Real Estate
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Everyone has to live somewhere, and DQ characters are no exception. Given free reign, PCs may adopt nomadic lifestyles, staying in inns and carrying their possessions on their backs. This is a rootless, expensive lifestyle, which real people would adopt only of dire necessity. If only to give their PCs one more headache, GMs should encourage then to establish households, somewhere to put up their feet after a long bout of adventuring, a place to hang their helms and call their own.
Choosing a Place to Live
Characters do tend to travel, so they may have difficulty deciding what region to live in, let alone in which town or district. Keeping in mind the need for most guild members to attend the Guild meeting every three months, close proximity to Seagate may be they only real option. For most guild character's birthplace is also a dominant consideration. Characters with NPC families might want to locate close enough to stay in touch, or, depending on their relationship with the families, as far away as possible.
Another consideration is work, other than Adventuring. Everyone has to eat, and even PCs may have to resort to some kind of honest labour to get by from time to time. Many PCs start play with only lowly ranked skills, and a desire to improve or better one's self. Adventuring helps dictate a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, and a rather low standard of living, but those with regular jobs (other then adventuring) should not plan too long a commute. Even those who prefer "casual" work, only as absolutely necessary, must still consider local job markets before setting up Households.
Owning and Holding Land
Despite its relative abundance, land is the ultimate measure of wealth. In feudal society, all land belongs to the monarch. Lesser lords do not own their land they hold it. This right of holding can be inherited, delegated, sometimes even bought and sold (usually with restrictions) but the land remains the property of the crown which retains mineral, taxation, expropriation, and other rights.
Restrictions On Land Transfer
Feudal land is held in exchange for service/rent and as long as the obligations attached to the land are honoured, the grantor may not care to whom the land passes. Nevertheless, feudal land grants forbid holders from alienating land without permission from their lieges. Feudal estates are held in trust. The lord governs and subinfeudates, exercises various delegated rights and virtually unlimited de facto power, but he is always beholden to his liege.
Fee Simple and Fee Taile
Land that is held in fee-simple may be "owned" and/or inherited by anyone, without regard to class. The sovereign retains fundamental rights, but fee-simple property can be bought and sold, more or less freely. This is as close as anyone other than the monarch can come to outright ownership.
Land that is held fee-taile can only be owned by person of a specified class. Many landholders, from great nobles to lowly peasants, hold their land in fee-taile with the restriction that only an heir of the same clan who takes the appropriate oath(s) of homage and fealty to the liege can inherit. Institutional land is usually fee-taile with the provision that it be held by the institution (eg. a church) in perpetuity. Of course, all grants can be negotiated and modified by mutual consent of liege and holder.
Some clans claim to hold their land in fee-simple but only mean that they can choose their own heirs without interference, provided they honour the succession laws/customs. Even then, the liege may retain the right to bar an heir from inheritance, and nearly always requires heriot and/or oaths of fealty/homage from the clan's chosen heir. Many scholars argue that this kind of fee simple is really fee-taile, although it does no necessarily limit inheritance to a specified class of heir.
Free simple land remains within the governmental jurisdiction of the fief/etc., where it is located.
Markets, Towns, and Charters
The marketplace is the heart of any successful town. In most jurisdictions, the right to hold a fair or market can be granted only by the crown. A town's charter spells out its rights and privileges and invariably includes the following features:
- 1 A crenulations licence to permit the building of town walls.
- 2 Transformation of town jurisdiction of fee simple (instead of fee taile). While this has been the custom in most Northern Barony towns, there are feudal towns elsewhere with some or all fee taile land.
- 3 Provision for government, taxation and defence. These attributes determine whether the town is a Freetown or feudal town.
Freetown charters are usually granted to associations of guildsmen in exchange for substantial fees. Freetown's are self-governing. Their charters remove them from the feudal structure; they owe fealty directly to the king (or the grantor of their charter). Such arrangements are unpopular with feudal lords, especially if their land is expropriated for the purpose. A town with a feudal charter remains within the jurisdiction of the lord on whose land it stands, who makes his own provision for taxation defence and civic government.
Patterns of landownership in fee-simple towns vary a great deal. In feudal-fee-simple towns, the property, and to rent/lease it for revenue, but there are usually other major land holds. These include churches, the Crown (which usually receives land in part payment for the original charter) various governments, of a Freetown also generally retains title to significant parcels of land.
Buy, Rent or Lease
Choosing a household location also depends on whether characters intend to buy, rent or lease. If the character wants to buy they will probably have to live in a town because that is where nearly all free property is owned by wealthy gentlefolk or guildsmen who lease or rent it out for revenue.
