Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Annual dues

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Nov 16, 2009, at 3:09 AM, Susan Bennett wrote:

> Our community is in the process of making a budget for 2010, which  
> includes
> evaluating annual member dues (Home Owners Association dues, since  
> we're
> officially a condominium per state law).

Dues are totally dependent on community specific features. So one  
place to start is to begin making a spreadsheet of monthly costs.  
Telephone, utilities, reserve fund contributions, annual maintenance  
on systems, annual maintenance costs that residents won't be doing  
(like gutter cleaning -- liability issue), dryer vent cleaning, storm  
sewer cleaning, landscaping supplies, etc.

Your residents can help remember items from their previous homes. Also  
check fees in condos around you. Frankly, yours will be in that range.  
Cohousers may do more work themselves but they also have more  
facilities, like the common house -- and higher expectations.

Also your reserve study specialist would probably be able to give you  
an average figure.

We started out paying 1/3 the dues we needed to pay. Start high and  
save.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org