Cohousing-L Mailing List: Part 2 of sfgate series looks @ retrofit coho (fwd)

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Raines Cohen <raines-coho-L [at] raines.com>
is the author of the message below but due to a problem 
it was posted by Fred the Cohousing-L list manager:  fholson [at] cohousing.org
--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------

Carol Lloyd's sfgate.com column continues at:

http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/lloyd/

Community-Minded Nesting 
Cohousing angels work to make potluck dreams come true

The emphasis is on retrofit (aka "organic") cohousing:

>So when I heard about Karen Hester, a self-styled cohousing consultant, 
>and her cohort, real estate agent Dianne Ohlsson, I leapt at the 
>opportunity to meet them. Unlike the newly constructed projects, the 
>cohousing that Hester and Ohlsson help people find is called "retrofit 
>cohousing." You have a few friends who want to find an old building or 
>group of homes and move in together? Hester and Ohlsson will help you form 
>and grow your group, find the site and obtain a loan for your purchase. 

Overall it's a heck of a lot more positive (I was impressed to read that 
26 people are now living in Temescal Creek Coho!), with emphasis on the 
benefits:

>"I think it's good because we're learning what we need before we spend a 
>lot of money on a common house," said Hester. "We now know what our 
>challenges are." 

While the drawbacks are omitted or laid out perhaps more subtly:

>Hester and Ohlsson are still working out the kinks. "We haven't been 
>successful in completing a sale," says Hester

(and no comparison of the differences, like not having the benefits of 
common facilities, not being able to use conventional single-homeowner 
financing assistance programs until the condo conversion takes place, 
which could be years after move-in, or comparative success rates)

>For a moment it feels like I'm witnessing a classic real estate trope: the 
>developer/agent cabal doing a deal, strategizing about ousting tenants and 
>speculating about a lucrative condo development. 
>
>Then the image disappears. 

Now that the series has run, and once you've read it through, don't 
hesitate to send your comments on this and the first piece (linked from 
the first sentence of this week's story) in to the author:

Carol Lloyd <surreal [at] sfgate.com>

and cc me if you think the Network should weigh in as well.

Raines

Raines Cohen <coho-L [at] raines.com> <http://www.swansway.com/>
Happy to see cherries and raspberries back at the Farmer's Market.

  Vice President, Swan's Market Cohousing [Old Oakland, CA]
Where we just installed a donated bicycle tree in the workshop.

  Member, East Bay Cohousing [no site yet] <http://www.ebcoho.org/>
Hosting a potluck meeting this Sunday: May 20.

  Boardmember, The Cohousing Network <http://www.cohousing.org/>
Noticing that space is running out for the bus tour tied to the
North American Cohousing Conference, July 20-22, Berkeley, CA.


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