Tips for the Sims 2: Open for Business

Open for Business is by far my favorite expansion pack for The Sims 2. This is because it can be so easy to amass a fortune rather quickly to buy all those things my sims want. There are many different types of businesses to consider opening, but one has been the easiest and most lucrative. That is the home business. It is virtually a hands-free money maker. To be successful with this type of business you will need to do three things. They are: set up your lot, set your price, monitor your guests.

Setting up your lot is the most important step to a successful home business. First you'll want to put a few things on your lawn that sims like to do. In my experience sims love swings. I don't know what it is but they seem to be drawn to them. Sims also love the bubble blower. If you don't have the expansion pack that it comes with then a hot tub will be just as good. Be careful though, if you have the Seasons expansion pack the hot tub may burst into flames if it gets too hot. In that case you should put a smoke detector on an outside wall to be safe. You could put any fun things in the yard that you'd like to see sims doing. Those are just the things that work best for me. After your yard is set up you may want to lock your doors if you don't want sims parading through your house all the time. Now just put a elecrono-ticket machine (misc. electronics) on the lawn, an open/closed sign of war and commerce (misc. decorative) anywhere you'd like, and open a home business with the phone.

Next you need to set your price. Go to the ticket machine and set it to cheep. This way the sims coming to your business are guaranteed to buy a ticket. After you gain a few ranks you can raise the price. Some rank ten businesses can get over one hundred simoleons an hour from each guest. Customer loyalty stars make you gain business ranks. One way to gain loyalty stars quicker is to talk to your customers. This will help them have a good time so you can raise your rank faster. Check the price every time you go up in rank so you can get the most from your guests. Business ranks also get you points that you can redeem for certain rewards. My advice would be to choose the simoleon reward if you want money fast. Remember, you can keep the business open all the time. Customers will stay all night if they are happy. When you're first starting out don't forget to start charging your customers!

Last you need to monitor your guests. This is especially important if you have the Seasons expansion. They can be struck by lightening, freeze in winter, and overheat in summer. Even if you don't have any expansions they might get angry with each other and start fights. All these things can cause you to lose loyalty points. Try to keep your sim customers happy and alive. One of the best thing to do is buy a flower making station and work up to a gold flower making badge. This will allow you to make snapdragon bouquets. Snapdragons put off a cloud that raises all motives but energy slightly. With snapdragons around your customers will only leave when they are tired or if something drastic happens. Talking to your guests will help keep them happy but it isn't necessary.

So there you have it: set up your lot, set your price, and monitor your guests. It may take a few weeks to get up to rank ten to make the big bucks, but you'll be making simoleons every hour from every sime on the lot. Even five simoleons can add up to a lot. One last trick to get it to add up is to invite people over. After you greet them they will go over to the ticket machine to decide whether they want to pay just like any other customer. I hope this helps your sims make lots of simoleons from their home business.