NOTE: Please take the time to scroll through these FAQ's. Most of the time, your answer will be found here. Thank you !
0.6- Do I pay the profile of STEVE Mahfouz or STEVEN Mahfouz ? Answer: You ALWAYS pay the profile of STEVE Mahfouz. Please double-check your procedures to make sure you pay me, STEVE Mahfouz instead of the other person. Thank you !
1: Does Ecstasy Realty sell land ? Yes.
2: Does Ecstasy Realty (ER) rent or lease land ? Yes.
2.01: How do I find parcels for rent or sale that are owned by
Ecstasy Realty ? Answer: First, consult the listing of sims either on
the front page of this website or at http://ecstasyrealty.com/latest-availabl/
Then, teleport there via the Map on your screen. The parcels that are
available for rent will be colored orange, once you click on Property
Lines and Land Owners.
2.05: Hey, I cannot see any signs for rent or sale on your sim ? Answer: I don't believe in for sale signs. They make the sims look ugly. Go to View, then click Property Lines and then Land Owners. The available parcels are colored orange.
2.1: I do not need my parcel any more. What should I do ? Answer: Simply abandon the parcel by clicking the appropriate button on the About Land screen. This changes the "color" of the parcel so that ER can see the abandoned parcel. Please make sure you return all your prims to yourself or the appropriate person. Thank you very much for your business !
2.101: Can I have a "privacy wall" on my parcel ? Answer: "26.5 - PRIVACY WALLS BANNED: Due to abuse of privacy walls, they are now banned on all Ecstasy Realty sims. You may still have a fence that is no higher than 50% of the height of your residence or business. The fence must look like wood or brick. The Owner has the right to ask you to modify your fence in accordance with good taste and the theme of the sim."
2.105: Help ! I've been griefed really badly. What do I do ? Answer: On your parcel, you have a control to return others' objects. Find out the name of the griefer by right clicking on any object he or she left, and then return his/her objects by right clicking your parcel. Now click About Land. Click the Objects tab. Highlight the griefer's name and then click the Return button. You can delete them also, I don't care. Now, please use your third-party security system to ban the griefer from your land. Please do not use the Ban list on your parcel because that creates red ban lines that are unsightly. Your security system should allow for a ten second delay.
2.11: Help ! My land is acting weird in XYZ way ! Answer: An ER Estate Manager will assist you ASAP. If none are online, please do the following steps: 1) First check the About Land menu to make sure you have configured your parcel 100% correctly. Many times this can solve the problem easily; 2) Now go to Edit then to Groups. Highlight the group your land is set and/or deeded to. Click the Info button. Now click the Members & Roles tab. Click each of the Members, Roles and Abilities tabs and make sure all the information there is 100% correct. Sometimes this is a problem; 3) Slowly and carefully scroll through the rest of these FAQ's to see if any of these can be helpful to you. If none of these are helpful to you, please wait for an ER Estate Manager to come online to help you.
2.15: I want to allow the officers of my land group to do XYZ and not to do XYZ. Can you help me ? Answer: Yes, of course an Estate Manager will help you. If none are online, then please go to this page for instructions: http://ecstasyrealty.com/2008/01/deeding-land-to.html
2.2: How do I pay my rent or tier for this month ? Go to Search, then go to the People tab. Type in "Steve Mahfouz" (the CEO of ER). On his profile, click the Pay button. Type in the exact amount of your monthly rent or tier.
2.3: I don't pay in lindens. How do I pay my rent or tier ? You may pay your rent in USD or Euros or whatever your country's currency is. You will need my Paypal (https://www.paypal.com) email address to pay me this way. Instant message me in-world to get my Paypal email address.
2.5: I own a parcel on a Ecstasy Realty sim. Do I have to pay tier once a month ? Yes. "3.0- WHO MUST PAY TIER: The person who owns the parcel on the first (1st) day of the month at 12:01 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST) or Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) must pay the tier payment, even if the land is to be sold later in the day. If it is not obvious from the About Land window who owns the parcel, the President or CEO or Founder of the land group will be billed. Please act accordingly. Ecstasy Realty and Steve Mahfouz bear NO legal liability if your land is reclaimed due to confusion and/or inability to ascertain the correct owner of the land."
