Cohousing-L Mailing List: Willow House: Mariposa Grove cohousing neighbor SHORT SALE info session tomorrow (Oakland, CA)

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

Cohousers, please feel free to share this rare, urgent, short-sale
associate-member opening at our nearest neighboring cohousing
neighborhood, Mariposa Grove, a mile down the road in North Oakland,
on 60th between Market and MLK. We really want to help them get
somebody interested in community there, able to work well with this
crunchy permaculturish DIY permanently-affordable cohousing group to
preserve the existing relationships. -- Raines

Announcing a new Meetup for East Bay Cohousing (EBCOHO): http://www.ebcoho.org/

What: Willow House: Mariposa Grove cohousing neighbor SHORT SALE info
session (Oakland, CA)

When: Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 7 - 8 PM

Where:
Willow House, 60th St. behind Mariposa Grove cohousing, North Oakland
(RSVP for exact location)

We've just learned that a Mariposa Grove cohousing neighbor's home in
North Oakland is being sold in a "short sale" by the bank at an
incredible price, under $100 a square foot (less than half of the last
sale price), with offers due this week; it is available for daytime
visits by appointment, and we've arranged for a chance for EBCOHO
members to see it and meet some community members this Wednesday
evening- see the RSVP link at the very bottom of this message.

Willow House has been owned by an Associate Member of Mariposa Grove
for several years... it was bought most recently by somebody for that
very purpose. It has been linked physically (the properties back up
against one another) and socially in many ways, with a great deal of
mutual work going into the agreement, and the community hopes to
maintain the connection. However, any future relationship is subject
to negotiation with the community, and is not guaranteed.

The property is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 3000 square foot home, zoned as a
Duplex, with an apartment downstairs with potential rental income. The
seller is asking $269,000.

Betsy and I know Bob, the owner, as well as many Mariposa Grove member
neighbors and the community's founder. We are as eager as he is to get
someone in there who is interested in the community connection - it
would be a great loss to both parties to give up the amazing sharing
opportunities. However, because he is facilitating a "short sale," he
has limited flexibility - the bank may only accept the highest offer,
and it could take months before it is known if they'll accept any
offer at all.

The Mariposa Grove cohousing neighborhood is a small, retrofit,
permanently affordable limited-equity intentional community, similar
in some ways to Berkeley Cohousing and Temescal Creek Cohousing, but a
little bit earthier, garden-centered, using existing structures that
needed a lot of hard work, smaller, arts and justice oriented.

Willow House is available for viewing from 10 AM to 5 PM this week by
appointment; offers are due by Friday. Use the Willow House link at
the top for contact info. The seller is represented by a Real Estate
agent and will share commission with a buyer's agent if you have one.
You may also want to work with someone like Sharing Solution
co-author, attorney Janelle Orsi, to work out arrangements within the
house and with the neighboring community.

An EBCOHO MeetUp will take place there this Wednesday evening from 7-8
PM (right after the State of the Union speech concludes) -- serious
pre-approved ready-to-move buyers only, RSVP please, we don't have the
time or the space to support folks just coming for a peek (we'll work
on scheduling some future events there so others will have a chance to
visit). This is a multi-story private home, with many steps involved
in visiting the community's Common House, so we don't recommend it for
anyone with significant mobility limitations.

We don't have a personal stake in it and we are not licensed real
estate agents, but we are available to provide Cohousing Coaching to
anyone seriously considering making an offer, sharing info about the
community, and some of the potential and challenges of getting
connected this way. Please contact us to learn more.

Betsy and Raines
Cohousing Coaches & East Bay Cohousing Community Organizers

P.S. There's also two talks this Thursday evening on sustainability
and Aging In Community in West Berkeley, a 611 EcoVillage gathering
and a North Oakland get-together on Saturday, a talk about community
in Berkeley next Tuesday evening, and more getting added to our
calendar all the time.

RSVP here (free EBCOHO membership required):
http://www.ebcoho.org/calendar/12426353/