NO Linden homes available for PREMIUM members???

[Sommerland Starostin]

This "perk" for paying premium has been unavailable for awhile now. Lindens please stop making airplanes and start making houses lol. This should always be available for premium members.

[Officer Farshore]

Not sure what the malfunction is with Linden Labs, ive seen several of these complaints lately, but yet I got a premium home just last week, who knows, maybe I got the last one!

[Ashy Calcutt]

I have one and to be honest its not worth it to me i just recently went back to Surreal and bought land again with alot more prims and its alot better . but hey if somebody wants it  thats fine..

[Amethyst Jetaime]

Homes become available as people leave them, so if you check back from time to time you will probably get one.

It is interesting that the Homes are for the most part full while at the same time they are selling packages on Amazon that include premium gifts and L's.  I'm sure they will be pushing premium membership for the people that buy the packs causing more of a shortage.

I agree that Linden Homes should be phased out or have a time limit of say 6 months on them.  That would give people enough time to get well oriented in SL and save L's to buy land..  It would also go a long way toward revitalization of the mainland , the land / rental market in general and the economy.

[Orca Flotta]

First: Tateru's back, yippie! She wrote a nice article about LL's latest promotional stunt: http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2013/01/04/thats-just-plain-embarrassing/ I'm with her 100%.

Also it was told that this promo is only available for US citizens. Nevertheless I tried to cheat Amazon by creating a new customer account just for Orca. I even gave her a different physical address ... but too bad we both share the same credit  card ;/ So I failed.

I'm a premium, so I have all those vehicles already but I want the 1000 bucks, dammit!!! Gimme gimme gimme!!! Hm, as it looks now little Orca will be sent to bed hungry and without that fancy gown she had her eyes on

[Aeriabella]

Wow. I've been looking for a Premium Home for three days and now consider myself among the homeless.

I initially switched from a home I never did really like to begin with, got into one that was ok, but was too small. Now with abandoning my small home, I see there are no homes to be had. Meaning, there is nothing on the premium membership homes list available that I would spend time or money decorating.

Why has there not been an update of homes available?  Why have there not been any new homes or designs released at all in 2013?

As a paying member, I don't feel I should have to choose from the dregs of the available designs just to have some place to participate to make use of the money I have already spent. And I certainly don't think I should have to pay above and beyond my premium membership to have a home, when I am clearly entitled to one of my "choosing".

Which leads me to my next point. How can we choose a home when we can't see all the designs that are "available"? I've been on here for most of the year, and I didn't realize some designs even existed.

All premium home designs should be made available for Premium Members to choose from. 
It's ridiculous that in a virtual game there are availability restrictions in place on what we can move into.

Tell you what. Give us the 512 land allocation and 117 prim limit and let us build our own then. That would solve it.

I hope more of the "desirable" homes are released as soon as possible, so I at least have something worthwhile to choose from. Otherwise, I can't renew my lease.

 

[Tari Landar]

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Aeriabella wrote:

Wow. I've been looking for a Premium Home for three days and now consider myself among the homeless.

 

I initially switched from a home I never did really like to begin with, got into one that was ok, but was too small. Now with abandoning my small home, I see there are no homes to be had. Meaning, there is nothing on the premium membership homes list available that I would spend time or money decorating.

Why has there not been an update of homes available?  Why have there not been any new homes or designs released at all in 2013?

As a paying member, I don't feel I should have to choose from the dregs of the available designs just to have some place to participate to make use of the money I have already spent. And I certainly don't think I should have to pay above and beyond my premium membership to have a home, when I am clearly entitled to one of my "choosing".

Which leads me to my next point. How can we choose a home when we can't see all the designs that are "available"? I've been on here for most of the year, and I didn't realize some designs even existed.

All premium home designs should be made available for Premium Members to choose from. 

It's ridiculous that in a virtual game there are availability restrictions in place on what we can move into.

