Buying real estate!?!? Most expensive spot!

[paleontol99]

Hello, Im new to Second Life. Im looking for real estate but I see there is such a discrepancy in prices from one spot to another. 
Can I ask, 

Which is the more expensive land, on the Mainland or off the Mainland?

Which is the more prestigeous land, on the Mainland or off the Mainland.

Which location is the Mainland?

What Area is the most expensive area in Second Life?  Is there and area that like Beverely Hills in price compared to the others or an area that has the most traffic running thru it?

 

When you first get on here, it such a large place, I would have to visit thousands of spots before getting an idea of what to buy.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Rolig Loon]

---

paleontol99 wrote:

When you first get on here, it such a large place, I would have to visit thousands of spots before getting an idea of what to buy.

Thanks for any help.

 

---

The best answer is that you probably shouldn't be buying land until you have been in SL for a while. Explore for a while, visit thousands of spots, and get a feel for the options out there.  After a while, you'll be able to answer most of those questions for yourself and you will be much more savvy as a buyer.  (Besides, you don;t eally need land right away anyway.  :smileywink: )

The real answer is "it depends."  Land values are determined by the market.  Owners sell for the highest price they think they can get, and buyers look for the lowest they can find.  You can do your homework by looking through the land listings in Search and visiting places to see what sellers are offering for the prices they expect.  Mainland is generally cheaper.  Prestige is a flaky commodity  -- it depends on whose standard you like to follow.   Mainland is the huge blob that shows up if you open your map and scroll the mouse button back as far as it will go.  It's also where the landowner is always listed as Linden.

See more at >>>>  http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Buying-land/ta-p/700043

and >>>>  http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Beginning-land-owner-FAQ/ta-p/700035

 

[Charolotte Caxton]

Hello dear, it can be overwhelming. Basically I would say imagine looking at a map of the real world and trying to decide where to buy land to build your house. A lot of choice and little info right?

The benefits of SL are that you can go to anyplace on the map in an instant just by clicking on it and visiting it yourself. 

The prices are going to vary of course by location, what's nearby and what the maturity rating is.

Prices can vary on the same sim depending on who the seller is. 

In order to get answers to your questions, you are going to have to read up on what the mainland is, the pros and cons of mainland vs private estates, info about traffic, opinions about prestige and popularity and some basic land ownership faqs and such. It is a complex subject and a simple answer is not going to do you justice.

Here's the tip of the iceberg to get you started, hope it helps:

buying land

[Chic Aeon]

Smile. Welcome to the world of SL land.

 

First off, you may find some answers in the wiki :  http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Land_Buying_FAQ

There are most likely as many opinions on buying land and which is "best" or more "prestigeous" as there are people here. But here are a few things I have learned from owning lots of different homes and shops since coming to our virtual land.

Mainland is made up of several contents all owned by Linden Labs. You pay tier (like taxes or user fees) to LL dierectly. Here is where you can buy a 512 parcel with free rent. 512 isn't big and you don't get many prims, but it is a start.

There are some mainland sims that are "double prim" sims in that they are planned with open space and the land comes with a prim bonus. Hence a 512 lot gives you 234 prims instead of 117.  Bay City would be an example.

You can search for MAINLAND:  Search> Land Sales> (type) For Sale - Mainland.

Estate land is privately owned meaning that someone bought a full sim or a group of sims and they then "lease" areas to others. You never really actually own the land, but you often have all the rights of ownership including resale rights. READ THE COVENANT (always) before purchasing Estate land as the rules vary widely.

There are themed (and unthemed) communities that are double prim (or more) . These are my personal favorites as I actaully LIKE rules and a pleasant environment.

 

Prestige is very subjective. I would say that land with lots of open waterways would be one type. This gives people living there lots of vista and fewer neighbors, and if you like to boat - even better. Check Bohol on the map and note that prices for lots (when available like in summer) are high. This is mainland.

 

It should be noted that prices vary widely for no reason at all. Some folks put huge (like $200,000) prices on tiny lots -- just for fun I suspect.

 

I think the best way to find what works for you is to spend days looking at what is available, reading covenenats (private land only) and watching the map to see what sells. Summer is normally a good time to buy as there are fewer active members in SL then.

 

Have fun exploring!