An FFXIV house should be treated like a pet.

[Petite]

I’ve had my small plot since the day Shirogane first opened in Stormblood. I take full advantage of it, often redecorating my cottage’s interior, practicing on my striking dummy outside and AFKing on my oriental parasol bench.

My neighbours used to be a very friendly FC that would never fail to say hi and hang out on my front yard when they’d see me. It was the most heartwarming thing. Of course, I’d reciprocate and come chat and emote at their own small plot crib while waiting in PF. It felt lively as there were always people around. They ended up leaving for the Firmament in Ishgard a few months ago.

I realize now that their presence distracted me from seeing how truly dead my ward is. Even the FC mansions and houses look desolate with nary a lalafell to be seen. Most plots have the cheapest, most basic and haphazardly thrown together decor possible, like they had their fun for a day and deserted the next.

With all that said, you’ll understand how irksome it is to witness the vitriol surrounding the lack of housing, knowing the grand majority of people end up holding on to their house and doing nothing with it.

Too many people are in it just for the sake of having one. It’s even more strange that a lot shun even the idea of starting out with an appartment or FC room.

In the end, my point/advice is this : An FFXIV house should be treated like a pet. If you won’t take care of it, nor spend time with it, don’t get one.

▼ Post Scriptum ▼:

Hey all. I might have badly expressed myself. The point of my post wasn't to police how people use their house. Maybe "treated" wasn't the right word.

I was ranting on how most people who get houses end up not doing much with it, which is just a waste.

It also ends up making wards feel deserted, which is a depressing thing to see. No one wants to hang around empty suburbs. Better to chill in populated cities where things are lively because of that.

[SweetestLily]

Do you really think people here will listen to this advice?

[JamieRose]

A house doesn't pee on the furniture or poop in the hallway.

At least not to my knowledge.

[Pablomaldito]

I think making houses available to all players would have actually reduced the prevalence of unused houses. Without the fear of missing out always looming, people wouldn't feel as compelled to buy or hold on to houses that they have no use for.

[Jojoya]

I’ve had my small plot since the day Shirogane first opened in Stormblood. I take full advantage of it, often redecorating my cottage’s interior, practicing on my striking dummy outside and AFKing on my oriental parasol bench.

My neighbours used to be a very friendly FC that would never fail to say hi and hang out on my front yard when they’d see me. It was the most heartwarming thing. Of course, I’d reciprocate and come chat and emote at their own small plot crib while waiting in PF. It felt lively as there were always people around. They ended up leaving for the Firmament in Ishgard a few months ago.

I realize now that their presence distracted me from seeing how truly dead my ward is. Even the FC mansions and houses look desolate with nary a lalafell to be seen. Most plots have the cheapest, most basic and haphazardly thrown together decor possible, like they had their fun for a day and deserted the next.

With all that said, you’ll understand how irksome it is to witness the vitriol surrounding the lack of housing, knowing the grand majority of people end up holding on to their house and do nothing with it.

Too many people are in it just for the sake of having one. It’s even more strange that a lot shun even the idea of starting out with an appartment or FC room.

In the end, my point/advice is this : An FFXIV house should be treated like a pet. If you won’t take care of it, nor spend time with it, don’t get one.

How do you define taking care of it?

How do you determine whether or not someone is using it?

I have yet to see or meet my neighbor of almost 2 years but I know they're active in their house because I see their furnishings change occasionally.

That doesn't keep my ward from feeling dead to me.

SE has wisely kept out of the what constitutes proper use of a house debate. Players resent developers that micromanage how the game content is used too much.

Likewise, players shouldn't have control over how other players use their house.

I think making houses available to all players would have actually reduced the prevalence of unused houses. Without the fear of missing out always looming, people wouldn't feel as compelled to buy or hold on to houses that they have no use for.

Exactly. Scarcity inflates demand. Some obtain them thinking to profit from others desperate to get one. Some obtain them because while they don't want one now, they may want it later in the future when they are not available. And some obtain them simply for the presumed prestige of having something others can't get.

Increase supply so players can get a house when they want and those reasons to get a house disappear. There's no profit in trying to resell something another can easily get on their own. There's no need to rush to buy when the item will still be available when you want it. And there's no prestige in owning something that anyone can get.

[Brygd]

I do agree with the sentiment of OP. When Ishgard opened, my social neighbors got better houses and I didn't. I've visited every open house in my ward, left messages on guest logs and regularly hang out, but my ward is dead. Heck, 3 of the houses have been stripped bare with messages that they're waiting for SE to restart auto-demolition. And that's why I'm so frustrated with being stuck in a dead ward and unable to move on my server. While I do want instanced housing, I'm still afraid that SE will choose to implement the monkey's paw version of it.

[Shibi]

Really reminds me of that thread by Sage a few months back.

[Adeacia]

I owned a personal medium house, but barely ever used it for anything. I decided to let it auto demo on purpose. I was still playing the game every day, I just never entered the house. I wanted it to go to someone who would hopefully use the thing, unlike me.

Basically, I agree with the OP.

[Solarra]

I think there's a lot of problems with saying that people should use their houses in a particular way.
If a FC is just interested in gardening and/or the workshop, then they're not necessarily going to decorate or hang out in the FC garden, but they could still be using that house every day.
Are we really saying that isn't enough and they have to decorate?

Standards of decoration vary, what one person likes may not appeal to the next. Some people are happy to spend hours glitching furnishings into the exact spot they want, others either lack the will or the expertise to do so.
Some people get the house to look the way they want and don't change it significantly after that.
Some people just want a summoning bell, chest, vendors in a private spot.
How do we set the standard? Are we going to insist houses are redecorated regularly? Are we going to insist on a minimum number of items placed? Will that really improve things?

Some people just aren't interested in socializing outside their own little group. So even if you do see people regularly, that doesn't automatically mean you're going to interact with them and form friendships.
The ward system looks good on paper perhaps, but in practice the 'community feeling' that some people speak of so fondly really isn't there for the majority of house owners.

The housing system is advertised as your own 'little piece of Eorzea', to customise and use as you see fit. While do I sympathise with the OP's position, because it is saddening to see houses apparently unused and unloved, I wouldn't support any more restrictions or conditions being added to ownership.
If we ask the devs to take houses off the 'undeserving' then we are tacitly saying that we're ok with the short supply, and most important, we're saying we'd be ok with them solving the issue by restricting ownership even more.
I am most definitely not ok with either the shortage or further restrictions.

[Petite]

Hey all. I might have badly expressed myself. The point of my post wasn't to police how people use their house. Maybe "treated" wasn't the right word.

I was ranting on how most people who get houses end up not doing much with it, which is just a waste.

It also ends up making wards feel deserted, which is a depressing thing to see. No one wants to hang around empty suburbs. Better to chill in populated cities where things are lively.