Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Membership control in resales

[kchiancone (kchiancone]

          To: Tony Hancock
          Re: Berkeley Co-housing Community
          
          Can you send me any information on your group in Berkeley.  
          I currently live in Pittsburgh, commute to Oakland and 
          probably the City beginning next year, and my household 
          consists of my 15 yr old daughter and myself.  We would be 
          interested in any co-housing opportunities in the Berkeley 
          area.
          
          Please send e-mail address and I will e-mail personal info 
          and interests.
          
          Thank you and Happy Solstice/Christmas/Chanukkah.
          Ken Chiancone
          kchiancone [at] nextel.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Membership control in resales
Author:  cohousing-l [at] uci.com at INTERNET
Date:    12/22/95 12:37 PM


Hello!  I'm new to this list, and writing on behalf of the Berkeley 
Cohousing Community on Sacramento St., in Berkeley, CA.  We currently have 
10 households living on site, and are in the process of developing 4 
additional units. 
          
We are now deciding on the final form of ownership, condominium vs. 
cooperative.  One of our concerns with condo ownership is how, when a unit 
changes hands, we can ensure that the new owners are community-minded, and 
not just buying in for other reasons (e.g., nice location, reasonable 
price, etc.).  We have heard that lenders (including FNMA) would balk at 
bylaw wording requiring community participation, consensus decision making, 
etc.  We are also aware of the value of maintaining a network and waiting 
list of interested new member, and making sure that potential buyers know 
what cohousing is.  Given the limits of legal wording, and 
the value of proactive outreach, we'd love to hear your practical 
experience in how units have resold in your community.  (And we realize 
that, cohousing being as new as it is in the US, there may not be that 
much practical experience to share.)  In particular:
          
1. How many units have transfered in your community?
          
2. How do units transfer in your community?  Do you have a group 
membership process, or is the seller of a unit responsible for finding a 
new buyer?
          
3. Is your membership transfer process an informal agreement, or is it 
written into your CC&R's and bylaws?
          
4. What has worked well about your resale process, and what would you 
change? 
          
Thanks in advance for your comments!  (And if I've missed a definitive 
discussion on this in the WWW or Gopher archives of this list, please 
point me in the right direction.)
          
*** Charlie Hancock      Institute for Global Communications *** 
***  San Francisco, CA  <chancock [at] igc.apc.org>  415-442-0220 ***