Purchasing v. Renting Land/House

[Melody Arlington]

Ok...I've been up and down the forums and online and for the life of me I still can't get a hold of the explanation of real estate and its costs in SL.  Can someone explain it as simply as possible.  I'm most ly concerned with cost.  Shelling out $$ for all the virtual worlds can add up quickly.  I need a break down of the costs involved in either purchasing or renting.   I was considering renting, but have no clue of the costs involved.  I dont really want to take a premium membership.  Can a rental be obtained on just a basic membership and if so, what as a renter am I responsible to pay?  Thanks!!  :matte-motes-bashful-cute-2:

[valerie Inshan]

Many lands are available without being premium. Do a search on the MP, you should find something according to your needs.

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/fr-FR/products/search?search[category_id]=467

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/fr-FR/products/search?search[category_id]=467

[Venus Petrov]

It will take a bit of research on your part.  If you are interested in renting a parcel on which you can put a home or skybox, check out the Land Forum and look under the rental categories. One does not need to be premium to rent or purchase estate land.  One should not need to be premium to rent on mainland but one DOES need to be premium to purchase on mainland.

If you become a premium member, you will get a L$1000 signup bonus in 45 days after switching to premium PLUS a L$300 stipend paid on Tuesday of every week.  With a premium membership, you can have a Linden house (several models available) with 117 prims on a 512sqm parcel which is an excellent deal for someone just starting out.  I have a Linden home I use primarily when the sim on which my home sits is being restarted. 

Costs to purchase vary widely so you should look on MP (as Val suggests) and on your world map inworld and make sure the option to see parcels for sale is ticked (they will show as yellow areas with price tags).

Of course there are rentals to be had.  You can search Classifieds for rentals..either land, land with a structure on it, or a unit in an apartment building.

Again, no one but you can do the research because you know what your budget is and what you wish to spend.  The prices vary widely so take some time to look around.  Good luck!

[Faubio Alter]

It's pretty much like RL buying or renting with the exception of the economy, in SL there is a nano economy. Each linden is worth about four cents ($0.04) on the dollar. You decide what you want or need then start looking for it.

You'll need a premium membership to buy land this will give you extra features and more control over the land and its use. Land more the 512 square meters has the extra cost of tier. Tier is rent to SL for server time and profit. Under 512 is free. The map shows available land for sale. There is also an auction available for available land.

Just click rental boxes for weekly rates (most are weekly. Be careful the occasional daily rental.) these will tell you the weekly rent and the number of primps, primps being object you can place on the land. These add up fast so expect to be miserly with them unless price is limitless. Many rentals have other terms and conditions as well. You'll read this in a notecard from the rental box or need to speak with the landlord concerning them. Usually after deciding to rent you will need to join a group to rez items on the parcel.

As in the real world the three rules of real estate are location, location, location. Is the place nice? Are people nice? If they are in most cases you will pay more.

 

[Jaylin Wytchwood]

A negative Point is, if you rent or buy from someone else, not  Linden self (as in buying Mainland with a Premium) you are basically at Mercy of the Landowner or Estateowner, and you have in case of a dispute no rights on your side as Linden does not enter Resident-Resident disputes.

Most larger landowners became that large cause the earned the trust of many people with being a fair landlord, but you have black sheep too. 

On you own Premium Mainland no one can mess with you easily.. but then, Mainland is usually only good for skyboxes as its covered with a weird variety of prims.

For myself i have a nice, trusty estate owner with great Service, for my home, and a lil Mainland parcel i rent out.