Cohousing-L Mailing List: Our experience with waitlists

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

At Sharingwood at one time we collected people who indicated that they were
seriously interested enough to be put on a waitlist. This list was kept for
about a year and had several dozen names on it. When a home came for sale,
the waitlist was used and we found the following situations, in order of
their numbers of responses:
1. Changed my mind, bought a non-community home elsewhere, not interested in
community at this time.
2. Contact information not valid.
3. Not able to buy a home at this time.

So after calling several dozen waitlisted people we found -0- potential
interest. So we stopped keeping such a list. Number 1 response was 60% or
so, people in the market for a home generally buy one somewhere rather than
waiting around.

Now we encourage seriously interested tourists to come hang out with us,
they get invited to parties and meetings. When we don't see them for awhile
we stop inviting them, although they are always welcome to come around. Many
of our renters for example came this way, they got involved then were around
when an opening happened.


Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments  <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous [at] msn.com