So far in this series of linked editorials, we have looked in depth at Sunset Valley getting to know the locations and the other families and have also looked at how to create our own sims. Through the Create-A-Sim, we have also met Jonah and Bronwen Miles. In this fourth part, we are going to see about getting them a plot of land in Sunset Valley and then we are going to build them a small home.

We are going to start up a new game and set it in Sunset Valley, basically because it's there and we know it. It could just as easily be Riverview. Anyway, it's Sunset Valley.

When the town screen comes up, we are going for the third option where it asks "Move In Families". This brings up the library and near the front should be the Miles household. Once they are selected, I can start to look for properties within their price range.

Their starting cash is §18,000, which isn't much at all. This is a step down from The Sims 2 when starting capital was a minimum of §20,000. With the Apartment Life EP, larger families got even more money to play with. A single sim in TS3 only begins with §16,000 and this makes it very difficult indeed to build starter homes for singles and couples.

There are three houses on Water Lily Lane - Pre-fabulous (1br, 1ba), Shotgun Style (2br, 1ba) and The Monotone (1br, 1ba) that Jonah & Bronwen can afford both as furnished or unfurnished. They can afford Mosquito Cove (1br, 1ba) on Sim Lane and "El" Urban Sprawl (2br, 1ba) on Maywood Lane but they can only afford these as unfurnished.

They cannot afford any of the other empty lots that are available. Instead, I am going to send them to a blank lot and get them to build a basic home.

Real Estate varies in price depending upon the size of the lot and where it is located. If it has beach access or a magnificent view, it costs a lot more than if it is inland and does not specifically have a good view.

The most expensive property per square is surprisingly not 15 Summer Hill Court up with the Landgraabs and Altos and is in fact 477 Sunnyside Boulevard, which is down the road from the Wolff family. This house backs out onto the beach, which might explain its high relative price per square. This 29x39 plot of land would cost §6,800 which does not leave much money for sims to build.

If you are planning to have a legacy family, you would need to snap up the largest empty lot up at Summer Hill Court. That would set you back §14,700. Enough money left for a shed, I think, but it does have access to a private beach and there is a park in the centre of the court.

9 Sun Song Lane is a 20x30 plot of land facing out into the bay. This will set them back §2,700 (§4.50/square). However, it has good access to the beach and reasonable access to the town centre.

Houses on Redwood Parkway, which is up on the cliff road leading south out of the town are also in the price-per-square range. The smallest is 24x29 and the two others are 40x30.

The rest of the empty lots in Sunset Valley are roughly about §2/square. There are a few scattered around including one up by Stoney Falls, which I think is very well priced for having such an attractive view out of the front window and is ideal for the reclusive freshwater fisherman who loves to be outdoors.

The largest area open for development is Pinochle Point. Prices range from §1,200 (20x30) to §3,200 (40x40).

Jonah and Bronwen are going to buy 2400 Pinochle Point, which is a 40x30 lot for §2,400, as they intend to expand as the days go by.