2.6: n/a
2.9: Does Ecstasy Realty have any PG-rated sims ? Not at this time.
3: I paid STEVEN Mahfouz the rent or tier for this month 4 days ago. Now, all of my prims and scripts and textures have been returned to me and/or they are lost. Why did this happen ? Answer: According to the land covenants on each sim and also to FAQ # 0.6, you are supposed to pay STEVE Mahfouz for your rent once a month. You were asked, politely, to be very careful about who you pay. Therefore, your rent money did not get to STEVE Mahfouz. You were evicted from the parcel for non-payment of rent. You will have to speak to Linden Lab about getting your money back, because STEVE Mahfouz does not have your rent money.
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4.1: Help ! I have red ban lines around my parcel and I don't want them. What do I do ? Answer: Right click on the ground of your parcel. Click About Land. Click the Access tab. Uncheck all the boxes you see. Now click the Ban tab. Uncheck all the boxes you see. Wait a few minutes and the problem should be cured.
4.5: One of my sim neighbors and I want to trade parcels (or engage in a financial transaction that involves ER parcels on this sim). Is this allowed ? Answer: No, and I'll tell you why. I prefer to keep all transactions between ER and tenants simple and non-confusing. One landlord, one tenant, very simple. When you begin involving other tenants, things get more complicated and potentially confusing. Misunderstandings can arise which lead to bad feelings. The land you are renting is owned by ER. It is not owned by your neighbor or by you. Therefore, any changes or property issues must go through an ER Estate Manager. USD, Euros and/or Lindens always go directly to Steve Mahfouz, and no one else. No neighbor/tenant/avatar has the authority to accept Lindens or cash for ER. If an ER Estate Manager contacts you, he or she will direct you to pay Steve Mahfouz and not himself or herself.
5: I need a sim that allows clubs or malls. How do I find these sims ? All ER sims except for Serene, Lavish, and Luxury allow clubs and malls.
6: I want to live on a sim free of lag and eyesores. How do I find these sims ? At present, Serene, Lavish and Luxury are the sims you wish to see.
6.5: I want to allow my friend to set his or her house on my parcel as "home". Can he or she do that ? Answer: Yes. They need to be an officer or co-owner of the group that you have deeded your parcel to.
7: Can I change the land on my parcel (terraforming) ? Yes, all ER sims allow terraforming. However, Berg has strict limits on terraforming.
8: How do I find out the terms of my lease contract ? Go to the sim you are on. Right-click a piece of "raw ground" (i.e., no sidewalks). Click About Land. Click the Covenants tab of the About Land screen. The Land Covenants for your sim contain all the terms of your lease/rental contract.
9: Am I allowed to break my lease ? Yes. Please just notify Steve Mahfouz by IM.
10: I have a problem with my neighbor. What should I do ? Please try to speak to them, in private instant message, in a calm and respectful way. Ask them to stop whatever they are doing in a polite manner. If this does not resolve the problem, please IM an Estate Manager.
11: How do I show video on my parcel ? Right click the ground. Click About Land. Click the Media tab. Type the URL (universal resource locator or the website address) of the video stream into the "Media Texture" field. You must also click the small picture and put in a picture of your own. Now click the "X" at the upper right hand corner of the About Land screen. The video should show now on your property. If not, try clearing your Network Cache and relogging. Some times this cures that problem. Please bear in mind that the video stream URL must be entered perfectly, or your video will not show properly.
12: How do I listen to audio on my parcel ? Follow the exact same procedure for video above. This time, type the 100% correct URL into the "Music URL" field. I would suggest checking the box about restricting sound to your parcel, to avoid annoying neighbors. Now click the "X" at the upper right hand corner of the About Land screen. The audio should now play OK. If not, try clearing your Network Cache and relogging. Some times this cures that problem. Please bear in mind that the URL for your audio stream must be 100% correct or your audio will not play properly.
13: I need more prims. How do I get them ? The ONLY way you can get more prims, is by renting more square meters on your sim. There is no other way to get more prims.
