Housing has become a major problem, mostly due to server imbalance. Since it seems like SE wants people to rebalance (or they'd add more housing), there are some concerns. Market Boards are vastly inferior on underpopulated realms, for one. Niche groups, like roleplayers, flock to just one or two (packed) servers. However, the biggest is that most people on the biggest servers are playing with their friends in their FC.

Short of combining all servers into one phased megaserver, I would always recommend tying all market boards in datacenters together. Also, being able to jump server temporarily and phase in for RP events might make it easier to move.

Anyway, the reason I actually wrote this was to address that final problem. The best way to get servers to rebalance is to borrow a page from WoW's book and go beyond it. Designate certain servers as "Recommended" and begin funneling new players onto it. Then, offer a deal to allow players AND their FCs to transfer servers not only for free and with ALL of their possessions (minus their house, of course), but perhaps with a complementary reward. Of course, this is one way to designated servers to distribute the population.

If you make sure people can take their friends and goods with them, don't cost them any extra money, and remove the pains of small/empty servers as best you can, you will get movement to rebalance the servers. And hopefully some veteran players to help out the new players you're funneling in.

It's just a thought, and a very basic one. But it seems better than making sure everyone's crowding Balmung and Gilgamesh.