Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Forms of ownership

[Joani Blank (jeblank]

>>it seems that with condos, the community gives up any control over who 
comes in the future.  >>

>That isn't necessarily true.  You can write some control into the Master
deed 
for the community.  For example, you can require the seller to offer the unit 
to anyone in the community first or to someone on your waiting list (right of 
first refusal). 

There's something else you can do as well.  When a new person buys a unit
at Doyle St. CoHousing, they are asked to sign a participation agreement.
(Technically it is voluntary, but so far everyone has been more than
willing to sign it.) One clause in this agreement is that we will not rent
or sell our condos to anyone who does not agrees to "participate" in the
community.  Participation is clearly defined to include taking an active
role in the Condo Association (governance and management--everyone's in
it), preparation of common meals, and sharing responsibility for the
maintenance and improvement of the property. The participation agreement
also requires that we fully orient prospective buyers and tenants to
community life before selling or leasing to them.

The bottom line is that self-selection works in resales just as well as it
does in the early days when you are first marketing your project. And to
tie this in with another thread now running.......Cohousing probably needs
both a core group of burning souls (really lucky we don't start out with 25
households all at once!), AND people joining in during the months and years
of planning to help with the growing amount of work and to add fresh
perspectives. It also is fun to have new people join in when a household
has to leave. More often than not, new people (if they have been well
oriented both before they move in and during their first few weeks or
months of belonging) bring fresh energy and ideas to the community. 

Re: coop form of ownership.  In addition to the other difficulties inherent
in coop ownership, is the fact that it is (still) very difficult to get
construction financing for a coop.

Joani Blank

Old Oakland Cohousing at Swan's Market (Today is my last day at Doyle
Street. I'm sad to be leaving here, and excited about the new place, even
though we don't yet have gas, heat, hot water, telephone jacks, keys to the
common house or mailboxes that the postal service recognizes there)