Why do you want a House?

I'm curious as to what makes owning a House in FFXIV so appealing? Is it the benefits like gardening? The size vs apartments? The outside yard? What features is it that make it so appealing to the masses?

I like making a place with more than 1 level to it.
I have an FC room I enjoy and I'm always toying with, but even a small house with its basement and yard is a very different creative canvass and one I find myself preferring.

I like having a little slice of the game to call my own and customize as I see fit. It also provides me with a gil sink almost every patch. lol

I'm lucky enough to own a mansion and the difference between it and apartments/smaller housing plots is truly equal to the stark contrast of night and day. There's so much more room to work with both inside and outside. So when a new patch goes live and new furniture I like is added, there isn't too much of a struggle making it fit in a way that feels natural due to the amount of space.

It's also neat to have somewhere that I can invite friends to hang out in.

I got tired of having to glitch to put items (bed etc) on the loft, as well as partition walls blocking camera and making it all felt cramped, so I wanted a 2-story home. (I still ended up putting up a loft in my basement studio though.)

Then there’s just preconceived notion of a dream home being a standalone house with yard, and I wanted my character to have a home. Gardening was just a nice additional benefit.

Oh and I was hoping for a better view when stepping outside. When I step out of my LB apartment I’m greeted by the empty backside of a Paissa mansion and a wooden glade wall house. I had no idea how house exteriors work back then, so I even made some cheap glade windows to put on the market, hoping maybe they’d pick it up and place some windows/decorations on the back side…

I REALLY love decorating! I use apartments and FC rooms for certain builds that are small and don't require tons of items, but I also have a lot of housing ideas that require a larger area to play with. With a medium, I often find myself frustrated with the layout and ceiling height so I'd love to have a large to puddle around with. I also roleplay a lot, so the spaces I create are usually relevant to my characters (even with a personal, I used an apartment often for a different IC space like a room inside the Inquisition building) or to my rp partner's — some of my builds only last a week or two, some even just a few days for when there's a scene we want to do that we can't find an open air space for. I probably wouldn't be as housing obsessed if we could enter all the houses in the over-world.

Other than that, I actually do garden very diligently and generally just like hanging out at a space that I made, tinkering around with it whenever I have new ideas. Our FC subs are a bit neglected because I'm depressed about the time they require to level, but it's something I'd like to explore more.

i live in housing districts especially my gardens when i'm in game and not in a duty for the most part.

I enjoy decorating and having a place to spend time while crafting, etc. I DO NOT like hanging out in big cities. I see and hear too much inappropriate kiddy garbage and bot spam there.

I love customization. Playing since 2013 I really like the idea of building a lasting, tangible... something for my character.

It's also nice to have a area on your own, the way you like it, with access to vendors and chests without the noise of the main cities.

I like the concept of cross breeding in gardening, wish it was more accessible in apartments.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dyvid

I'm curious as to what makes owning a House in FFXIV so appealing? Is it the benefits like gardening? The size vs apartments? The outside yard? What features is it that make it so appealing to the masses?

---

Serval reasons:

- Decorations
I enjoy decoration. A apartment or fc room is to small, that's why I own a large so I have space (not slots though, they really need to increase the limit) so I like to change design on a regular basis.
inb4 "go play sims" comments

- Gardening
I do a lot of cross-breeding gardening so another reason to own a personal large as I can use 3 gardening plots.

- Relaxing spot
I can relax with just afking, crafting etc at my own place instead of having a lot of bs going around in the cities and getting spammed with RMT shouts and so on.

As for FC house:

All of the above + workshop.

I want a house for gardening, and because I like being able to use all the crafting skills I've built up to make something for myself, rather than just selling stuff on the MB. I also think it is incredibly appalling and somewhat insulting to make housing so limited when I keep getting rewards that I CAN'T USE because I don't have a house. I don't know why SE is so stubborn about adding a lottery system or about regularly increasing the number of available lots, but it's frustrating.

I want a house for my degenerate rp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malk77

I don't know why SE is so stubborn about adding a lottery system or about regularly increasing the number of available lots, but it's frustrating.

