Cohousing-L Mailing List: What does affordable mean?

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

This word, affordable, seems to vary quite a bit in definition. I am not
sure that there is a good definition either, so I would encourage folks who
seek or ask about affordability to define that in terms of an upper dollar
home price limit, therefore clarifying what you are really seeking. I would
think sometime who defines affordable, simple living as being a home under
$60,000 would be discouraged by somebody defining affordable as $240,000.
Sure, if the other homes in your development cost $400,000 each , then $250K
is a bargain, but it is still not necessarily affordable depending upon what
you do for a living and how much debt you are willing to carry.

At Sharingwood we have one, hand built shack of recycled scrounged materials
that was built for free by the owner, on a lot he paid $20,000 for many
years ago. We have another person who has acquired a lot from their parents,
who also was intending to hand build a small, shack sized dwelling for under
$5,000 in new material costs. Both of these shacks will use the commonhouse
plumbing systems (at a small monthly surcharge). Both are small enough that
they are considered non-code buildings. This is clearly simple and
affordable living by most definitions but not reproducible, it is unlikely
either of the two existing unbuilt lots will sell, if they ever go up for
sale which is not currently the case,  at anything less than full market
value which is probably around $90,000 at this point.  


Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood Cohousing
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
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