Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Objective criteria for selling a lot to build in a cohousing community

[Neil Planchon (neil]

Pare Gerou <paregerou [at] gmail.com> is the author of the message below. It 
was posted by Neil of the Cohousing-L management team <cohousing-l-owner [at] 
cohousing.org> due to format issue.

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In our forming group -Greek Village Cohousing- the explorer membership is about 
$226.  This category seems typical of most communities and entitles the member 
to full access and participation for 3 months in our case.  The advantage of 
this time limitation is that it lights a small fire which has led to some 
people becoming Equity members.  The disadvantage in our case is that we are so 
far not consistent with who we allow to “renew" for an extra month or two, and 
while it feels unfair, people’s circumstances, resources, skills, and 
temperaments are different.  It has been difficult to be consistent while also 
being effective at obtaining Equity members.  Thus far, we simply have been 
transparent about our inconsistency. and for those who seek to renew rather 
than become an Equity member or leave the group and become a "GVC supporter", 
we discuss it with them and ask them to elaborate more about what they will do 
during the renewal period to come to a decision.

People not only need differing amounts of time to decide, but more importantly 
they need support.  I have been trying unsuccessfully to provide all members a 
support system for personal financial and other planning needs - ***If there is 
an accountant, financial plan, or anyone else interested or willing to help 
prospective cohousing members plan, please let me know. There is a lot to plan, 
and talking it through with someone confidentially is helpful.

We have not charged another "renewal" fee in the past but have decided to 
charge an additional ?200 explorer renewal membership in 2022 and to prorate 
for 1 or 2 months.  In our case, it has never taken more than 2 more months 
thus far.

If more experienced communities have thoughts or suggestions for changing or 
improving this model, we welcome them.

Pare Gerou
www.GreekVillageCohousing.com
*** Looking forward to our exciting February trip to Greece to kick off our
design workshops!