Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: new members

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

Here in Washington state, only a coop can choose its members. The rest of us 
are open-market real estate. Any seller can  choose their buyer. Unfortunately  
for us, those who are selling are often unwilling or unable to wait till 'we' 
find community-seeking buyers: the seller may be in a hurry to get their money, 
may be unhappy about community living, may be the estate of a member who died. 
What to do?

We make our best effort to extend hospitality and relevant information to those 
who inquire about our community, with the goal of helping would-be buyers make 
an informed choice. My presentation to inquirers includes a frank explanation 
of the realities: it's not Utopia, magic elves don't do the work, participation 
 is expected, and any group of 40 adults can be expected to include some 
difficult personalities. I can't prevent someone from buying who expects to be 
away half of every year, but I can explain that we don't want snowbirds, 
because we need presence to get the work done and sustain the feel of 
community.  I ask them how they see themselves participating. I encourage 
questions. 

When a seller is using a realtor, I try to educate the realtor. If the realtor 
isn't into it, I keep an eye out (from my centrally-located home) for realtors 
showing the house. When they get out of their car, I approach and greet them 
warmly, while putting into the hands of both the realtor and the prospect a 
well-worded handout outlining  the basics of membership, including contact info 
for questions. Then I skedaddle! 

When a home becomes available for resale, we first inform our members, then 
people who have contacted us in the past year or so, then this listserve, and 
then any other advertising. Often  I see curious lookers on our path, and even 
when it isn't convenient, I jump up and  go see if they'd like information. I 
think of it as self defense, trying to assure that folks who might buy a 
property here know what they are getting  into. 

Even if we could choose buyers, I agree with Sharon that one cannot always 
predict who will be a cooperative and skilled participant. 
. 
At present, the next resale available is a great house for a family with kids, 
which we would be delighted to welcome. Three storeys, $400K. But we couldn't 
prevent a single, elderly person from buying it. (HINT HINT- if you are a 
family looking to join a well-established community (over 25 years) in a 
liberal oasis in the Pacific  Northwest, contact me pronto, off list!)

Maraiah Lynn  Nadeau
RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend WA