Have A Second Life?
Have you heard of Second Life? Until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn’t. And for someone who thinks of himself as a relatively well-informed person, this was bothersome.
As it turns out, Second Life is a virtual world. You go to www.SecondLife.com, create an identity and traverse the three-dimensional virtual world created and owned by Second Life members. It started in 2003, but has really taken off this year, apparently, with more than 9 million “residents” now living in Second Life. And, as in real life, in Second Life there is a real estate market.
Second Life’s residents buy and sell real estate. The site charges land usage fees based on the amount of land you “own.” These fees range from $5 to $195 (yes, in real money). Users can also create and buy their own islands on Second Life — $1,675 will get you about 16 acres. Islands also come with monthly fees of $295.
Real-life companies have taken notice of this new phenomenon, and are looking to market themselves to Second Lifers. In March, the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation opened an office on Second Life, becoming the first national real estate company to sell homes within the community.
The company’s press release read, in part, as follows:
“Coldwell Banker has an inventory of more than 500 homes on 550,000 square meters in the Ranchero section of the Second Life mainland, one of the largest home developments in this virtual world. These virtual homes will vary in price based on size and style, including southwestern, colonial and contemporary, among others. In addition, Coldwell Banker is offering homes perched atop a picturesque hill overlooking the ocean. Second Life residents can meet with a Coldwell Banker sales associate avatar in the brand’s virtual office and schedule an appointment to tour virtual properties of interest. Homebuyers who close a purchase with Coldwell Banker will receive free “virtual furniture” for their new home as a closing gift.”
See the full release here:
https://www.coldwellbanker.com/servlet/News?action=viewNewsItem&contentId=1069986&customerType=News
And now, the company seems to be taking the next step. A real-world listing on Mercer Island in Washington state has been replicated on Second Life. (http://www.coldwellbanker.com/servlet/PropertyListing?action=detail&ComColdwellbankerDataProperty_id=11440843&page=property) And, according to Luxist, the Second Life presence has generated leads. (http://www.cigars.luxist.com/2007/09/03/real-estate-goes-large-in-second-life)
Regardless of what you may think of Second Life, this is certainly a new and ingenious way to market a home. Other companies such as Coca-Cola are investing in marketing themselves in the virtual world as well. Will others catch on? Or will this fad die out? Only time will tell… (and apparently, time is something that some people have a lot of).
http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/22/technology/fastforward_secondlife.fortune/index.htm