14: n/a
15: I am in a sim that allows businesses. Can I build a condominium or an apartment complex on my parcel ? Yes. However, if you ever fail to pay the rent within the allowed grace period (3 days), all of your tenants will be ejected with no warning. My contract is with YOU, not with sub-lessees. Please act accordingly.
15.5: I was renting a space (or land) from your tenant XYZ. He/she screwed me over in ABC ways. Can you help me ? Answer: I'm very sorry for your misfortunes, but my contract is only with my primary tenant. Please take this matter up with them.
16: I am on a sim that does not allow businesses. Can I build a condominium or an apartment complex on my parcel ? No, but you can rent out homes for residence only. Please bear in mind that if you fail to pay your rent within the 3 day grace period, that you and your sub-tenants will be evicted from the sim.
17: I only want to allow my family, friends and business associates onto my parcel. How do I do this ? Please use your third-party security system for this purpose.
18: I want to keep out a person named "Bad Avatar" from my parcel. How do I do this ? Please use your third-party security system for this purpose.
19: I want to deed my land to a group to allow other people the right to control security and/or audio and video. How do I do this ? Once you've made your group, you need to make sure that these people are either Officers of the group or Co-Owners. Once you have done this, you go back to the About Land screen. Click the General tab. Where it says Group, click the Set button. Make sure your group's name is highlighted, then confirm that choice. Now, you will see the Deed button on the General tab. Click that button but do not click Owner Makes Contribution with Deed. Now your parcel is "owned" by your group, and group officers and Co-owners have the right to control audio, video and security. If this does not work, IM Steve Mahfouz.
20: Will any ER sims have Adult-rated parcels on them ? Yes, but only on Mature-rated sims and only when clearly marked as Adult in compliance with Linden Lab policy.
21: I see a grayed-out "Reclaim Land" button. What is that for ? I only use that button when someone fails to pay their rent or tier or when, on very rare occasions, I must eject a tenant for breaking the Land or Sales Covenants.
22: On the About screen, I see the Objects tab. What is that for ? It allows you to see how many prims you have used out of your allotment. Your allotment is stated in the Land Covenants.
23: Why is this Land Covenants so important ? Because 1) it's your formal, quasi-legal rental contract with Ecstasy Realty and 2) tenants reading them saves me hundreds of hours of explaining per year.
24: What happens if I break the Land Covenants ? It depends on what you did. For a few violations, you will expelled and banned from the sim immediately. For all other "violations", I will speak to you and ask you not to do this again.
25: Help ! I can't terraform my parcel. Make sure your Options tab in the About Land screen has "Edit Terrain" checked.
26: I run a nightclub on one of your sims. I want to stop griefers. What can I do ? Besides limiting access to your parcel, the other thing you can do is go to the About Land screen and click on Options tab. Uncheck "Create Objects" and "Run Scripts". Yes, this will create more annoyances for your customers, but most of the griefer's tools and weapons do not work now.
27: I want to operate a nude strippers nightclub on one of your commercial sims. What do I need to know ? Simply 1) do not bother your neighbors and 2) make sure you mark your parcel as "Adult". If you need more information about Adult-marked parcels, you will need to speak to Linden Lab.
28: Why is the Terms of Service (TOS) important ? Because it is the formal legal contract between you and Linden Lab. It has to be obeyed, or you may get ejected from SL.
29: I can't get onto one of your Adult parcels. What's wrong ? You need to speak with Linden Lab about your age verification.
30: The sim is super laggy and everyone is gray and people can hardly move. What do I do ? Please IM an Estate Manager. One of us can reboot your sim and it should be OK then.
31: The sim has been down for 15 minutes. What do I do ? LL says we
have to wait 30 minutes before we do anything. Once the sim has been
for at least 30 minutes, you go to this web page and fill out a Region
Down report:
https://secure-web10.secondlife.com/account/region_down.php
Then, you have to be very patient and wait for them to fix it. There is nothing more we can do.
32: The sim was down for 5 hours. I want a refund ! Reply: Per the Land Covenants, Linden Lab does not issue refunds to sim owners under most circumstances. Therefore, I do not issue refunds either. I'm sorry about this. You are free to speak to Linden Lab.
