Land Ho!! Claiming Your Slice of Second Life
Last Updated on Sunday, 28 June 2009 15:34 Written by PaisleyRaven Foxclaw Saturday, 18 April 2009 04:32
One of the hottest commodities on the Second Life market is land. Islands, corner plots, center plots, estates and mainland parcels are available. After renting store space or living space for a time, many Second Life residents make the same leap to ownership that their RL counterparts may or may not be able or wiling to do. The market is wide and varied, and the pricing can be as well.
When I first logged into Second Life, I knew I eventually wanted to own land. I cannot yet justify going premium, and as far as I knew, that was the only way one could own a piece of Second Life. Aside from paying the purchase price of the land, you have t pay the maintenance fee or tier to Linden Labs every month.
I found out very soon that this was not always the case.
Estates and private sellers post plots for sale, an arrangement which allows Basic members like myself to build homes and businesses without having to pay Linden Labs that extra 9.95 a month. The market is booming and I have yet to find any truly definitive way to tell if this is to the advantage of buyers or sellers.
In some cases, I found 512 sqm selling for as much as 1000L, with a 400-900L tier. In others, I found 4096 or more sqm for sale at 1L, but with a tier of 6 to 15 thousand Lindens a month. The prim allotment for each increment can be steady across the board, unless the seller offers bonus prims.
Some regions or estates have prim multipliers. Don’t ask me how they work or how they get them, I have yet to research that (but I will!). What I do know is that I prefer a bonus prim parcel for a business. For my home plot, I can live with the normal allotment.
My partner in my business endeavors spoke a very simple truth to me as we hunted for a suitable plot: Size is not as important as prims.
Prims are just as important as the Covenant. Estate owners often have a set of rules listed in the About Land menu. These rules govern the acceptable use of the land you propose to buy. Some are strict, others are looser, allowing room for compromise. If you find a Covenant that leaves you frowning, move on. There is no point to moving onto the property if you do not agree with the “laws” of the land.
Whatever plot you look at, check the prim allotment. Make note of the purchase price, the size, the location, the tier, and any points of the covenant that you find acceptable, questionable, or unreasonable. Keep a list on a note card, named something so you know what it is and don’t accidentally toss it. I called mine Land Ops after I tossed it twice. Take a landmark and put it on the note card. I list the name of the seller and the region with the pertinent numbers like this:
Joe Schmoe/ThisRegionHere
4096/1003p/99L/1760L w-7040Lm/XL.USD
4096 the size of the plot
1003p the prim allotment (bonus, norm is 934-937 for this size plot)
99L the purchase price
1760Lw the weekly tier
7040Lm the monthly total
XL the cost in RL currency
Under this I add anything about the Covenant I want to recall:
+RC/+MA/+TF/+SB 300m+/2d grace/1-6wk/-Block/+Orb +15s warn
+RC means the land can be used for Residential and Commercial
+MA indicates the plot is Adult/mature activity or business friendly. If not, PG or -MA
+TF means I can terraform. –TF would mean of course that I can’t.
+SB is Skybox at 300 meters or higher. –SB means no skybox allowed
+2d means I have 2 days grace to pay the tier
1-6wk is the minimum and maximum rental period that can be paid at one time
-Block means I cannot put up the red line barrier, +Block would mean I can
+Orb means I can use a security orb with a timer set at 15 seconds minimum before the intruder is ejected.
By keeping track of the plots I have seen already, I can avoid revisiting a parcel unless I want to ask more questions or consider it further.
Commercial landowners have to consider landscaping, seating, displays, vendors, lighting and décor. Traffic also contributes to lag for the region and your neighbors may take offense if a party gets too wild. Dropping a club in the middle of a staid retail business district would not be a wise move, unless the surrounding area is looking for something to bring more traffic to their stores.
Residential landowners face similar issues. If your neighbors have frequent guests who just can’t seem to stay on their side of the property line, privacy screens can be a highly effective in keeping these wanderers off your lawn. Of course, some can be more persistent. Security and privacy issues should be addressed by your Covenant, unless you purchase on the Mainland. Some Mainland parcels have no Covenant because they belong to Linden Labs.
Other properties can be picked up only at auction. You can find these in world by using Search. Click the Land Sales tab. At the top left are two boxes. In the upper box, you can choose whether or not you want to search Estate, Auction, Mainland, or Any. The bottom box is where you choose the rating: Mature, PG, or Both. Next to these boxes, you can select and key in a price and lot size you want to search for. Auctions are marked with a green flag.
You can also see land up for auction at secondlife.com.
If you’re buying directly from Linden, you will be notified of and required to confirm an upgrade to a Premium membership. If you’re ready for that, go for it! Your first 512 sqm carries no tier, and gives you a 300L weekly stipend. Tier is set by and payable to Linden Labs. If you take Premium immediately upon joining Second Life you receive a 1000L one time bonus after 45 days of membership. Just make sure your credit card is still valid at the time. You can buy from Linden either in world through the search or at the Second Life website Land Portal.
However and wherever you decide to live or work, Second Life offers a way to meet your will. All you have to do is find what you want, and pay for it.
