Cohousing-L Mailing List: question about wait lists

[Dorothy (driehm]

    I am Chair of the Membership Committee at Rocky Hill Cohousing in Florence, 
Massachusetts.  Our committee is questioning the usefulness of our current Wait 
List, and we are wondering if other extablished cohousing communities have a 
Wait List for potential members and, if so, how does it operate and is it 
effective.  
    Before our community was completed, and we had more people interested than 
we had homes, we developed a wait list application and policy.   But now that 
we have been a functioning community for five years, we find that when a house 
comes up for sale, our current wait list has not been helpful and in fact every 
house has ended up being sold on the open market (and always to people who have 
been a wonderful addition to our community).   
    Do other communities have this same experience, or do you find that a wait 
list procedure has helped you sell your homes.  If so, what is the criteria for 
placing someone on the wait list, and how has it worked.
    Any thoughts on this question would be greatly appreciated.
    With many thanks,
    Dorothy Riehm
    Rocky Hill Cohousing