Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: cohousing premium?

[R Philip Dowds (rphilipdowds]

One rule of thumb I heard a long time ago — totally anecdotal! — is that when 
you buy into cohousing, you forfeit one bedroom in exchange for the commons.

Personally, I doubt the reliability of the math, and I think it’s a meaningless 
inquiry anyway.  The cohousing investment includes the private dwelling unit, 
the commons, and the lifeway.  If one has little interest in the lifeway and 
the commons, and prefers to maximize personal privatized space, then cohousing 
is not a good investment.

Whether it’s $400K of cohousing or $400K of conventional single family home, we 
should all get what we’re trying to buy.  But remember that in terms of future 
resale, you’ll get the best offers for your cohousing unit from people who 
understand and want cohousing.  Which, for now, is a small subset of the 
house-hunting public.

Thanks,
Philip Dowds
Cornerstone, Cambridge MA

> On Nov 27, 2020, at 10:00 AM, Dick Margulis <dick [at] dmargulis.com> wrote:
> 
> If you are looking at a cohousing unit and at a comparable non-cohousing 
> condo, what is the average premium for the cohousing unit?
> 
> Has anyone studied this question and come up with a US average?
> 
> Lacking that, if anyone has done this exercise for their own community, would 
> you please comment?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dick Margulis
> Rocky Corner
> Bethany CT