Residential lots serve as private residences for each Sim family. Each lot can hold up to 8 Sims. Lots can either be empty or contain premade houses. All residential lots automatically have a mailbox and garbage can next to the street. The purpose of residential lots is for Sims to have a place to go in order to fulfill their motives. While a Sim could, theoretically, remain on a community lot as long as funds and needs allow, they can only 'live' on a residential lot.
The Sims
When a family buys a lot and moves in, it becomes their home and the center of gameplay. If the family moves from one residential lot to another, all their belonging are sold. Unless the Vacation expansion pack is installed, Sims can only sleep on residential lots. Residential lots are the only lots that can be edited during gameplay.
The Sims 2
Lots come in a variety of sizes and range from tiny (3x1, 2x2) to huge (5x5, 5x6). The larger a lot is the more it costs. Like residential lots in The Sims 1, residential lots are the center of gameplay. Residential lots can be placed almost anywhere as long as they connect to a road. Residential lots are the only lots that can be edited during gameplay unless Open for Business or Bon Voyage is installed. Open For Business allows Sims to open a home business on a residential lot and edit lots that they own. Bon Voyage allows Sims to edit a vacation home that they own.
The Sims 3
Residential lots are no longer the center of game play. Residential lots are predetermined on the map. Houses downloaded from the exchange must be placed on an empty predetermined residential lot. Using the edit town option, players can change community lots and residential lots and change residential lots into community lots.
New in The Sims 3 is the ability to move the mailbox and trash can without using cheats. If a house has more than one door, the door nearest the mailbox is treated as the front door.