Housing

               ==Housing Types==
'''Housing has changed radically since launch.'''
At one time the key distinguishing factors were tied to the costs to buy a house, the number of slots in granted on the broker and number of house vault slots, and the cost paid for upkeep (a concept like "rent", described as upkeep because it can comprise both coin an status). 

These factors used to be determined by the location and number of rooms a house had. All of those differences have been equalized to some degree by the addition of a new type of housing; for this reason it can be said that Everquest 2 has two main types of housing.

'''Major Changes Since 2010 Include:''' 
*The ''major'' factor that makes each type different is that one is '''housing with upkeep costs''', while the other is '''housing without upkeep costs'''. 
*''All'' houses now grant each character that owns at least one (of any type, size, or location) a maximum of 6 slots on the broker and 6 slots in a house vault. 
*A new means to travel to them and interact with them was also added, known as the [[Housing & Leaderboards]]. The Housing & Leaderboards rendered the concept of counting rooms obsolete to a large degree; while Standard housing still has rooms, new rooms and (in some locations) balconies were added. 
:*The Leaderboard (linked above) organizes housing by its relative size in comparison to all other housing, ''rather'' than by the number of rooms. 

====[[Standard Housing]]====
Standard Housing is primarily distinguished by the fact that it is '''housing with upkeep costs'''.
[[Standard Housing]] which is purchased with a mix of coin (plat, gold, etc) and, in some cases [[Status points]]. All require weekly upkeep (or "rent") to access over time, though you will never owe back rent or lose the items inside if you skip paying "rent".
*The major advantage is that it's easy for any player to buy or obtain, because you buy it with standard in-game currencies, like coin (gold, silver) and (in some cases) with [[Status points|status points]]. It requires upkeep (like "rent") but it's a nominal cost that you can pay only when you want to enter the house or allow others to do so.
*Upkeep can be paid up to 12 weeks (84 real-world days) at a time or added to Escrow. Escrow acts like a means to store upkeep for future use, which is not consumed until you pay upkeep from Escrow.  
*Standard Housing can be found in all of the major [[Cities|cities]] in Norrath, the world of EQ2. 
:*Standard housing is typically styled like a real-world home, with a mix of rooms and (in large homes) a balcony. There are numerous floorplans at various costs in different locations within each city.
*For a list of homes by cost and location, see the [[Housing: Availability by City]] page.

====[[Prestige Housing]]====
Prestige housing is obtained by various means, but is distinguished by the fact that it is is '''housing without upkeep costs'''. After you obtain a deed and buy the house, you never have to pay any upkeep in coin or status points. 
*The major advantage of this type is that, because it never has ''any'' upkeep costs of any kind, you and anyone you grant access to (described below) can always enter it.  
*It can be more complicated to obtain than Standard Housing; some are sold on the [[Marketplace]], but there are many other ways to obtain it (covered on the page about it). 
*This type of housing also allows players to use a [[House Portal|house portal]] to "link" multiple houses together.
*Most prestige houses are based on zones found in the world that have been modified. They vary greatly in style and size. Due to the size and (nearly)"blank slate" nature of many of these houses, they are highly easy to use when and if you want to build unique structures from scratch.