Cohousing-L Mailing List: Affordable and Infill Cohousing [was Looking for speakers for The Cohousing Institute

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Thu, Jul 13, 2023 at 7:33 AM Philip Dowds <rpdowds [at] comcast.net> wrote:

> There is no immediate reason to expect that a cohousing development will be 
> significantly cheaper to
> accomplish than an “ordinary” housing development of similar size and 
> quality.  In developing a residential property, cohousing or otherwise, there 
> are choices to make that can noticeably drive up or drive down the
> project cost.  But at a national level, average housing costs are rising at a 
> faster rate than average household incomes, and housing of all types seems 
> increasingly "unaffordable”.  Cohousing is neither a cause of, nor a
> cure for, our national housing crisis.

We need refrigerator magnets that remind us of this.

Perhaps one guide people could use to stay on the affordable track instead of 
the ever-rising costs of new housing is to look at how much the housing 
situation you are considering costs now and what contributes to those costs. 
Realistic analysis. One advantage of rehab is that you live in the space while 
you are making it livable. That avoids paying for two spaces at the same time. 
It’s dusty and inconvenient but it’s yours.

One familiar reminder when purchasing real estate is to follow the artists. 
Artists are known for finding the cheapest live-work spaces so they have less 
need for money and have time and physical space to make things. Artists are 
also willing to do much of the work themselves to make places livable — they 
learn the skills to help each other. Like barn-raising. They are also creative 
about doing without. And they value different things. Taking Johnny to the 
museum on Saturday or the sing-along on Sunday is much more important than the 
right school or the right clothes during the week.

Artists find places that are largely abandoned and no one else wants, but often 
have a charm that new construction will never have. And because artists value 
coffee houses and craft shops, the area becomes a social hub of people who have 
no money to spend. Any empty storefront can become a coffee house, a food coop, 
or a crafts workshop. Plans by the town council to tear everything down just 
disappear.

To test whether this was still true or a thing of the past, I just googled 
"follow the artists in real estate”. Top articles:

Prospecting for Real Estate Gold? Follow the Artists
Follow the Artists to Find the Cool...and the Property Values
Real estate investors should follow artists
How Artists Influence Real Estate Prices - NuWireInvestor

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