Cost of House in D&D - HELP!

[Heinrich_Uberlich]

Hey guys need some help, I've posted on two 'other' websites and have'nt got any response yet, hopefully Enworlders are a more helpful bunch.
Anyhoo I am starting a new campaign which will have one of the PCs return to his home town and inherhit a small cottage and the block that it sits on (standard home size block, not an acre or anything like that).
What I was wondering how much would that be worth if the PC decided to sell?
How much annual land tax would he have to pay if he decided to keep it?
How much could he rent it for?
I am hoping someone with one of those Stronghold Guides might have an answer to such simple questions.
Thanks in advance.
Reebo

 

[Emirikol]

Take a look at some Living Greyhawk websites for what they charge for characters to purchase land and houses. You'll find it in the "Metagaming" sections of most LG webpages.

jh

 

[S'mon]

I suggest a good quality stone cottage, the kind of thing a rich peasant or craftsman might have, would be about 500gp. A peasant's hut would be wattle & daub and be worth far less, maybe 20-50gp. Property tax - I suggest 1% of assessed value/year, eg 5gp for a 500gp dwelling. If that seems too low, 2% would be ok.

 

[Will]

Well, I'd point out that there are prices listed for buildings in the DMG. Just look up 'building' in the Index. There's also an entry for taxes.

 

[MojoGM]

Do the prices for buildings in the DMG include the price of the land?

Or do you "own" the building but not the land it sits on, which you must pay "rent" for?

I don't know...there is no clear answer. It would depend on the laws and property values of the place I suppose.

 

[S'mon]

Well, I'd point out that there are prices listed for buildings in the DMG. Just look up 'building' in the Index. There's also an entry for taxes.

In my 3.0 DMG the tax bit just says 'may be up to 1/5 a character's income' - no guidance on property taxes. For houses it says 'simple house 1000gp, grand house 5000gp, mansion 100,000gp". So assuming a 'simple house' means something like a two-storey, three-bedroom edifice, a middle-class urban dwelling, I suggest 500gp for a (stone) cottage would be reasonable.

 

[S'mon]

Rents can vary a lot but I suggest 5% of the sale value would be a reasonable annual rent - 25gp/year for a 500gp cottage. In some areas you might get more, up to 10% of the sale value. The rent will not be more than about half the income of the people living in it - they need to eat, too, and food took up a much higher proportion of income in medieval times. 1/4 income is probably more likely - so someone earning 120gp/year or 10gp/month could pay 2.5gp/month in rent, 30gp/year. In 3e the typical labourer earns 3gp/month and would not be able to rent his own cottage.

 

[isoChron]

There is a book called Stronghold Builder Guidebook (I believe it's from WotC) with prices and more. Not just for strongholds but also for cottages, churches, .....
I don't remember if there is a chapter about taxes.
BYE

 

[S'mon]

Oh I noticed that the 1000gp house in the DMG actually is a 2-3 room wooden shack with a thatched roof. Hmm, seems mighty expensive to me!