Cohousing-L Mailing List: Home prices for cohousing - modest and standardized

[Chris ScottHanson (chris]

JP Cohousing was built, 5 years from start to finish, coming in  
somewhere between 5% and 20% LESS THAN the local market rates for the  
same sized units in similar projects (without common facilities).   
The first and second re-sales will demonstrate this "windfall profit"  
in my opinion.  Certain units in particular will experience this.

On average, I would say that most communities CHOOSE to spend more  
than they need to because they customize too much for the individual  
homeowner - they do not standardize kitchens and baths as they could  
(including cabinet packages, etc),  and they choose more expense  
(higher quality) construction than is absolutely necessary.  If  
affordability is your goal, be modest, go modest, live with modest.   
And as I have said for years, STANDARDIZE.  No reason not to do ONE  
standard kitchen with one standard cabinet package for all 30 (or 60,  
or 120) units.  Design for private, post-occupancy kitchen expansion  
and makeovers.

By the way, you can go green without spending a lot of extra money.   
One way to go green is to standardize with green materials and specs.

Chris ScottHanson

(617) 894-7661 Boston
(206) 842-9160 Bainbridge


On Nov 17, 2005, at 2:14 PM, Becky Weaver wrote:

> Thanks everybody for your input. To re-phrase my question, in case  
> it got lost in the shuffle - there a price "premium" on new  
> cohousing homes, due to cohousing development costs, over other new  
> homes in the area.
>
> Thinking back to when your community sold its brand-new homes for  
> the first time around, what was that premium? I saw 21 - 27% for  
> one community, which had 22 homes. Would you say that 25% is more  
> realistic than 10%, for the purposes of setting expectations in a  
> new development?
>
> I am especially interested in feedback from communities in the 34 -  
> 38 unit range.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Becky Weaver
> Central Austin Cohousing
>
>
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