Tell you what. Give us the 512 land allocation and 117 prim limit and let us build our own then. That would solve it.

I hope more of the "desirable" homes are released as soon as possible, so I at least have something worthwhile to choose from. Otherwise, I can't renew my lease.

 

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Necropost, but since your question is actually valid..I'll answer

Sometimes, you'll see there aren't any homes available. But they do become available quite often. You are only restricted by what is currently open(aka, not occupied) and the designs they have. I don't believe they add new designs all that often, and I doubt you'll see very many ever being added, to be honest. They have a, somewhat, decent selection as it is. They just aren't always empty. Linden homes have not always been available to begin with. They're one of the more recent(I use that term very loosely) additions to the premium membership

However, that said. You CAN use your 512 land and 117 prims allotment to build your own home. Just find a 512 plot, and you can "buy" it.  You do NOT have to use a linden home, at all. People tend to use linden homes because they come with one perk...the house doesn't count against your 117 prims. Where an empty 512 plot, anything you rez will cost you however many prims( or land impact) you have. The finding of the perfect plot, is the hard part, for some anyway

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Aeriabella wrote:

 

Tell you what. Give us the 512 land allocation and 117 prim limit and let us build our own then. That would solve it.

 

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/facepalm...

 

They do...

 

Just go to mainland and buy a 512m lot.

Anywhere you want.

That's been in there since... oh... um... 2002 or 2003 somewhen.

Hasn't ever gone anywhere.

 

Some basic reading of what you're doing before you shell out your money is generally advised in life...

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

 

[Phil Deakins]

No they don't

The tier-free 512 isn't the same as the Linden Home land, becaue it has to paid for over and above the premium fee, whereas the Linden Home land is included in the fee. Yes, prices are very low these days but it still has to be bought.

[Aeriabella]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Don't give me attitude, or I will give it right back.  I'm sure you didn't know everything when you started either.  I'm still very new here compared some of the old timers, and I fit in my time on here as I see fit.

I have done my research and learned how to go about this.  And yes, the manual on this subject (and some others) is poorly written.  I know as I have written professional operational and instructional materials. 

I have also looked around at what there is currently available for purchased land, and it isn't that great either, imho.  Most land dealers seem more interested in renting and leasing land.  I can't blame them, as that is where the Lindens are.

Besides,  you have to choose very carefully when purchasing.  Not all 512 lots up for purchase appear to have the same prim value for some reason (still looking into that). Therefore, if you are building and aren't careful, your  available prims can be used up on the built itself.

Update:  I did manage to finally get into a decent premium home where I can now explore furnishing and simple design. Once I feel more comfortable with that, I might feel more enticed to to purchase.

I have also been working on some very original designs of my own, so not all of my noob time here has been spent solely on houses and deciphering the manual. I have been busy learning 3d programs and rendering my own designs.

I love the creativity offered, I just wish it were explained better to new arrivals.  A rewrite of the introduction to new members would be a great place to start.

[Czari Zenovka]

I'm glad you found a Linden home...however wanted to follow up on this part:

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Aeriabella wrote:

I have also looked around at what there is currently available for purchased land, and it isn't that great either, imho.  Most land dealers seem more interested in renting and leasing land.  I can't blame them, as that is where the Lindens are.

Besides,  you have to choose very carefully when purchasing.  Not all 512 lots up for purchase appear to have the same prim value for some reason (still looking into that). Therefore, if you are building and aren't careful, your  available prims can be used up on the built itself.

---

You don't have to buy mainland through a land dealer; in over six years in SL I never have.  Just open up the world map to most anywhere and all the yellow blocks you see are parcels for sale that can usually be purchased by just going to the parcel and opening the land information.  (I double click the bar at the top of my viewer or click on the land itself for a pie chart to access the land menu.  I use the Singularity viewer so the land menu may be accessed differently depending on the viewer used.)

