Lots and Houses bin

The Lots and Houses bin is where premade, custom and empty lots are stored to be placed in the neighborhood. In The Sims 2, the lots and houses bin is available from neighborhood view. In The Sims 3, the player must enter "Edit Town" mode. Households can be moved with their house into and out of the Lots and Houses bin saving the furniture and decorations; that is a very bad idea however because moving inhabited lots to the Lots and Houses bin causes duplicate sims to be created, and will corrupt the neighbourhood, as will moving a household or inhabited lot from one neighbourhood to another.

There are many premade houses and buildings from the The Sims 2, The Sims 3 and their expansions which can be placed in the neighborhood. They are named only by their style (ex. Craftsman, Victorian, etc.) and (if it's residential) how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has.

The Sims 2: Nightlife comes with small townhouses with driveways. In The Sims 2: Open for Business, there are premade shops available: a mini mall, a bookstore, and a cafe. In The Sims 2: Pets, there are a couple of premade pet shops and a pet-oriented park. In The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, there are a few vacation lots and a new lot type, beaches. Stuff packs often provided new, premade lots decorated with objects and architecture made available with the stuff pack.

Families from The Sims 2: Pets, such as the Kat family and the Kim family can also be found in the lots and houses bin. It is inadvisable to download and use inhabited lots that did not come with the game or any expansion packs unless the one who made them has taken several precautions and cleaned out all memories of the household's neighbourhood of origin.