Cheaper to rent or get premium and buy 1024?

[Ethan Paslong]

8 hours ago, entity0x said:

Buy the Premium annual. Cheapest option including stipend that you get back.

This gives you the default Linden home that you can do  small builds, projects, scripting as well as at least a base you can chill at by default.

you miss something... it's about the 1024 m tier... Linden homes are only 512 now.

[Madison Heartsong]

I pay 3 months at a time, which is still just $7.50/month, which would be significant except for the Linden allowance.  But since we get about $5/month worth of Lindens, my actual membership is only $2.50/month.

At these rates, no one should rent now that 1024 sq m comes with the membership.

Own and:

1) Outside the very loose limitations on all sl land, you can do whatever you want with the land (maybe a bit less if zoned PG, but don't buy PG land unless that really is okay with you).

2) No hassle if the landlord leaves sl, sells, or abandons the land.

3) No extra rules the landlord can place on the land, or additions or changes in  the rules.

4) No landlord just deciding they don't like you so they kick you off.

Linden houses, though I started with one, aren't enough for everyone.  In the long run they weren't enough for me, so I bought some land and pay a bit of tier (even now with the larger free-for-premium allotment)  So when premium membership only came with 512 sq m I understood renting so as not to have to be premium.  $72 and a year at a time is a significant commitment, though if you're near completely certain you'll stay the whole year it's a great value, but even at $22.50/3 months, with $5 worth of Lindens per month (2/3 of that payment) returned as a stipend, for 1024 sq m, I don't see why someone wouldn't join and take the free land now (and even if they want a little more, paying tier is usually better than renting).

The only way I'd recommend anyone to rent now is if they're just testing out sl.  You need somewhere to rez items, and you don't want to have to have to do it in a public sandbox (though some clever people find other, more private, places they can rez), so renting for a month or two while seeing if you want to keep playing, I can see.  You also aren't then paying for the land itself.

Once you decide you want to stay, go premium, pay 3 months at a time (or a whole year if you're really sure you'll be staying that long), and get your almost-free 1024 sq m of land, that you can do anything you want with, you can't get kicked off for anything that won't get you thrown off sl, and would be a better value than rented land regardless, but the total freedom from a landlord makes it far better.  Even if you want a bigger plot, tier fees are usually better than what you'll get from a landlord for the total number of prims and space you're getting, especially with the first 1024 sq m now free with premium.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Madison531