There are some very reputable land dealers but also some not so reputable ones.  I was contacted by someone awhile back who had read one of my posts on the forums and asked if I would help her and her partner understand how buying land works.  While I was at her house explaining the types of land, etc., she said, "Oh!  My partner just IM'd and found some really cheap abandoned land...let's go." 

"Abandoned land" are parcels on the mainland that the previous owner/s abandoned, meaning they selected the "abandon land" option rather than setting the land for sale.  This land automatically reverts to Linden Lab or "Governor Linden."  There is currently abandoned land in abundance all over the mainland that generally is set for sale for 1L per sqm.  Some people purchase abandoned land, especially if it is in a great location, and try to sell it for a bit of a profit.

When I arrived at the "cheap abandoned land" that I had been tp'd to by this couple, a glance at the price for supposedly abandoned land seemed very expensive.  I then noted that the land was *not* for sale by Governor Linden, but by another avatar who had apparently purchased the land at 1L per sqm and was trying to make a profit.  No harm in that except he was a bit tricky in that he was still advertising the land as "abandoned" which gave the impression (at least to this couple) that they were getting a "deal."  I cammed around the area which wasn't anything special, land-wise; in fact it was rocky and craggy with the parcels at all different levels and most of it was abandoned.  I stepped over the land boundary to the adjoining parcel that was true abandoned land selling for 1L per sqm and brought this to the attention of the couple which turned into a learning moment on things to look out for when purchasing land.

As for the prim differences on mainlaind - there are some mainland areas that have "double prim" parcels - Bay City and some of the first continent areas, such as Shermerville, etc. - have this and land in these places are generally a lot more expensive than mainland in general.  If you saw 512 sq parcels with varying prim allotments and it wasn't in one of the double prim areas, then I would think it was land for rent on a private estate, not mainland.  (Another thing that is confusing to new residents is that some estate land will be advertised as "Buy this land for xyzL and then pay xyz/month."  One is not "buying" anything as the land belongs to the estate owner and is renting the land, but again, that can be confusing.)

 

[Alicia Sautereau]

If I recall correctly, that 512 doesn`t fly in comparison as you get the house prims for "free" and have the full 117 to use

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Phil Deakins wrote:

No they don't

The tier-free 512 isn't the same as the Linden Home land, becaue it has to paid for over and above the premium fee, whereas the Linden Home land is included in the fee. Yes, prices are very low these days but it still has to be bought.

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WRONG.

Really... hard to even say more... because that's just so... wrong...

But, look at your land tier page... the 512 is right there. And if you get a linden home, that is what it uses.

I have 5 premium accounts. For the basic monthly fee - each gets 512m of tier. No over and above to it at all. I can use that 512 for mainland, or for linden home land.

Here's the land use setup for one of my premiums:

Note the 512m as bonus - that comes with the basic fee for being premium.

 

Its one thing to not know - but yeah, I'll call people out if they're flat out claiming something isn't the case when it is - especially if they do so in a way that casts blame. The poster I responded to yesterday called LLs out in an accusatory way, and was wrong.

If you accuse - be right.

Otherwise, leave it as a question of 'how do I' or some such.

 

 

[Qie Niangao]

It's just confusion and maybe a little of "two great nations divided by a common language." You are focusing on tier allotment; Phil is pointing out that regular Mainland parcels must be purchased, unlike Linden Home parcels, and unlike First Land that came before Linden Homes.

I was thinking about First Land earlier. Back then, it seemed (and was) such a great incentive to go Premium and start owning land -- but only because Mainland was so expensive. Now, if LL gave away the kind of crappy flat green landlocked rectangles of Jeogeot that used to be such a prize, we'd turn up our noses and complain that it's as lame as all the other Premium gifts, Mainland having gotten so very cheap.

 

[Pussycat Catnap]

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Aeriabella wrote:

I have also looked around at what there is currently available for purchased land, and it isn't that great either, imho.  Most land dealers seem more interested in renting and leasing land.  I can't blame them, as that is where the Lindens are.

