Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Pre-Sold Units as Condition of Membership

[John Beutler (jabeutler]

Don't sell your house until you have land locked up & zoned to suit your 
development.  If you need cash, take a home equity loan against the house 
or something else.

You really can't get people to commit without a piece of land, as you say, 
what are they committing to ?  I know land is expensive and hard to find in 
Chester County - I grew up in Kennett Square.....Cecil Co. will be cheaper, 
but it's a long ways to employment.

You will need to put down money to get a land contract.  There will be risk 
involved - that's why developers can make big money - because they can risk 
losing a bunch as well.  Don't bet more than you can afford to lose, 
though.  One way or another your group will collectively have to pony up 
some serious money to move forward.  It doesn't all have to be equal 
shares, though vast imbalances in investment can be a problem.  At LV the 
initial minimum was $6K, but that was just for lot purchase, and it was 10 
years ago.  Some folks put in much more.

With the down housing market there may be opportunities to work with folks 
who otherwise wouldn't give you the time of day.  All of the big 
mega-developers and mini-mansion builders are retrenching big 
time.  Perhaps look at being one section of a larger development if you can 
stand the proximity to the other stuff....

Cheers

JAB

At 08:14 PM 7/10/2007 -0400, you wrote:
> We have been working under the assumption
> that a developer won't even talk to us unless a certain percentage of
> units are "Pre-Sold", but lately, one prospective member suggested
> that perhaps simply a larger non-refundable contribution from members
> would be sufficient to convince a developer that we are serious.
>
> We are still searching for land, generally in Chester County, PA, but
> haven't ruled out Cecil County MD, or New Castle County, DE. While
> some of us would like a more rural setting, others would be delighted
> with something more urban. Obviously, when land is selected, we will
> lose some members and gain others, simply because we are still
> considering so many options.
>
> Given the state of flux, there is hesitation among a group of 3
> families (I'm one of them) to sign as Equity Members and commit to
> purchase a house when we don't know where the house will be, when it
> would be built or even if we can afford a house that would meet our
> families' needs. We also know that life throws curve balls, and you
> never know when there will be one of those life events that changes
> all the big decisions you thought you had the answers to.
>
> So, how do we make sure that members are committed, yet not trapped
> into something financially ruinous? What does "Pre-Sold" really mean
> in a case like this, where we don't have land, architectural plans,
> or one of those cute scale models with all the lots outlined in
> yellow? Can a Membership Agreement have contingencies, like that the
> current primary residence is sold? Would non-refundable cash work as
> well to convince a developer that we are sincere? Should agreements
> to purchase a home come later, once there is not so much flux? What
> have other groups done to balance these concerns?
>
> Thank you for your guidance.
> --Janet Pelletier
>
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John Beutler
Liberty Village, MD
jabeutler [at] comcast.net
http://www.libertyvillage.com/