Cohousing-L Mailing List: Coho and Renting/renting rooms

[Judy (BAXTER%EPIHUB]

On MAR 06, 1995,  Rob Sandelin Wrote:
<Subject: RE: Coho & Renting

Why buy a house Zac?  Why not live in community and rent?  It is 
possible in many places, including cohousing. And the rents are 
cheaper, community dinner is great, and there are lots of interesting 
people to teach how to play volleyball. I was interested to find out 
that out of 8 units being considered in Sharingwoods second phase, 
there are 5 rental spaces.  . . .. . . . .>

I've been meaning to post something on the issue of renting out parts of
cohousing homes for a while, but have been to busy.

So, Briefly
I'm looking for input from all of you in trying to guess at future interest in
renting a room or rooms in my coop apartment home in Monterey Cohousing.  Also
the person who plans to buy the largest space, next door to mine, is planning
to rent a bathroom+1 VERY large bedroom suite.

For me, I live in a wonderful space at Mococo, about 1200 sq feet, including
some slant walls and dormers and a passageway that must stay clear.   - on the
3rd floor, elevator to my living room (shared with my neighbors in the other
space on the 3rd floor).  I love the space, but it is much larger than I need,
and more expensive than I can afford.  It has become clear that my partner,
Rick, who has a business and lives most of the time 45 miles away, will not,
for the foreseeable future, be really living there much of the time, as we had
hoped. And there will be no smaller spaces available in the near future, as far
as we know.

I'm thinking of renting a relatively small room and its own bathroom -
eventually, with private access to the bathroom, but now, through my living
room.  

We have had a fair number of people come through who were interested in
renting, but nothing has been available before.  Mine isn't yet - haven't had
time to unpack and sort and toss lots of stuff that got moved in there. Too
busy with development.

I'm wondering how much interest there might be in such a space, with, of
course, use of all the common space and participation in the community.  Am not
sure of price range, either,  maybe $200/month?  

Any experience other places to share?


Judy Baxter, Monterey Cohousing Community, (MoCoCo)
Twin Cities Area, Minneapolis/St.Paul Minnesota
e-mail: baxter [at] epivax.epi.umn.edu