Personally, I believe that a major cause in the decline of the player base since launch is the lack of "immersion factor". Heading back to UlDah after leves and logging out in the middle of the street just doesn't do it for me. An MMO offers one thing no other game can. Long term, tangible rewards that you can display to other players that says, I was there, I did that. Personal housing is the only way players are ever going to feel really connected to the world of Eorzea. The best way to separate the housing from what we had in xi I think is 1.) make housing an optional purchase 2.) make it upgradeable. When you zone into your housing area make it outside the house which you can freely move from exterior to interior of. Upgrades would be by quest of course. After the major issues are tackled, if housing isn't addressed I won't be spending any more time playing a game I don't believe can survive without it.