Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Prospective Buyers trying out Cohousing first.

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hello Susana —

Some differences I see …  

In cohousing you’re buying into a community w/ some expectations of 
participation.  You’re going to have a much more intense interaction w/ 
neighbors even if you don’t participate much.  In a “market” neighborhood— 
you’re buying a house.  How many buyers meet the neighbors before they put good 
faith money on a home?  Buying a home in XYZ,  you may have absolutely NO 
intention of ever speaking w/ a neighbor much less having dinner w/ them.

In our community, we have indeed, seen people rent then buy.  We’ve also had 
people rent and then buy into other cohousing communities when they’ve had to 
move.  And, of course, we’ve had people just rent and move on.

At TVC we are doing a much, much better job of helping people get to know us 
before they consider buying.  We want prospective buyers to be able to make an 
informed decision as to whether TVC is a “fit” for them.  It’s up to the buyer 
to choose us.  We want to make sure they know enough to make that decision.

BTW — do you have a limit on how long a home can remain a rental before the 
owner must return or sell?  We have a 3 yr limit w/ a possibility of a 1 yr 
extension.  This maintains the owner-occupied nature of our community and keeps 
people from becoming “too comfortable” with renting.  (This does NOT apply to 
those communities that have permanent rentals as part of the community design.)

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
703.688.2646



> On Jun 26, 2015, at 3:48 AM, Susana Michaelis <susana [at] pacificgardens.ca> 
> wrote:
> 
> 
> I am an owner at Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community in Nanaimo. One thing I 
> am curious about, is the number of people who say they want to rent for 
> awhile before deciding to buy a unit. They want to "try it out" and "see if 
> it is a fit". As people can't commonly do this with houses and condos, or 
> cohousing communities that don't have rentals, why do you think people assume 
> they could or should try out cohousing before buying?
> What is the experience at your community? Do people get to live there before 
> deciding if they want to buy? We find that people get very comfortable being 
> renters and that doesn't help us sell a unit.
> Any feedback would be most welcome!
> Susana Michaelis
> Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community
> Nanaimo, BC
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