Buying Land Advice for New Residents

Note that some of the below info is deprecated and no longer true. This information is thus for historical purposes only. Please refer to the Second Life Knowledge Base for correct and up-to-date information.

Hello and welcome to Second Life!

Here is some advice that should make your land buying experience more pleasant.

Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware

Or at least be aware. Learn what you can about buying land, why you want it, and what you can do with it. The advice in this notecard should keep you out of most land trouble, but in the end you are responsible for your decisions.

You don't need Land for Second Life to be enjoyable

To enjoy Second Life you do not need land. Though it can make things much more enjoyable.

Owning land is best if you want to:

Build permanent structures, like a home or business. The more land you own, the more permanent objects you can have out.
Have a retreat for you and your friends that's always available.
Have more control over what can and can't be done and who can and can't be there.
Play with the land tools. (Terraforming is a blast!)

Owning Land means you have to pay Monthly Fees

If you own any land, you will be paying a monthly land tier fee in US$. Up-to-date details on land-pricing can be found on the main Second Life website.

Buy or Rent

Buying

You can "own" SL land directly. If you own SL land, you will need to pay monthly tier fees to Linden Labs.

Renting

You can pay for the use of land from other players on the mainland. You can also "rent" land from other players in island sims (off the mainland) which is more like ownership; you will have access to land control features. Neither of these two options require you to have land tier, so you will not need to pay tier fees to Linden Labs. For more information about renting read this notecard: ?

Plot Size Matters

Avoid buying lots smaller than 512m² at first.

Considering that the smallest amount of land rights you can pay for is 512m², and that you can get 512m² for cheap through the First Land program, you should only seriously consider buying a 512m² lot at first.

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

When you finally decide to buy a new lot, go look at it. What are the neighbors like? Is it conveniently located for you? Do you like the geography? Does the sim host many events (which cause lag)? Is it close to your friends or favorite hang outs? Or what ever other considerations matter to you.

Land Auctions

You can buy land directly from Linden Labs through the land auctions. Some plots available at auction will be priced in Linden Dollars (L$), and others in US dollars. The auctions are located at: http://secondlife.com/auctions/index.php

Become familiar with Land prices (L$/sq.m.)

Before you buy (or sell) land you really should look at the current prices via the Land Sales tab of the Search tool. Look at what land prices for the rating and size you want are. Also, look at the auctions to see what land is going for there.

You should not have to buy at the highest land prices to get land you want, if you research land prices before hand.

Your friends can help

If you let your friends know you want to buy land, then they may help you find a good lot at a good deal. And it might be nice and close to your friends.

Negotiate

The price listed is not fixed. The land owner can set the price to whatever they want. If you ask nicely, the land owner may lower the price for you.

Things Change

Even after you buy your land, you will find that Second Life changes greatly from day to day. One day your neighbor is an empty lot, and the next it may be an ivory tower or an ugly box.

If you don't like what's there now, wait around, it might change to something new in a couple days.

If you have a problem, ask for Help

The advice in this notecard does not cover everything that can happen in a land deal. If you have a problem ask for help. Ask your friends, use the Help Request feature (found under the Help Menu), on the forums, e-mail support@secondlife.com or if worst come to worst, search for someone online with the last name "Linden". They are employees of Second Life and are there to help you.

Contributor

StoneSelf Karuna

Special Thanks