Housing is the most toxic and frustrating aspect of this game, how can it be so bad?

[Elladie]

I have spend weeks and 12+ hours multiple times to try to get the only plot miraculously opened up on the entire server only to have someone fly in and transfer to the plot or get super lucky on the timer, its beyond frustrating and forces many players into extremely toxic mindsets, both during the wait for sale and after the sale is made. I cannot believe just how far the system goes to discourage new players from experiencing content that a ton of the crafting system is built around.

And yet there are tons of dead, empty houses, all over but none for sale to new homeowners who would actually use it. Why is there not a build out/use requirement. At least have dead lots be required to at least look like someone cared about it once...

The system isn't toxic. On occasions, some people's behaviour may be toxic, but that is on them. You always have a choice about how you behave.

The system is not ideal, but SE are doing the best they can with what's available. They introduced the demolition timer to prevent house hoarding but, as you've already been advised OP, that's turned off right now because of Covid. So on high population worlds, there is likely to be a slowdown on available houses.

Generally speaking, there is enough housing available unless you live on a very popular server. I recently repurchased a small house, having not had one for a while; there was so much availability that I was able to walk up and buy it, no timer. And I'm on Omega, one of the larger EU servers. SE have also said they are looking at other improvements such as expanding apartments.

You have a few alternatives, OP. You can wait until the housing demolition is back in swing. You can move server to one with better availability. You can hope SE does expand apartments to fit your requirements.

[Jojoya]

Generally speaking, there is enough housing available unless you live on a very popular server. I recently repurchased a small house, having not had one for a while; there was so much availability that I was able to walk up and buy it, no timer. And I'm on Omega, one of the larger EU servers. SE have also said they are looking at other improvements such as expanding apartments.

EU doesn't have the population problem that NA has. It's not a matter of switching to another NA world to get a house because there are no houses sitting unoccupied for days or weeks. Everything is full even on the OP's server, which is one of the lowest pop NA servers if not the lowest pop.

Right now if you play on a NA server and want a house, you have to hope someone will voluntarily relinquish their house (which usually only happens if the player is transferring servers) then compete against several other players standing around a placard trying to be the one clicking it at the right instant when the purchase timer expires. Or you have to give up being in an active FC to spend millions buying a house from a flipper selling them through shell FCs.

Sure someone can transfer outside of NA to EU or JP and get a house but that means leaving behind everyone they know in game and being unable to play with them anymore. It means trying to adjust to a different player base with some different customs and expectations. No one should be placed in that position.

But people need to stop insisting they can't get housing. They can get housing. There are apartments available all over. If you're in a FC with a house, you can also get private chambers. What they can't get without an amazing stroke of luck is a house and that's not the end of the world no matter how much they want to convince others that it is.