Fee simple land is almost unheard of in the countryside where most land is held in exchange for agricultural labour, military service, or rent. Rural land cannot be alienated without the consent of the person from whom it is held (liege). In practice however, peasants (even the unfree) often trade land, with the tacit consent of their lords.
Renting
Renting demands minimal capital, but tenants are at the mercy of landlords and can evicted without notice (although a few days notice is usually given) if they miss a payment or if the landlord simply wants them out. Laws protecting tenants are few and far between. Many landlords shamelessly exploit the poor. Rents range from 1 to 3 percent of real property value (as opposed to assessed value) per month (12-36% per year). Landlords can seize chattels for non-payments of rent.
Leasing
Leasing is simple renting with tenure. A lease is a contract. Its terms describe the duration of the leasehold, the rent, and any other obligations. Some lease contracts make the tenant responsible for maintenance and/or taxes (generally at less rent). Seven, fourteen, twenty-one and ninety-nine years are common leasehold terms. A municipal bylaw - has "landlord cannot evict without cause". A lease may or may not be transferable; if it is, the landlord's permission is usually required. Transferable leases have market value, which declines with are (and expiration draws nearer); the decline is less if there is an option for renewal in the lease.
Leaseholders usually have options to sub-let or rent out the property although this does not diminish their responsibilities. Some urban real estate is sub-let several times over. Most rural "freeholders" are, in effect, leaseholders with perpetual, heritable tenure.
Urban Property
Most urban land is held in fee simple by wealthy gentlefolk or guildsmen. If the towns not a fee-town, its lord usually keeps much of the land himself. Usurers have a tendency to accumulate urban property in fee simple or leasehold. They appreciate the security of local real estate, and are able to obtain property by foreclosure on mortgages and by investing profits.
The Litigants Guild
In large settlements there are often litigants who specialize in realty, offering a range of services to buyers and vendors. Litigants act as agents for property sellers, earning commissions ranging from 5% to 15% when a sale is completed. They can also aid clients with leasehold and mortgage contracts, transfer of title deeds etc. Litigant fees for such service vary by location and expertise, but are typically 12-36SP per day. Most real estate transactions can be completed in a single day.
The Mason's Guild
The Mason's Guild is a dominant player in the urban real estate market. In response to guild pressure and public demand for minimal safety standards, most civic authorities require that all buildings within their jurisdictions be constructed, repaired, and maintained by masons who usually sub-contract all or part of the work to woodcrafters of other guildsmen. Some towns permit only stone buildings. Those who circumvent the Mason's monopoly, even if they manage to convince (bribe) a civic official to grant an exception, will find it almost impossible to get supplies from guildsmen to build or repair a home. Persistent of flagrant offenders of guild privilege can expect special attention.
Mortgages
A mortgage is any loan secured by real property. Most usurers require the would be borrower to own the real property before is can be used as security for a loan. The idea of mortgaging a house one does not yet own has not caught on. In most cases, characters will have to acquire the full purchase price of a property before buying it. Once a character owns real property there is no reason why he should not mortgage it to raise the money to buy additional properties.
Most usurers deem real estate good collateral so mortgage interest is usually lower than it would be for unsecured loans: 1-1.5% (12-18% per annum) compounded monthly.
Persons of good repute, those well-known to and trusted by the lender might obtain rates as low as half a percent per month (6% per annum). Repayment of the mortgage monthly, quarterly, or annual payments, but interest on the declining balance must be paid each month or quarterly. In most civilized jurisdictions, the mortgager has the right to seize the property (including all goods therein) if one interest payment is missed. One day's grace is required by law in most settlements. Obtaining a refund for previous principal payments or negotiating the return of seized household effects can prove difficult.
Title Deeds
While it is not mandatory, characters who are buying will probably want a deed, provided by the vendor or his designated agent. It is a good idea to have the deed transfer witnessed and sealed by an alderman or registrar, depending on local government organization. These officials charge the buyer a fee for this service, ranging from 3 SP to 18 SP (perhaps more for fast service).
Finding a House
Large towns consist of neighbourhoods or quarters. The urban poor, most of the population, tend to rent multi-story tenements is slum districts, typically low-lying areas around docks and rivers, or areas furthest from the market and city gates. Middle and upper class neighbourhoods tend to be upwind, in higher parts of town, closer to public squares and markets, with wider streets.
Better neighbourhoods may have special security: extra patrols, private guards, or understandings with the locale thieves guild. If the characters can protect themselves, they may not mind living amid neighbours who earn income by redistributing other peoples' valuables and body parts.