---

A lottery system won't get you a house when there are no houses available. Why do you want them to waste time creating one instead of putting that time and effort into solving the supply problem?

SE doesn't regularly add houses because it requires negotiating for physical space at the centers where the servers are located, obtaining the hardware needed for those servers, and sending their own technicians to do the installation work. There's a slight chance COVID has forced them to change their stance on the latter, as we're seeing with the announcement about the OC data center. Travel restrictions mean they need to rely on third party contractors for setting up the data center, and probably have been for some of the other overseas technical maintenance as well. Whether or not they will be willing to rely more on third party support once COVID restrictions are no longer an issue is something only time will tell.

There's also the problem of not every world being in need of housing but the number of houses per world has to be the same due to SE's chosen technical design. Adding more wards because some servers need more houses means other worlds will end up with wards that are empty because there aren't enough players who want them (and that's a wasteful business expense from a corporate point of view).

Many of the JP worlds and 2 of the EU worlds have plenty of houses available right now for players to walk up and buy. Why don't we see the same situation in NA? Because NA players like to claim that worlds are dead if they aren't massively overcrowded so SE holds back on adding more worlds here. If players didn't demand the overcrowded worlds, SE would have reason to add more worlds and we'd have more houses in NA as a result.

So it seems Decorating is the number one reason with gardening and outdoor items as number two. Now let me ask you this. How would you feel about apartments if SE changed them to be the same floor space as a Small House; both width and height (two story) but remove stair as where it is one giant cube. This would give the players the option on how they want to build either a two or three story space. They could also make it possible to place indoor or outdoor furniture inside this space allowing for some really creative designs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dyvid

Now let me ask you this. How would you feel about apartments if SE changed them to be the same floor space as a Small House; both width and height (two story) but remove stair as where it is one giant cube. This would give the players the option on how they want to build either a two or three story space. They could also make it possible to place indoor or outdoor furniture inside this space allowing for some really creative designs.

---

I think that would be lovely and would open the door to whole new approaches to design.
I feel like it's a pipe dream, but if it happened wow people would flock to apartments.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dyvid

So it seems Decorating is the number one reason with gardening and outdoor items as number two. Now let me ask you this. How would you feel about apartments if SE changed them to be the same floor space as a Small House; both width and height (two story) but remove stair as where it is one giant cube. This would give the players the option on how they want to build either a two or three story space. They could also make it possible to place indoor or outdoor furniture inside this space allowing for some really creative designs.

---

Trying to recall what I felt like before I got super lucky and managed to get a small…
I think there’s a good chance that I’d still try to get a house; mostly because of the outside view. (I’m the type that’d relocate from small to small in search of the balance between view and convenience. I only did it when no one else was at the plot though)

Yoshida already said that they’re not looking into expanding apartment size at least until 6.1, so it’d probably take a lot of convincing for anything to be changed before then.

I'd like windows in my apartment. Looks so drab.

Can you resize furniture? My paintings are too damn big. And can you buy glam dressers?

Just dipping toes in this stuff. I'd like a house but can't afford it. My gil making ability is trash since I don't craft or gather.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Imora

I'd like windows in my apartment. Looks so drab.

Can you resize furniture? My paintings are too damn big. And can you buy glam dressers?

Just dipping toes in this stuff. I'd like a house but can't afford it. My gil making ability is trash since I don't craft or gather.

---

Can't resize and can't place a glamour dresser in apartments or housing. They have something called "fake windows" that act like normal ones. You can preview furniture using Social > Housing > Preview Indoor Furniture

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dyvid

Can't resize and can't place a glamour dresser in apartments or housing. They have something called "fake windows" that act like normal ones. You can preview furniture using Social > Housing > Preview Indoor Furniture

---

Even fake windows would be great. My apartment looks like a prison cell.

And Knight to Remember is too big and clips with reliefs on the walls :(

Still think EQ2's furniture placement was better. Angling, resizing, z-axis movement (can make stuff float without glitching).

