Plot migration and why the housing problem persists, SE please start listening.

[Nezerius]

Browsing on Reddit, I saw someone actually make a suggestion I thought was pretty good:

—Make all plots upgradable to all sizes.

I think that would be a good solution. Have plots keep their current Grade ratings, and when someone goes to purchase one, they can have the option to purchase the plot as a small plot, a medium plot, or a large plot. And then pay the respective price based off of the Grade + Plot Type they want to purchase.

Wishful thinking, hoping the developers decide to implement a system like this, but I feel like it could be a compromise to the various complaints surrounding the limited number of mediums/larges versus the large number of smalls there are.

Unless upgrading only affects the interior, this really wouldn't work at all. It would require a ridiculous amount of resources to even attempt, for multiple reasons.

Map space: They would have to rework the map for each district, to make sure there'd be enough space for 30 large houses.
Garden/front yard: They're already careful about adding even a few more outdoor furnishing slots to each house size. If they were to allow players to upgrade to a large house, that'd increase the possible amount of outdoor furnishings from 730 to 1200. If plants in a garden plot also count as similar objects, that'd add another possible 344 objects.

And while each ward wouldn't always have 30 large houses, with the maximum amount of outdoor furnishing slots used (+ 90 fully planted garden plots), the server would still have to be prepared to be able to handle that.

[Reyn]

Map space: They would have to rework the map for each district, to make sure there'd be enough space for 30 large houses.
Garden/front yard: They're already careful about adding even a few more outdoor furnishing slots to each house size. If they were to allow players to upgrade to a large house, that'd increase the possible amount of outdoor furnishings from 730 to 1200. If plants in a garden plot also count as similar objects, that'd add another possible 344 objects.

I'm with Hyomin that the true problem is not having enough mediums/larges, but these are good points to consider. What if wards simply had half the number of houses? Would that be a viable compromise if a majority of them were medium/large?

They'll never modify current wards in such a way, but it may be something to think about when designing new neighborhoods in the future.

[HyoMinPark]

Unless upgrading only affects the interior, this really wouldn't work at all. It would require a ridiculous amount of resources to even attempt, for multiple reasons.

Map space: They would have to rework the map for each district, to make sure there'd be enough space for 30 large houses.
Garden/front yard: They're already careful about adding even a few more outdoor furnishing slots to each house size. If they were to allow players to upgrade to a large house, that'd increase the possible amount of outdoor furnishings from 730 to 1200. If plants in a garden plot also count as similar objects, that'd add another possible 344 objects.

And while each ward wouldn't always have 30 large houses, with the maximum amount of outdoor furnishing slots used (+ 90 fully planted garden plots), the server would still have to be prepared to be able to handle that.

I never said it would be an easy fix; I even said it’s wishful thinking to think they would implement a system like this because everyone knows how stubborn they are to leave things as is. But considering people are complaining so frequently about how there aren’t enough Larges/Mediums and an overabundance of Smalls, it’s something to consider that the number of large/medium plots should perhaps be upped in any future housing releases. As for the idea itself, I thought it was a nifty one, and I’d never seen it suggested before; just thought I would share it.

I already know the devs aren’t going to revamp the system as a whole. But they need to consider some of this feedback, which is pointing towards the lack of large/medium plots. Which are highly desirable, at least on NA/EU (I’ve heard JP doesn’t like large plots as much).

This, just so much this. I got a small in Shirogane in 4.1 because I wasn't able to attain a medium and didn't care for a large (far too large for just me and the wife, while medium was the right size for what we wanted to do with it). That small, we worked on it, we made it beautiful and we adored it, but we just couldn't do everything that we dreamed of. I knew I was gonna try and relocate right after buying it, because Medium was a dream and it would open up the nice little plot we had for someone else to enjoy. If we failed on another Medium, then at least we had this small which we still enjoyed.

Come 4.2, I managed to relocate to the dream medium plot after spamming the world button and cancel like crazy when maint was ending. Now my dream is a reality and I couldn't be happier, and someone else can enjoy the little plot we had before, even if it isn't their dream, just like us, and can use it to make the attempts on their dream, again just like we did.

In my honest opinion, if people choose the former on that choice, they really don't deserve a house.

I’m in a similar boat to you. I obtained a small house some time during the last months of Heavensward. Just happened to be browsing the Lavender Beds and see the plot open. I rushed and immediately purchased it, and I was in love with that small. Was it a mansion? No. Was it the Plot 11/41 god-tier medium? No. But I had a house, and I was happy. Come Shirogane, I was screwed over by a faulty launched and lobby errors, so I was unable to relocate to plot 16/46 (which was the mansion I wanted in Shirogane), but after my anger subsided—which was directed more at the launcher and server stability, not at the fact that I didn’t get a house because I was prepared going in to walk away with nothing—I still had a house, and at least there was that. Come 4.2, I managed to not only get a large in the Beds for my FC, but relocate my small to Plot 41 in the Lavender Beds. I played The Housing Game, and managed to eventually get what I wanted. I think that others should at least consider playing The Game, too. Because it only increases their odds of at least getting IN the housing system, and obtaining the plot they want at a later date. It worked in my favor; it worked in several other people’s favor. And while it’s not a perfect system (Housing in general isn’t a perfect system), I took having that small over not having a house at all. (I actually feel really nostalgic about my small; little sad that no one has bought it up yet since I vacated it, and it’s sad to think that people think they’re above Small plots in a market where you’re lucky to even have a house to begin with...)