33: I'm having money problems this month and I want to keep my parcel. What should I do ? Please IM Steve Mahfouz immediately and briefly tell him the situation. Please tell him a date when you can have 100% of the rent. Depending upon the exact circumstances, he will try to work with you. However, you must bear in mind that ER must pay Linden Lab thousands of USD per month. Therefore, it is incumbent upon tenants to pay rent quickly and on time.
34: I have no money and I didn't IM Steve Mahfouz. The rent was due over 3 days ago. Why is my house and all my property gone ? Per the Land Covenants, you will be ejected from the sim for non-payment of rent unless you make prior arrangements with Steve Mahfouz.
35: I'm really pissed at Steve. I"m tempted to go to a 3rd party website and raise hell. Should I ? No. It's highly recommended that you speak with Steve Mahfouz privately about the situation. Usually, two reasonable people can resolve a problem.
36: I see that 2048 square meters is currently priced at L$4000 per month. If I rent 20,480 square meters (or more), can I get a volume discount ? No, and here is the reason: ER keeps profit margins low to be highly competitive. Therefore, no discounts are ever given unless ER is breaking into a target market such as Germany. Target market discounts are revoked, also, after a period of time.
37: I see in your Land Covenants for Ecstasy Brasil that it is for residents of Brazil only (Brasileiros e Brasileiras). I am from Uruguay/ England/ fill in the blank. Can I live or work there ? Answer: No, sorry.
38: I'd like to negotiate a deal on rent. Is this possible ? No. Please do not ask about this.
39: I'd like ER to sponsor my group in renting a very large parcel. Is this possible ? No.
40: If I have a parcel-related emergency, how do I know that I will get good customer service ? Because ER is online in SL every day. You may IM Suge Winnfield, for service. For German, Austrian, and Swiss tenants, Deedee Dix oder Tar Halderman may be able to assist you. Suge Winnfield and Gayle Starbrook handle all emergencies for English-speaking tenants. If you speak Portugese, please edwilson Dryke for service
41: Is ER going to be here for the long-term ? Yes. The CEO of ER, Steve Mahfouz, has been in SL for 2 years and has no plans whatsoever of leaving.
42: How do I know that ER won't scam me ? Because ER has a good reputation in the land industry and wishes to keep this good reputation.
43: n/a
44: I've heard horror stories about people losing money and land on private islands. Why should I trust you ? Reply: Please speak to Steve Mahfouz. The reputation of ER speaks for itself.
45: I want to erect a 100 meter high penis/vagina/breast/"commonly objectionable sight" on my parcel. Why can't I ? Reply: 1) Because the Land Covenants forbid this and 2) there is a very good chance that your neighbors won't like it.
46: Why should I set business or a home on a private island as opposed to the mainland ? Of course, some people prefer the ambiance of the mainland. That's fine. Other people prefer the relative quiet, lag-free condition and usual absence of "eyesores" on private islands. The choice is yours.
47: I saw a deal in the Land Sales search for L$0.00 per square meter. Why should I even check out ER parcels ? Reply: Do you seriously think you will pay nothing for land ? Think for a long time about this, please.
48: Do you ever evict anyone from a parcel ?
Answer: Yes. A tenant will be evicted for three reasons: 1- Non-payment of rent. This eviction happens automatically after 3 calendar days of being late; 2- refusal to modify terraforming in response to a request of either the CEO or an Estate Manager; and, 3- Gross disrespect to the owner or to Ecstasy Realty Estate Managers. This eviction will take place after 14 calendar days, and notice will be given to the tenant via instant message (IM) and by public notice on http://ecstasyrealty.com. Once the 14 calendar days have expired, the tenant is evicted no matter what the status of the parcel is. There is no recourse to Linden Lab in cases of eviction, because you are agreeing to these terms when you rent the parcel. No public notice is required in cases involving non-payment of rent. Evictions concerning refusals to modify terraforming will take place 7 (seven) calendar days after the tenant receives the original instant message, chat message, and/or email. No public notice is required in cases of terraforming refusal.
49: I saw a deal in the Land Sales search for L$1.20 per square meter.