Besides,  you have to choose very carefully when purchasing.  Not all 512 lots up for purchase appear to have the same prim value for some reason (still looking into that). Therefore, if you are building and aren't careful, your  available prims can be used up on the built itself.

---

Many land barons that are renting will also sell to you if asked. Not all, but some. Many rentals are money losers - they still have to pay their tier bill every month, but renters can be hard to keep. I've seen plenty of places with lots for rent that were rarely if ever occupied (by contrast in well managed rental estates, there can be waiting lists to get in).

The prim thing you're seeing might be the double prim lots - places like Bay City. These are sometimes found in places where a LOT of the land is linden owned and a theme exists.

Bay City and Nautilus make for two common examples. There is also part of the downtown of Zindra and Nova Albion for two others. But then look to Shermerville for a place that has a lot of linden land but does NOT give double prims.

 

Finding good 512 lots can be a challenge. On some rare occaisions a land owner will cut up a plot and sell you a 512 from a larger piece - but I've found this rare as they risk getting stuck with what its left over, especially if the cut results in an odd shape or some of the remainder being poorly located.

 

[Dillon Levenque]

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

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Phil Deakins wrote:

No they don't

The tier-free 512 isn't the same as the Linden Home land, becaue it has to paid for over and above the premium fee, whereas the Linden Home land is included in the fee.

Yes, prices are very low these days but it still has to be bought.

---

WRONG.

Really... hard to even say more... because that's just so... wrong...

But, look at your land tier page... the 512 is right there. And if you get a linden home, that is what it uses.

I have 5 premium accounts. For the basic monthly fee - each gets 512m of tier. No over and above to it at all. I can use that 512 for mainland, or for linden home land.

Here's the land use setup for one of my premiums:

 

Note the 512m as bonus - that comes with the basic fee for being premium.

 

Its one thing to not know - but yeah, I'll call people out if they're flat out claiming something isn't the case when it is - especially if they do so in a way that casts blame. The poster I responded to yesterday called LLs out in an accusatory way, and was wrong.

If you accuse - be right.

Otherwise, leave it as a question of 'how do I' or some such.

 

 

---

 

You're talking about TIER, and you are absolutely right. Phil was talking about the purchase price of the land (you know, that one-time payment you make when you actually get a chunk of mainland). It's quite clear he's talking about the land price; I bolded the sentence he added to make his point.

With a LInden home you are not required to pay a purchase price for your property. If you decide to acqure a 512 mainland plot, you must pay the purchase price of the land.

[Phil Deakins]

I wasn't wrong, Pussycat. This is what I wrote...

The tier-free 512 isn't the same as the Linden Home land, becaue it has to paid for over and above the premium fee, whereas the Linden Home land is included in the fee. Yes, prices are very low these days but it still has to be bought.

I've underlined the bit that might have confused you. The "it" meant the land, not the tier, as my first few words ("the tier-free 512") make clear. But it wasn worded poor;y and I could have worded it so that it was even more clear.

 

You wrote this...

If you accuse - be right.

I think you were probably referring to the OP but, just in case you were referring to me, I didn't accuse, and I was right .

[Aeriabella]

:smileyhappy: Thanks for taking the time to respond everyone.  Soooo much to learn!  But then again, that is what attracted me to the game in the first place.  It's a challenge, yes, but definitely not boring as I have learned something new every time I've logged in, and have found it very interesting.

A few minor tweaks to the Premium package options would make them stellar to the noob, such as the ability to choose and save custom interior wall coverings, flooring, and window covering patterns, as well as a house control panel that doesn't glitch. Until I learn more, I think the Premium packages are a good deal. It allows me to explore and even (gasp) make mistakes without costng me a lot of money.  As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it, and I've been generally satisfied.  The fact that I can call out for help when I need it is great, and I find out more things every time.