't pay more than a week or two in advance if you are renting.

Generally you get more freedom to build whatever you want if you directly own mainland in most regions. Anything that conforms to the Linden Terms of Service and the region's Maturity Rating is usually allowed. Your neighbors can also build just about anything in most regions. There are a few mainland regions that do have some restrictions.

If you rent from a landlord you usually get a professionally designed community with a standardized theme. This means all the houses etc match the theme.