Ah maybe one day I'll find a plot. And be able to afford it. One day...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Imora

I'd like windows in my apartment. Looks so drab.

---

Imitation Long Window, Imitation Square Window, Imitation Shuttered Window, Small Imitation Window and Fool's Thresholds are all option for adding windows different from the default ones.

If you mean a real window that lets you look outside of your housing into the ward, those don't exist. The closest you can get is combining one of the new Phasmascapes with a window partition (I don't recommend this in a small house or apartment, the Phasmascapes are very bulky and have strange collision).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Imora

Can you resize furniture? My paintings are too damn big. And can you buy glam dressers?

---

No resizing (big disappointment for those who have played other MMOs with housing that have it).
No default vertical axis for item placement though it can be achieved through floating glitches with some limitations.
No glamour dresser for housing, though you can get the Armoire.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Imora

My gil making ability is trash since I don't craft or gather.

---

Don't need to craft or gather to make gil.

Treasure maps are a good way. There's a lot of raw gil coming out of map parties, not to mention all the item drops you can sell on the MB.

Keep sending your retainers on ventures. Quick ventures yield all sorts of things that can be converted to gil either through direct MB sales or turning in at your GC to buy materials you can sell to crafters. If you keep an eye on your local marketboard, you can catch spikes on prices on things that are obtained through hunting ventures as well.

Well you got to look away from the forum and ask people... majority of houses is mostly bought as a status symbol that is never used, and the 1 FC system is a huge problem to that as well or a flaw that should be plugged.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jojoya

Don't need to craft or gather to make gil.

Treasure maps are a good way. There's a lot of raw gil coming out of map parties, not to mention all the item drops you can sell on the MB.

Keep sending your retainers on ventures. Quick ventures yield all sorts of things that can be converted to gil either through direct MB sales or turning in at your GC to buy materials you can sell to crafters. If you keep an eye on your local marketboard, you can catch spikes on prices on things that are obtained through hunting ventures as well.

---

Thought you got maps from gathering. I dont have ventures unlocked I don't think. Id have to look into it.

I'll see about picking up some imitation windows. I don't need to see outside, I just need it to not look like a prison lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jojoya

A lottery system won't get you a house when there are no houses available. Why do you want them to waste time creating one instead of putting that time and effort into solving the supply problem?.

---

Nonsense. You think every bit of the game is populated at all times? It'd be a huge QOL improvement for house hunters.

Your other point is laughable. There has never, and will never, be a world with empty housing wards.

If Apartments:

* Either had an outdoor terrace to do gardening (crossbreeding) and place some amount of outdoor decor, OR at the very least allowed indoor gardening (crossbreeding)
* Allowed at least 200 items (the same as a small house)
* Were bigger (say 5x5 instead of 3x4)

I'd be satisfied with an apartment. Until then a house is required to address my wants

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malk77

Nonsense. You think every bit of the game is populated at all times? It'd be a huge QOL improvement for house hunters.

Your other point is laughable. There has never, and will never, be a world with empty housing wards.

---

It's not a huge QoL improvement when it doesn't result in players getting the houses they want.

And yes, there have been worlds with empty housing wards on other data centers at times (or are you trying to nitpick over 3 larges and a couple of mediums having owners while every single other plot in the ward is vacant?). Go back and visit the housing census thread posts from 2018. Vacancies weren't evenly distributed between all the districts and wards. Shiro generally filled but you'd have a couple of empty wards in LB and Mist with Goblet having several empty wards.

I bet most of the people whining about not getting a house in here would play around for a few hours with it, then realize how much work it is to actually build something nice and then never enter their house again just blocking the plot for someone else.

Before you even buy a house, are you willing to invest hundreds of hours into it? Do you even have all crafting jobs at max to create the furnitures?

I have seen too many orphaned houses because people think they must have one and then not doing anything with it, its sad and unfair for those whoa ctually are into the whole housing/decorating thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jojoya

It's not a huge QoL improvement when it doesn't result in players getting the houses they want.