Lot Values
The size and shape of a lot can be designed by the GM or read off the local map. Lots tend to be rectangular. Values is based on square footage and neighbourhood, tending to be highest within walled towns. Suburban land values outside town walls, but still within civic jurisdiction, and 30-70% lower.
A lots basic value per square foot, according to its neighbourhood, can be read off the Real Estate Value Table. Inflation is not a major factor in long-term property values, but prices do fluctuate in the short and medium term, and show gradual, gains over decades and centuries. GMs should take political, geographical, agricultural, and other factors into account when haggling over home prices. For reasonable fees (eg 13SP) litigants will proffer advice on the market situation.
While vacant lots within the walls of most towns are hard to find, PCs may be able to acquire an empty lot to build a house of their own design. If there has recently been a fire or war, or the town is fairly new or has recently extended its walls (a natural part of growth) there may be one or more empty lots here and there.
Demolition & Renovation
Most folk do not move house very often, so cityscapes evolve slowly. Many of the buildings are centuries old. Characters may have to demolish or renovate an existing house if they hope for decent living space.
The cost of demolition for any building is generally about half the cost of constructing a slum of the same square footage. Renovation, either to improve a building's quality or to add space is rarely cheaper then building. Laws in many settlements require that masons do all demolitions.
Lot Value Fluctuation
Lot value is not easily changed by the owners alone, although a whole neighbourhood that upgrades itself or neglects maintenance can have an effect. GMs who develop lot values for settlements where PCs live will produce dynamic, interesting situations: Divide the town into neighbourhoods and modify lot values for each neighbourhood accordingto random factors and known trends.
Lot value trend table
The GM can use this table to modify neighbourhood lot values by on a monthly or yearly schedule. Alternately, lot values can be fluctuated quarterly using either the Month or Year column.
| 1D100 | Lot Value Trend | Month | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-02 | Bust (Collapse in price) | -1d3% | -2d6% |
| 03-10 | Rapid Decline (Mild Panic) | -1d2% | -2d6% |
| 11-35 | Slight Decline | -1% | -1d6% |
| 36-60 | Little to no change | - | +/- 1d3% |
| 61-90 | Slight Improvement | +1% | +1d6% |
| 91-98 | Major Improvement | +1d2% | +2d6% |
| 99-00 | Boom (Rampant Speculation) | +1d3% | +3d6% |
Trend roll modificationsThe Maximum modification is 1 (so boom & bust are always possible). If positive factors exceed negative ones, add one to the Trend Roll, if negative factors exceed positive, subtract one from the roll. With this system, the GM can establish ad maintain price per square foot for each neighbourhood. The following factors may affect land prices (the Trend Roll);1) Property value in adjacent neighbourhoods.2) Political situations (usually applies to whole towns)3) Landlord / Speculator buying / Selling in the area.4) Change in building quality and / or condition.
| Building Size | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floors | 1 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5+ |
| 1d100 | 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-20 | 21-35 | 36- 55 | 56- 80 | 81-95 | 96-100 | 100+ |
The typical urban building covers its whole lot, sharing common walls with its neighbours. Gardens are reserved for the wealthy. Local maps do not show building height, which may be set by the GM or randomly generated with the table (right) rolling 1d100 plus Market Size plus or minus 10 for Neighbourhood (poorer areas tend to have more multi-story buildings - rich people are less inclined to climb stairs). A 30x40 foot structure has a footprint of 1,200 square feet; if it has 3 floors, its square footage is 3,600. A half-floor can be a 1/4 to 3/4 of a floor, probably an attic (cellars are rarely lived in). With these data, GMs can easily create floor plans, and knowing the building quality and neighbourhood the basic building value is easily determined. The following table describe an average slum building. Its footprint and lot size are 600 square feet and it has 31/2 floors. Inside, it is divided into three 600 square foot dwellings rented to three families, and a half-flat in the attic occupied by a single person (or very poor family).
| Descriptions | Area | Value | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot | 600.0 | 450.0sp | n/a |
| Building | 2,100.0 | 787.5sp | n/a |
| Total | n/a | 1,237.5sp | 99sp |
| Rent Summary | Area | Rent |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Floor | 600 | 80sp |
| First Floor | 600 | 96sp |
| Second Floor | 600 | 82sp |
| Attic | 300 | 42sp |
| Total | 2100 | 300sp |
The landlord is paying 8% property tax on an assessed value of 1237.5 SP for a total of 99 SP per year. As an average landlord sets his total rents to bring in about 3 times his total taxes (on both the building and lot) in this case 3 SP more. The total rent for the building is divided among the tenants roughly in proportion to the size of their flats. In practice, his assessed taxes would be lower than the 99 SP given, and his rents might also.
