I searched the forums for threads on this, but didn't find what I was looking for. One of my players, who has a sort of JoAT characters, but with a slight focus on mechanics, wants his character to start a business. I assume for some sideline money. What kind of costs (in permits, kickbacks, land rent/purchase, equipment, etc) would he be looking at for a mechanics shop? Related to this, are real estate prices in Seattle found anywhere in the books?

I think Rigger 3 has details on setting up a mechanic's garage.

They handle the small fees by way of lifestyles combined with kits/shops/etc.

As for the rest - keep it as simple as possible for you. Less bookkeeping is always a good thing.

-Siege

I have had characters want to buy or rent property. I run in San Francisco and the bay area but the same principle should work for you.

I tell them to do some leg work and send me a link of what they want to rent. Look in today's real estate on line listings and I generally go with that. The listing will usually give you plenty of information about the building as well as the current asking price.

In my opinion, it adds a little to the game to tie it in with the reality we already experience.

there are rules for buying property in sprawl survival guide, in the back of the book. you can buy the property and still pay for other stuff like electricity.

Once again, my lack of new books is holding me back. Dang, I'm going to have to sell an organ to get the money I need for all of the books I'm mising. I like the idea of having them do some of the searching work. Unfortunately, counting myself, three people in my group of 7 have computer access.