Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Mortgage or financing help?

[Craig Ragland (craigragland]

Greetings,

I got some useful feedback on broadcasting this information and I
regret starting this thread.

It is far too easy to interpret my email as a specific recommendation
of a specific person - it was not.

Given my role with Coho/US, it is inappropriate for me to point at any
specific person and their experience - whether they are volunteering
or offering professional services.

In retrospect, I wish I would not have sent this to Coho-L.

The right thing for me to do would have been to share info on Coho-L -
and urge direct communication, without my implied endorsement.  I've
done this many other times. Doing this gives them the same level of
visibility and subject's their words and ideas to the same level of
scrutiny as everybody else.

I apologize for starting this thread - my intentions were good, but I
did not adequately think the implications of this through.

Sheepishly,

Craig Ragland
Executive Director
Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US)
425-487-3550
http://www.cohousing.org
craig [at] cohousing.org

Please consider attending the National Cohousing Conference. Click here:
http://www.cohousing.org/conference


2009/3/2 Craig Ragland <craigragland [at] gmail.com>:
>
> Hi Coho-L,
>
> I just got off the phone with Poulina, an enthusiastic Cohousing
> newbie, who would like to put some volunteer energy to help Cohousing
> grow.
>
> She and I have been trading emails and phone calls trying to figure
> out the best way for her to share her talents. We first started
> exploring a cohousing valuation project for Coho/US (wouldn't it be
> nice if we had evidence that Cohousing is more economically valuable
> than conventional condos?). As we got started, it became clear that
> she has the most to offer if her volunteer work was more local.
>
> Like many of you other folks without direct cohousing experience, she
> has poured over the Cohousing Website to educate herself.
>
> Also, like many of you, there are not many opportunities to get
> involved in her immediate area.
>
> As we discussed the possibilities, we realized that the best way she
> might help is by working with a Forming or Building Group somewhere in
> the NE that could use some FREE help from a mortgage professional...
> someone with 15 years of experience.
>
> As I think back about Songaia's history, we experienced some big
> surprises in the 11th hour, when it was time to change from Songaia
> LLC, the legal structure that owned the development project, to
> private home ownership, with our various mortgages. We would have
> benefited greatly if an objective, third party - that wasn't trying to
> get our business - had provided some advice. Since we were pretty
> cheap about spending, we never would have paid for this advice.
>
> Anyway, if this is of interest, please contact Poulina at lovepnl [at] 
> gmail.com.
>
> DISCLAIMER: I have no direct experience working with Poulina - and
> putting this out to Coho-L is not a specific recommendation of her.
>
> Craig Ragland
> Executive Director
> Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US)
> 425-487-3550
> http://www.cohousing.org
> craig [at] cohousing.org
>
> Please consider attending the National Cohousing Conference. Click here:
> http://www.cohousing.org/conference
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>
>
>