Just a general query about owning land

[TheProsopon]

Hello,

I am looking to own or rent the cheapest land possible for the next year or so. I am not 100% convinced that purchasing any SL lot would be worthwhile due to the minimal amount of space I need. So, if possible, could you direct me into what sort of thing I'm looking for if I write out what I need? (Also, just something very noobie here, is renting land in the sky substantially cheaper, in general, then other options).

I need:

- A small space (small room ideally)

- Which would only need to contain walls a ceiling, a desk and two chairs.

- Location not relevant (can literally be anywhere, any height ect)

 

Background: I'm hosting interviews on the nature of personas on Second Life. To pass ethical requirements, I must host them in land which is not public and accessible by third parties. Therefore, it needs to be its own space, if you get me (in this case, an interview room). What would be the most feasible and effective way to do this?

[Nalytha]

Are you a premium member by chance? If you are, you could buy a small piece of mainland. Buy the cheapest thing you can find. It doesn't matter what it looks like, because what you can do is put your office in the sky. 

The reason I suggest this is because if you are talking about renting for a year, the only problem is that you need to make sure you are always paying the landlord or you might get evicted. Also, you have no clue if they will stick around for another year. There are stories of places ending and renters being kicked out without a refund for their remaining time paid. 

Owning mainland usually costs a monthly fee to Linden Labs. However, if you have the premium membership, you can get the smallest plot, 512 sq meters, without paying a monthly fee. In addition to the land allowance, you also get a weekly amount of lindens and a linden bonus. 

[TheProsopon]

Thank you very much for your reply. To be honest, I was looking at the prospect of becoming a premium member regardless of my research, so if one benefits the other that's just a bonus. If I am understanding you correctly, do you mean that if I was to purchase premium and sign up for one of the 512 homes they provide, there's no additional cost, other than the premium fee? If that's the case that sounds like the best option. Also, I could potentially put a room in the sky above it? I mean the space they provide, in regards to a house itself may be sufficient for the purposes of this research. Ideally, I would like to continue to have my 'own place' in SL after I have finished anyway so is that renewable with continuous payment of the premium fee?

[Nalytha]

If you have premium membership, you have two options when it comes to land:

 

1. Use one of the premade Linden Homes. Try this option first and see if you like it. You can change your mind at any time by right clicking your home on the ground and hitting "abandon lab". You would need to check out the security options. Probably set it up so no one can enter your home except your or people you allow.

 

2. NOT get the linden home, and instead go out and purchase a small 512 sq meter plot on the mainland.

[TheProsopon]

Realistically, I'm still new here. So, one of the pre-made homes is much better than anything I could possibly create at this point. Also, they are 15 minute interviews done once, so I'm sure one of those homes will do fine. Sorry to ask again, but is it really as simple as paying the say £20 for a quarterly premium membership and the home is mine for no additional cost for that quarter? When I see how much land is going for in general, this seems cheap!

[Nalytha]

Yup. It's as simple as that! When you get your home, right click the ground and familiarize yourself with the various options, especially security. Your house also has something in it that if you click it, you get certain options. Decorating options but also some security options like locking your door or closing the windows.

[TheProsopon]

Well, when I first posted this I was really apprehensive about the likelihood of me managing to get my own affordable space in SL. Now I feel much better about it! Thank you very much for helping me out Nalytha!

[Nalytha]

I think it's good for new people to start with a linden home. Get familiar with land settings, security, rezzing items, decorating, etc. Then branch out and research the other options. Here is info on other options. 

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Land_Buying_FAQ

[Alwin Alcott]

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TheProsopon wrote:

. Also, I could potentially put a room in the sky above it? I mean the space they provide, in regards to a house itself may be sufficient for the purposes of this research. I

---

just to add.... it's not allowed to put skyboxes or any builds above Linden Homes.

If you want that you need to buy mainland yourself.

[TheProsopon]

Ahh I see, well after having looked at them, the pre-built house will be more than adequate for my intentions. Originally, I was here to just study SL, but now I'm enjoying it that much having a home will be fantastic. Also, (brace yourselves another really noobie question) can you add decorations like furniture to them or do you have to keep them as is?

[Nalytha]

Oh my dear friend! Decorate to your hearts content! The size of the land you own corresponds to the amount of allowed items you can decorate with. Each item in second life has a "weight" to it. When you are shopping, you will see the weight on the ad usually indicated is the letter LI. (land impact). This is where age and quality come in. Many older items will have a higher LI than newer ones. Better quality designers can also reduce the LI of their items. 

My suggestion is to go to some freebie zones and just start grabbing stuff up! Play around with moving, resizing, copying, etc. When you get the hang of that, you can start looking at buying things. 

I'm obsessed with home decor. I actually spend more time at my house than anywhere else in Second Life. I'm always looking to change it up and improve it. 

I'm still new to this myself, but here's what I'm working on now. This all started from an empty plot of land. 



[Nalytha]

This might help 

[Nalytha]

There are shortcuts to rotating and stretching an item. The video doesn't show. Just drag the arrows to move the item. Ctrl-Shift to stretch. CTRL to rotate. (after clicking edit on the item) 

[Amethyst Jetaime]

FIrst I would look at one room offices that are both furnished and unfurnished.  If unfurnished, look at furniture and pick out what you want.  Then add up all the Land Impact of the various objects.  That will tell you how large a parcel you need.  Here is a chart of standard lot sizes that show how much Land Impact each parcel allows.



In all honesty, since you only need the land for a short time it will be probably be more economical for you to rent it to avoid the initial cost of buying land.  You can rent from a mainland owner or from a private estate.  Usually on private estates, the 'buy price' is only $1L or the total amount you initially pay goes towards the first weeks rent, or first months rent if rent has to be paid monthly.  On mainland the buy price is in addition to the the tier owed.  There is no buy price for mainland if you rent. 

So look at all your options and put a pencil to it to figure out what way is most economical for you. Becoming a premium member is not necessary unless you want a Linden Home or want to buy mainland.  The support offered is ok, but frankly most issues you may run into can be resolved by asking here in the forums or answer section or researching the Knowledge Base or SL Wiki. 

[Pamela Galli]

The advantage of Linden homes is that the prim count of the house itself does not count. So that is the way to get the most prim for your buck. 

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Yes, I'm aware of it.  However the OP was looking for land to set up a place where she can interview people for a project she's working on.  Linden Homes are residential only, which means just living in the home.  So it couldn't be used for this.

 

[Chic Aeon]

Agree with Amythest that Linden homes are ONLY residential and yes, nothing in the sky.

 

You can buy a 512 lot for less than $512 lindens if you look around -- so $1 or $2 US .

If you become a premium member and pay for a YEAR (the cheapest rate), your 512 lot  basically cost you $17 a year at this afternoon's Lindex rate. This is because of the free tier on a 512 and the 300 lindens you get back each week. 

 

So that's $19 for the year including the purchase price to buy.

 

You can RENT a nice 512 lot (no need to have premium membership or buy a lot) for $150 lindens a week from long time stable companies or even less from others if you are a gambler that they will stick around.   That's $28 ish a year for the more secure rental.  A bit less for a rental that could disappear at any moment LOL. 

 

So for a SMALL piece of land (a 512) your best deal is to be premium and buy.  Also you have the ability to use ALL the land tools when it is your lot. Most rental lots have some land options still under their control.

 

Note that this doesn't hold true for bigger pieces of land where it is a much better deal to rent -- if you know who to rent from .