A better way to transfer housing ownership?

[Paladinleeds]

snip

Perhaps then, a cap could be introduced to the amount that can be charged, relative to the base price of the plot. So let's say a small plot goes for 4m (plus 450k for the house itself), you cannot sell above say 5m (allowing some room to cover lost furnishings, or perhaps any furnishings left behind could also be transferred). Flippers then can't take advantage of this. Then make it that ANY PF for selling houses is instantly against the rules and reportable, and there ya go. As a result, you could also add a randomiser for when the plot goes free (I'd say between 180-360 days of the plot being relinquished, released at any random second between that point), to stop flippers using that as a means to sell the plot to others for massive profit, and you kinda destroy their market.

[Krotoan]

Perhaps then, ....

I'd actually vote for a LOSS of money, like say.. 70% of the purchase price being the max sellable price and the tax making up the remainder. Person paying is paying the same price as a empty lot found in a ward, the person selling is getting a decent amount back minus pretty much a "wear and tear fee" ... or rather a "time house actually used" fee since it shouldn't be no cost to use a house. Make sure people can just "move" furnishings or at least store them till they get another house. The randomizer would be good as well, since "legitimate" sales would all be through the system, anyone doing it a different way should have it be made as difficult as possible.

[Dustytome]

If you forcefully regulate the amount someone can get while making it freely available to trade to specific people, they will still ask for more outside of the system. Flipping will exist as long as a buyer can be predicted.

[RichardButte]

Flipping will exist no matter what.

They may as well have a system that doesn't potentially punish the buyer.

Also, if there was a brokering NPC that would do these trades for you, it would A) remove the need for ANY GM intervention and B) encourage players to use the brokering NPC.

When I paid for my FC+mansion, I wound up just placing the money into the FC chest and having the former Master withdraw it, since you can only trade 1mil gil at a time. A brokering NPC would solve a lot of issues while also being a better gil sink.

[Penthea]

Flipping will exist no matter what.

Right now it's a house flipper's market because on every server the amount of houses is a tiny fraction of the amount of players. If there were enough houses of every size for everyone, house flippers would be reduced to selling fc houses to fcs who cba to get to rank 6 or 8, or players who want to own more than one house. That's a tiny market compared to what they have now.

[RichardButte]

Right now it's a house flipper's market because on every server the amount of houses is a tiny fraction of the amount of players. If there were enough houses of every size for everyone, house flippers would be reduced to selling fc houses to fcs who cba to get to rank 6 or 8, or players who want to own more than one house. That's a tiny market compared to what they have now.

No argument, there.

I mean that unless the devs make instanced housing available for every player or something (which is a good idea, but "Blah blah, our database is made of twigs, mud, and frog carcasses, etc, etc."), there will always be flipping.

[Straynge]

Is there no upkeep costs on the housing here? I'm new and haven't got a house yet. If there's no tax then how do they know when a house is no longer in use? A game called Horizons: Empire of Istaria had a good housing market. Their plots were in the actual game world and every month players had to pay an upkeep tax. After so long if that tax wasn't paid then the house would be foreclosed on and the lot would be auctioned off. How does FFXIV know when someone no longer uses their house? Just wait for x amount of days since the person has last logged on? It would help keep those who seriously don't use houses from just hanging onto them for ever. The upkeep doesn't need to be expensive either. A few thousand gil would work. But in Horizons plots were wiped clean, house deleted and an empty lot was auctioned. They also had a great crafting system so anyone could click on the sign by a house and either donate crafting materials or money to help random people build their dream house.

[Penthea]

Is there no upkeep costs on the housing here? I'm new and haven't got a house yet. If there's no tax then how do they know when a house is no longer in use?

If you don't enter your house for 45 days (or any fc member for a fc house) then it gets automatically demolished. When you choose to enter a ward you see listings for each ward and subdivision showing the owners of each house, and if a plot hasn't been purchased instead of a name you see the price of the plot. On the housing map an available plot has no house icon but instead has a little hammer (an auctioneer hammer).

Apartments can only be demolished if the owner chooses to. They do not have an auto-demolition timer.

[Terkhev]

The easy and elegant solution would be ability to put house on sale by setting price on placard. Anybody could just walk to it and buy house. No price limitation or anything like that. Mark such house on map. Being able to put an auction with minimal and buyout prices would be cool too.

Yeah, those evil flippers would have it easier. Who cares? I'm looking to replace my small house with medium one right now, and I'd gladly pay 200 or 300kk if I had a safe way to buy it. Let's be honest - prices set by SE are stupidly low and the ones you'd pay to a flipper are actual value of property on free market. Considering how limited housing is, I'd say player prices are fair.

[Acilith]

Maybe on any server but Balmung player prices are fair. 300mil for a large isn't reaaallly fair.