Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Waiting Lists

[Cher Stuewe-Portnoff (cherworks01]

>From a potential buyer's point of view, although we are doing our best to get 
>to each of the few communities we think are a good match and fulfill their 
>requirements (for our sakes as well as theirs), if you're traveling from 
>several states away, as we are, there might need to be some accommodation to 
>keep people from having to make multiple trips over a long period of time. 
>Theoretically, there's nothing wrong with taking months to be sure there's a 
>good match, but practically speaking -- assuming the buyers clearly understand 
>and want to be in cohousing -- keep in mind that it isn't always logistically 
>possible. An intensive week "on campus" would work better.
 
Cher & Greg 


----- Original Message ----
From: vicky wason <vlwason [at] hotmail.com>
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2006 8:26:13 AM
Subject: [C-L]_ Waiting Lists


Hello,

I posted a few weeks ago about how people handle their "waiting lists."  I'm 
posting again because I only had a couple replies (Thanks Ron and Suzzane!)  
And both of them have similar processes that we have here at Wasatch 
Commons.   I'm on our "welcoming
committee" and want to get some input from other groups on how you handle
orientation for new people BEFORE they move in and waiting lists.  I had 
heard that other groups have a much more extensive process.  Does anyone 
require people to actually stay in the Common House for a weekend or pay a 
fee to get on the waiting list?  Or how about requiring people to work on a 
work team one weekend?

Here is the system we have right now.  It is pretty loose.

Right now I keep "the book" with names of anyone that calls or comes for a
tour.  When a house becomes available the owner contacts me to look at the
book and then they call people that might be interested.  The people
interested are told by me and/or the owner that we require them to attend 3
events before moving in:

ACM
Meal
Committee Meeting

This isn't documented or strictly enforced and hasn't been a huge problem
from my prospective, but we might want to make some changes.  So I'm looking
to see what other communities are doing.

  The purpose of having people do these 3 things is for them to get to know
us before moving in.  We don't really have a "waiting list" but more of a
book of everyone that has ever expressed interest.  We have recently had
more interest in co-housing in Salt Lake and more people calling and coming
by.  We are thinking that it might help sellers if these "requirements" are
taken care of BEFORE they are contacted so that negotiations can begin right
away, and there is no questions from the community about whether the new
owner has gotten the information needed before joining.

So if you are interested in this topic, please post
1) how do you handle a waiting list
2) What requirements or suggestions do your have of people before they move
in
3)  And what works for your group

Thanks

Vicky Wason
Wasatch Commons
Salt Lake City UT


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