Same response for 1 and 2 as Lakau. As for housing when I finally had enough gil I was able to find a small plot pretty quickly (within a couple of weeks of checking daily). I was able to wait until the next day to buy it after the price had dropped some. Since then I have seen a couple of small plots go up for sale in my ward and they seem to hang around for 24-48 hours. I'm in the Lavender Beds so YMMV in another housing area.