Why should I check out ER parcels ? Reply: At L$1.20 per square meter,
the owner of the private island is only being reimbursed for his or her
tier payment to Linden Lab. At that rate, the owner makes zero
USD/euros towards his or her $1295 USD or $1675 USD investment.
Typically, this rate is being offered so a private island owner can
help make his tier payments. By contrast, ER offers rentals on a
semi-permanent basis. Semi-permanent is the word used because the word
"permanent" implies a very long term rental contract, which cannot be
honestly guaranteed.
50: Why do you have the "no reminders" policy about paying rent ? Answer: There are two reasons for this. The first is that with almost 200 tenants (and counting), it is too difficult to, 100% of the time, remind 100% of the clients to pay rent on time. Inevitably, someone would get missed and then get evicted. Would that be fair ?
Secondly, we are all legal adults in SL (hopefully). LL does not remind me to pay my sim tier fees, because I know that several times a month I must pay LL $195 USD or $295 USD for each sim. It is my responsibility as an adult and as a customer to remember to have the money to pay LL. I think tenants have a similar situation to me.
51: Do you work with people who do not speak English ? Yes. I work a great deal with the Germans, French, and Brazilians, and I welcome all other world residents.
52: I am a furry/Gorean/age player. Do you rent to us ? Yes, without hesitation. All I ask from anyone, per the Land Covenants, is to follow Linden Lab policy and the TOS (http://secondlife.com/corporate/tos.php).
53: Why do you rent to laggy clubs and malls ? I think they suck. Reply: Not everyone agrees with your opinion. ER also offers three sims which are 100% residential and which have no lag whatsoever. Even on the 14 sims which host clubs and malls, usually the frame rate per second stays above 15 FPS, unless there is a grid-wide problem or an auto-save for the sim. ER will actively work with all tenants to keep down lag in a reasonable manner.
54: Why is your Land (or Sales) Covenants so long and legalistic ? Reply: *shrug* Blame it on the two lawyers in my family. Wouldn't you rather have everything spelled out in detail up front ?
55: You f*****d up my real life with your sim. I'm suing you ! Reply: When you rented your parcel, you agreed to Point #18 in the Land Covenants which states "It is explicitly stated that the Owner bears no responsibility for any real life legal liability. Please make sure that your rental situation is comfortable for you".
56: I'm pissed at you for XYZ reason and I'm going to Linden Lab. Reply: Please read Point # 25 in the Land Covenants, which states "The relationship between Owner and Tenant is strictly between Owner and Tenant. The Lindens (aka Linden Labs) will not intervene unless there is an alleged violation of TOS".
57: I like to shoot my friends. Why can't I ? Because there are plenty of places around SL where you can do this and be happy.
58: I think your anti-lag policy sucks about the 30 avatars. Reply: Did you know that the maximum recommended avatar load for a sim is 40 avatars, and that performance significantly degrades above that level ? Do you think it's fair to have a party of 40 people/avatars and that your neighbors can barely move or can't even teleport into the sim ?
59: Why don't you force those damn clubs and malls to not use scripts/large textures/etc. ? Reply: Unfortunately, malls and clubs usually use scripts. Not all builders understand that smaller textures are better for lag. Not all scripters are good at making less laggy scripts. If there is a serious lag problem on a sim, I will deal with it, I assure you. No one likes excessive lag, not even club and mall owners.
60: n/a
61: n/a
62: n/a
63: n/a
64: Why is Ocean Depths mostly above water ? Long story. It may not stay that way forever. *smile*
65: How does the Earth rotate on Galactica sim ? A combination of giant prims and good scripting.
66: I think my neighbor's house is ugly. Reply: I'm sure he or she disagrees with you. Unless the home violates "commonly objectionable standards" or outrages most of the sim, I will never say a word to the renter. Perhaps he or she thinks your house is not pretty.
67: Why can't you charge less for the land ? Answer: The short answer is because of vacancies. Because tenants are allowed to rent for only one month and leave at any time, the rent must be higher to compensate for vacant land.
68: I hate my neighbor and he or she hates me. Reply: That's fine. The two of you need to find a way to get along. Otherwise, I will be forced to eject one or both of you.