And yes, there have been worlds with empty housing wards on other data centers at times (or are you trying to nitpick over 3 larges and a couple of mediums having owners while every single other plot in the ward is vacant?). Go back and visit the housing census thread posts from 2018. Vacancies weren't evenly distributed between all the districts and wards. Shiro generally filled but you'd have a couple of empty wards in LB and Mist with Goblet having several empty wards.

---

This. Pre-SHB we had wards, especially in Goblet for months on end empty/vacant on my server.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arohk

I bet most of the people whining about not getting a house in here would play around for a few hours with it, then realize how much work it is to actually build something nice and then never enter their house again just blocking the plot for someone else.

Before you even buy a house, are you willing to invest hundreds of hours into it? Do you even have all crafting jobs at max to create the furnitures?

I have seen too many orphaned houses because people think they must have one and then not doing anything with it, its sad and unfair for those whoa ctually are into the whole housing/decorating thing.

---

It is not "unfair" as you put it for every player to own a house in this game. What the player decides to do with it is their business. Let's not cast blame on a player that has one personal house, let's cast blame where it belongs, on SE for not enforcing a 1 house per acct from day 1 and still after years, not fixing the mess they created.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arohk

I bet most of the people whining about not getting a house in here would play around for a few hours with it, then realize how much work it is to actually build something nice and then never enter their house again just blocking the plot for someone else.

Before you even buy a house, are you willing to invest hundreds of hours into it? Do you even have all crafting jobs at max to create the furnitures?

I have seen too many orphaned houses because people think they must have one and then not doing anything with it, its sad and unfair for those whoa ctually are into the whole housing/decorating thing.

---

I mean Kinda?
I get a feeling it often get to a "I want one cause i can't have one" sort of situation.

But I don't think it's fair to lump everyone in that camp, I'm sure there is people like me who just want a house to start decorate and upgrade to bigger size as time go on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sotaris

This. Pre-SHB we had wards, especially in Goblet for months on end empty/vacant on my server.

---

Show me a world where this is still accurate and I'll transfer immediately. If not, your 2+ year old data is acknowledged as no longer relevant.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Besame

SE for not enforcing a 1 house per acct from day 1 and still after years, not fixing the mess they created.

---

Well i can't tell you a solution for this, maybe the best for the masses would be to take away those additional houses players own, and only leave them the largest one, or the house with the most items inside.
My Server is very young and doesnt have that problem to begin with so i don't know how bad it is for others. Last time i checked a few days ago, Goblet had 16 free plots available, i also know a lot of people dont even have enough Gil on my server to afford a small one, although 3-4 million really isnt that much.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malk77

Show me a world where this is still accurate and I'll transfer immediately. If not, your 2+ year old data is acknowledged as no longer relevant.

---

Twintania always has free plots.

I actually checked phoenix. Nada in lavender beds at least. I don't have the gil for it anyway. ><

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arohk

Twintania always has free plots.

---

I will rephrase. Show me a NA world that has open plots.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arohk

I bet most of the people whining about not getting a house in here would play around for a few hours with it, then realize how much work it is to actually build something nice and then never enter their house again just blocking the plot for someone else.

Before you even buy a house, are you willing to invest hundreds of hours into it? Do you even have all crafting jobs at max to create the furnitures?

I have seen too many orphaned houses because people think they must have one and then not doing anything with it, its sad and unfair for those whoa ctually are into the whole housing/decorating thing.

---

I hope you're trying to be sarcastic here because the majority of it is nonsense.

You're exaggerating when you say decorating takes hundreds of hours. I've been able to decorate a small house for friends who wanted a simple look in about 3 hours. Think the most I've ever spent on a total remodel of my own medium house is about 30 hours over 3 days and part of that was wasted time because my original idea wasn't working to my satisfaction. It doesn't take that long to decorate if you've already got in idea in mind.

No one needs to have all the jobs at max to be capable of making every furnishing themselves. The MB does exist. I buy some of what I use when I remodel because it's convenient.

Just because you don't see someone sitting at their house 24/7 doesn't make it an "orphaned house". There's a lot of content in the game to enjoy, and almost none of it is found in the housing wards. Few are going to sit at their house all day ignoring the rest of the game.