RURAL PROPERTIES
Throughout the civilized Northern Baronies, most rural land is held (fee taile) by feudal nobility or churches. Buying property in such situations is usually impossible, but the holders usually have the right to grant freeholds (leaseholds). If a feudal landlord is dispossessed, existing leaseholds are usually recognized by the new lord, but some tenants may be obliged to defend their right to hold their land on court. In the (most extreme) case of an invasion, the conqueror may bring in his own people - only in the event of war or rebellion are there wholesale changes in landholding.
Freeholds and Yeomanry
Those who locate beyond civic jurisdiction will likely have to deal with manorial lords who may be less profit-minded, but who often wish to impose service obligations on tenants. The descendants of those who contracted to provide service in exchange for land may find themselves judged bound to the land and, therefore, unfree a generation or two later. Such lords may need cash rents or labour/service (to work their demesnes) or both, depending on land use is their estates. Characters may fancy yeomanry of freeholding, especially if they want to take advantage of high agriculture ranks.
HOMESTEADING
As a final option, characters can pioneer in the wilderness. However, few tracts of wilderness are unclaimed - human/orc tribes inevitably dispute the intrusion of pioneer households. Tribute of some kind may be the only alternative to massacre (assuming there is an alternative to massacre). Characters who do establish homesteads can avoid all kinds of irritants, - until civilization follows. Construction costs may be eliminated provided local materials are employed and the characters provide their own labour. Importing materials or labour to a wilderness site would, of course, be very expensive.
PC LANDLORDS
Despite the reluctance with which most landholders dispose of their land, almost anyone with enough money can acquire urban holdings, in fee simple or leasehold, regardless of their social class, although it can be more difficult in feudal (non free) towns. Characters may wish to invest surplus this way. Real estate values do not increase rapidly, but an earthquake, plague, fire, flood, war, depression or other upheaval can have dramatic effects on short term real estate values. Events generated by the Random Event table often fluctuate values. Would-be landlords should consider all the factors. A lightly defended town in the path of an advancing barbarian hoard may have great real estate bargains, but...
Landlords are often unpopular people, feared and hated by their tenants, envied and sabotaged by their peers. Property "tycoons" can becomes involved in all kinds of interesting situations. Many major landlords protect their anonymity by hiring litigants or merchants to manage real estate.
PROPERTY TAXES
The owner (landlord) is responsible for payment of urban property taxes. This is traditionally an annual tax payable on the first working day of the new year. Tax is charged on the assessed value of real estate. Bribery of civic tax assessors to deflate values is widespread. Tax rates vary by settlement, but are typically around 6% of assessed value for a guildsman's place of work (including any residences attached thereto), and 8% for everyone else. Properties outside the town walls, but under civic jurisdiction owe the same (or slightly lower rates) but pay 30-70% less than in-wall taxes because their property values are that much lower.
Property Tax Assessment
Property assessment does not usually occur annually. Landholders can expect visits from the assessors every few years. Some towns assess only once a decade. Assessments tend to undervalue property. Consequently, assessments (and taxes) often vary somewhat from market value.
Quality and Condition
Landlords are responsible for maintenance and most prefer to keep their investments from falling down. On construction, each building is given a Building Quality Factor (BQF), reflecting how well it has been built, what materials have been used, etc. BQF ranges from 1(flimsy wooden shack) to 5 (solid, well built, stone building). An average townhouse has BQF3.
A building's Condition factor reflects its current state of repair. A new building has a Condition off 100. Each month, the GM rolls 1d6 to determine building deterioration. If the roll is greater than BQF, Building Condition deteriorates by one. The GM may order additional roll(s) if there is a storm earthquake, floor etc. If Condition drops below 80 there are holes in roof/walls, creeping damp, etc.
If a building's condition drops below 50, some/all of it may collapse (10% chance per month), and if it drops below 25, the chance of collapse increases to 20% per month. The market (real) value of a building is roughly equal to its original Value X (Condition/100). Hence the value of a building the condition of which has fallen to 43, is 43% of its original value. Of course, even an expert cannot expect to estimate building value exactly - errors of plus or minus 5 to 15 percent are common.
Maintenance/Repairs
Masonry skill is used to increase Building Condition. Most towns require that masons do the work. For each Manday of labour per 1,000 square feet the mason tests Masonry Rank;
C Fail: Reduce Condition by one (1)
N Fail: No effect on Building Condition
N Success: Increase Building Condition by Rank/2
C Success: Increase Building Condition by Rank
A member of the Masons Guild can perform work on his own building regardless of his rank. Non-members are obliged to hire master masons.
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