69: I rented my parcel 2 weeks ago and I want 2 weeks of my rent back. Reply: Per Point # 15, you are entitled to a refund only if I make an error or mistake.
70: Can I have a business meeting at my house on Luxury (or Serene or Lavish) ? Yes, as long as no more than 30 avatars are in attendance and as long as this is not a daily occurrence. Luxury, Lavish and Serene are 100% residential sims.
71: You say in your Land Covenants that you have the right to expel and ban anyone. How fair is that ? Reply: It's fair because 1) I own the land and 2) it's only common sense that excessive banning and expelling are going to ruin my reputation. Therefore, it won't happen very often.
72: Why do you say you can't be held responsible for prevention of griefing activity ? For two reasons: 1) I'm not an SL security expert or in the security business and 2) I am not on SL all the time. Each tenant has the right to use a third-party security device with a ten second delay.
73: Why would you ever need to "reclaim a parcel" ? The only reason I would reclaim a parcel, with 60 days advance notice, would be to completely change the character of a sim. I cannot foresee this happening any time soon. ER is constantly expanding with new sims, so this is highly unlikely.
74: How can I keep my parcel clean automatically ? Go to the About Land screen again. Click on the Objects tab. In the Autoreturn field, you can type a number (for the number of minutes), after which other's objects are automatically returned to them. Be extremely careful how you use this, because all objects that are NOT set to the parcel will go flying away. The objects end up in Lost and Found folders of the owners. They are NOT deleted.
75: When exactly is my rent due ? Answer: Your rent is due in 30 days from the day you first rented the land, usually. Here are the exceptions to that: If you first rent on January 29, 30, or 31, your rent is due again on February 28. Otherwise, it is the same day next month as the day of this month (example: you rent on October 6. Your rent is due again on November 6).
76: I see you raised the rent in the Land Covenants. Did you raise my rent ? No. Unless I inform you via IM or notecard or email that I have raised your rent with 60 days advance notice, your rent always stays the same.
77: Hey, the size of my parcel is not specified in the Land Covenants. That means your Land Covenants don't mean anything. Reply: Wrong. "No other parcel sizes are listed, but the sim may be subdivided in other ways. No matter the size of your parcel, you are bound by the terms of this entire land covenants".
78: Hey, you evicted me from my parcel and now some of my prims are missing and/or scripts are messed up and/or textures are missing and/or textures are messed up. You need to reimburse me for this damage. Answer: Per Point # 2 of the Land Covenants, Ecstasy Realty is not liable for any damage or loss to prims, scripts or textures if you are evicted. Upon eviction, all prims, scripts and textures are returned to their legal owners. They are NOT deleted.
79: Hey, I didn't read the Land Covenants when I rented. I"m not bound by them, ha ha ! Answer: WRONG. "You are bound by the rental covenants as soon as you pay rent. Please read them very thoroughly".
80: Do you have any land for rent that is XYZ ? Maybe. Please IM an ER Estate Manager or check the rest of this website.
81: My video is all screwed up on the sim. What should I do ? Answer: Clear your Network Cache in your Preferences. Logout and come back. Many times that solves it. Or, you can reinstall Second Life. Make sure your video drivers and motherboard drivers are up to date. Sometimes it's just SL. Some days SL is just weird and we all have to cope with it :/
82: Help ! I have no idea how to terraform my parcel ! An ER Estate
Manager will be happy to help you. If we are not online at the moment,
please read this web page:
http://ecstasyrealty.com/2008/01/terraforming-in.html
83: Hey dude, isn't Ecstasy a DRUG ? Aren't you condoning illegal drug use ? No. Up until maybe 30 years ago, ecstasy meant being very happy.
84: What's with naming a sim after that Freud guy ? Reply: I'm guessing you aren't German, right ? Freude means "joy" in German.
85: Why did you name a sim after Battlestar Galactica ? Reply: No, I didn't. Galactica was a word that sounded outer-space-ish, so I used it.
86: n/a
87: Can I have a security system on my parcel ? Yes, but please set it to only eject people after a 10 second warning.
