Final Fantasy XIV is an MMO with a ton of different moving parts and mechanics. The volume of mechanics within the job system alone makes for a ton of variety in the different play styles it offers. Of the many different side activities, in addition to the massive quest lines, there are few that are more competitive than housing is. Buying a house in Final Fantasy XIV is an exercise in luck and patience, with many comparing it to endgame grinds of all kinds.
Houses in the game are locked to what are called Plots. These strips of land are scattered around the game world and allow players to undertake decorating, gardening, and various other side activities within their boundaries. The limited number of them on each server leads to competition. And though it might seem like a good idea to become a land baron, you can’t. You can only own one personal house per account on each server. So for any one server, you can only own one Plot.
The same number of plots are available on each server, so this means that there is a definite incentive to competing for housing on high-pop servers. Houses are on the market if a player hasn’t bought them or they have been abandoned (more on that below) but there is a randomized 22-hour timer before any house lapses onto the market. This means that players looking for prime real estate will be constantly refreshing houses on that timer trying to be the lucky one that clicks at the right time.
It used to be possible to buy houses automatically, although Square Enix changed the system and implemented the timer to stop bots and squatting.
Buying the Personal House
Plots are always restricted in number, with more and more players joining the game, demand is always high. For starters, the privilege is only open to some players. To buy a personal house, you must be level 50 and have reached the Second Lieutenant rank with your Grand Company. Some world areas, like Shirogane, have quest restrictions as well. Those wishing to purchase housing there must have completed the Stormblood quest “Not Without Incident.”
A special thing to take note of is relocation. If you wish to upgrade from a smaller house to a larger one, be sure to check the plots around for the desired home that’s available. If there’s a home available on the market, an existing homeowner can move into that house at a discount. The larger the new home compared to your current one, the bigger the difference in price. Also, the timer that procs on a new home entering the market has a limited window for relocations, only within the first 24 hours or so can a homeowner relocate to a home that’s just come onto the market.
The best way to find an available house is to head to the Aetherite in the capital and click “Residental District Aethernet”. A new menu showing all of the Wards will open up. Click through the menus for each ward until you find a white Plot that has a price listed, this denotes an open Plot. Head to the houses and take a look around. If you’re going to sink the Gil into a house in Final Fantasy XIV, make sure you like it.
Just for clarity, the houses shown on the menu in green are open to the public, red ones are private.
What to look for when buying houses
Buying a Free Company House
Buying one of these Plots for a Free Company, or FC, is a bit more complicated. Your FC must have 4 or more members for starters, and it must also be Rank 6 or higher. The FC permissions system can lock players out from buying land with company Gil, so be aware of that. If you’re just starting up an FC, make sure to manage permissions effectively to avoid problems.
The restriction on owning multiple Homes also applies for FCs. The player who is purchasing the plot can’t have another character on the same server who is the leader of an FC that also owns a house. So don’t think you can circumvent the ownership restriction with FCs.
Housing Cost and Maintenance
Like in the rest of the game, houses cost a fair chunk of change. Houses start out at a higher price but, they decrease by a set value every four hours, but because of competition over the Plots, most players snap them up as soon as they come onto the market. So unless you’re on a low-population server and competing for an out of the way Plot, expect to pay close to full price.
Small houses cost 3 to 4 million Gil; mediums cost 15 to 20 million Gil; large plots are between 40 and 50 million Gil.
Once you have ownership though, you have to keep it. That means players must enter their houses once every 45 days or the house is considered abandoned. Free Company houses have the same requirement, any FC member must enter the house at least once every 45 days.
