House Hunting SL Style - Part I

The thought of securing a residence for my avatar was at one time extremely laughable in my opinion. I already belonged to a business location and was considered a "resident" of this island which allowed me to select it as my "home" location. It was a very nice, large and safe environment complete with large sandbox for unpacking and changing clothes. Once SL was shut down, my avatar no longer existed and therefore had no need for a bed and jammies to pass the time while I took care of RL business.

Two things changed my mind about this concept:

1. Our large open sandbox was so open, that my poor avatar had no privacy, and in the middle of a wardrobe switch, she was frequently surprised by curious visitors....yes I know it's not real, but let's be honest, some of the avatar shapes and skins are rather realistic and it's just disconcerting to be surprised by male avatars just standing there not saying a word and enjoying the view. Sometimes the curiosity bordered on griefing since these observers were usually newbies and could not control their directions or flying....quite annoying.

2. While attending a volunteer meeting, one of the participants invited us to her SL home to make the group meeting a bit more private. Wow. The place was beautiful and our meeting had a nicer flow in this relaxed and spacious atmosphere.

These experiences got me thinking about what was necessary to own a piece of the grid.

Ok, so after exploring Linden's explanation about owning a small 512 sqm piece of land as allowed under the premium account (which involved about $10 per month), and after reading the tier scheme that applied to any parcel larger than your allowed 512 sqm, my eyes began to cross and I was disenchanted with the permanency of such a commitment based purchase.

Instead, I did a search for rental since I knew that commercial booths could be rented, and mixed among the results were house rentals available. The choices were amazing...any type of environment complete with any size house could be rented. Some homes were furnished some were not. Here is a breakdown of what I found:

A handy little store dedicated to rentals available: The Rental Directory

I loved this place. It was an easy way to view the different types of land/houses available to narrow down what type of atmosphere you would most enjoy. Some of the ads also included pricing samples to give you a price range - not many of these, but enough to get you started.

Pricing for house rentals are per week based. When you first see the price per week, it can be a bit of sticker shock, especially when you see the size of house per price level. Each house also has a prim limit - the maximum number of primitives your furniture can total while residing in the dwelling. If you rent a pre-furnished place, your prim limit would be very low; If unfurnished, usually very reasonable.

On this outing I decided to focus on beachfront property. It is summer afterall, and I've been very impressed by some of the tropical setting sims. If done right, they can be gorgeous. What I mean by "done right" is a tropical sim that doesn't look like a large square sim divided by canals into smaller sand box shapes. Granted, if it is land you rent or buy in this fashion, you may have the option to edit the terrain. If not, or if the house is a rental, your only option to change the look of the surroundings is to disguise your plot's rectangle with strategic landscaping.

Above all, shop around....take your time. One thing I also came to value as I looked at the possible rentals was the presence or lack of a group social area. Several places included the use of community areas along with the rental. This feature can be very nice for entertaining or as a way to make new friends out of your neighbors!

Ok, so I finally chose a place to call my own (for awhile). I decided on Kaia Estates run by a very nice landlord Meggie DeCosta. Meggie has other residential sims to choose from and I think you will like the detail she includes in these estates.

I didn't want to spend a whole lot, and for the price, Kaia is quite nice! The little tropical port with free use of the estate provided boats and jetskis is charming. Very appealing for visitors and comes complete with social gathering places such as a Starbucks and a wine room. There are even satellite shops of some of your favorite places, such as UK Couture, right there near your residence...very handy.

Besides the port, group membership also includes...

the use of a pirate lagoon, complete with pirate ship and diving actions....

a romantic lighthouse area set towards the sunrise....

the ruins of an ancient underwater city, complete with colorful fish....

a private cove with free use of the yacht....
a middle eastern inspired pagoda and lounge area for meetings or get togethers....
a roman/greek ruin with dance floor.....
a zen garden.....
and houses for rent that fit both the tropical taste and the forested seaside.
One really great thing about this sim is the natural placement of the houses on land that was designed in a more natural formation. No square plots here, the natural waterways (free to use with your boat) with little surprises such as fire pits and gazebos, make this place a cut above the rest.

I found a cute little place for L$600 per week on one of the inlets....basic in design, and looks small when first viewed. But inside, the houses are quite spacious and the simple shape allows for ultimate view of the scenery since two major walls are windows. BTW, Meggie just announced that she is lowering the price by L$50 on all units!
One note about choosing your place....take a look at the rating of the area. Kaia is mature, which doesn't mean a whole lot since they don't advocate pdas, but I have walked out onto my deck to scan the lovely horizon and inadvertently come across my neighbors out on their deck going at it like rabbits....so if you don't want to be at risk of such a blinding experience, pick a house with neighbors a bit farther away, or look for PG rated residential areas.

Stay tuned for my next segment about the rental process....and shopping for furniture!