Certainly there are some players who buy a house then ignore it but that number is smaller than you imply.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malk77

Show me a world where this is still accurate and I'll transfer immediately. If not, your 2+ year old data is acknowledged as no longer relevant.

---

You stated "never". We've stated you're wrong because we've had actual experience to the contrary. Now you're moving the goalposts.

There may not currently be empty wards like we saw in the past but there are still many worlds outside of NA that have plots immediately available for purchase.

I understand the frustration you're experiencing at being unable to get a house. i've had friend go through it. But unless SE does something that solve the supply problem once and for all, it will continue to be a problem for players no matter how many different purchase systems get tried.

Just remember that most of those players who relocate already had to sit through several sessions of Housing Savage to even get a house that can be relocated. They paid their dues and now they're moving to a plot they like better than the one they had to settle for.

They are not the problem - the supply is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malk77

I will rephrase. Show me a NA world that has open plots.

---

As expected, you once again moved the goalposts because others have to point out you're wrong.

N/A servers love their housing :) I started with a small house and upgraded to a med the old way about 3 yrs ago. Things are different now, I rarely ever see an open spot in my LBs. Hubby had a FC and quit, leaving me with a small house FC which I maintain and enjoy running subs and ships. I have 1 other friend who has an alt that keeps me company and will most likely leave him the FC one day. I am done babysitting people so we are very selective on FC patrons. I enjoy changing things around in the houses and it hardly costs me anything because I put the effort into crafting and gathering. Anyway, unless instanced housing comes, things will not change so we just carry on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jojoya

You're exaggerating when you say decorating takes hundreds of hours. I've been able to decorate a small house for friends who wanted a simple look in about 3 hours. Think the most I've ever spent on a total remodel of my own medium house is about 30 hours over 3 days and part of that was wasted time because my original idea wasn't working to my satisfaction. It doesn't take that long to decorate if you've already got in idea in mind.

---

And, you can do it faster because you got experience ? so? i wonder what you make in 3 hours, it can look good for sure, but probably wont be outstanding and you probably already got a lot of materials or furniture in storage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jojoya

You're exaggerating when you say decorating takes hundreds of hours. I've been able to decorate a small house for friends who wanted a simple look in about 3 hours. Think the most I've ever spent on a total remodel of my own medium house is about 30 hours over 3 days and part of that was wasted time because my original idea wasn't working to my satisfaction. It doesn't take that long to decorate if you've already got in idea in mind.

---

Yeah, I would highly doubt that it takes most players hundreds of hours to decorate a house once, at least to any significant degree. It does seem like a bit of an exaggeration, but I guess everyone moves at their own pace. It's entirely within the realm of possibility. Personally, I rarely ever redecorate, but I'm switching things out or moving some things around pretty regularly, so I guess it could amount to hundreds of hours eventually? I guess some players might see their plot as more of an ongoing project and decorate it slowly over time though, and THAT could fit the bill of "hundreds of hours". I did a pretty significant revamp of my medium's exterior a couple weeks back and 2 floors of my interior and it actually took me awhile. I started around 2pm that day and wasn't completely finished until 9-10pm, and even then I was still moving things around and adding stuff for at least 4 days. lol I was doing roulettes off and on and waiting for inspiration to hit me though, but it took awhile. I'm still messing with things a bit off and on. It can be a...process.

I am just looking for a Medium to relocate as a upgrade from my small. But as rare as med/large plots are I am in the same boat as those that dont have a house. I just like having a little piece to call my own :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NanaWiloh

I am just looking for a Medium to relocate as a upgrade from my small. But as rare as med/large plots are I am in the same boat as those that dont have a house. I just like having a little piece to call my own :P

---

Good luck in 6.1~

Yes, I'm moving the goalposts from old data and non-relevant personal experiences on a world that isn't in NA. Meanwhile, I still see at least eight people show up for every plot, and half the time it ends up being swiped by a relocate. No problems at all here, certainly. Housing is just fine.