Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 94, Issue 39 Unit selection process

[G/P Looney-Burman (burloon]

When we were in the early design phase, about 2 years before construction
began, we had 12 households committed to the project (by contributing a
$1000 deposit); this was out of the 28 units that would be available.  At
that point, each household decided if they wanted a 2, 3, or 4 BR home, but
the specific unit location was not determined.  Based on that mix of unit
sizes, and from experience with previous cohousing developments by the
architect, the final mix of unit sizes for all 28 was determined, so that
the overall site plan could be drawn up.

After the final schematic plans were approved, several months before
construction was planned to start, the actual unit selection process took
place:  Seniority was established by the date that each household paid their
deposit, and then the households met separately by unit size (i.e. all the 2
BR households together, etc.).  At these meetings, based on seniority,
households picked the specific unit they wanted.  Out of the 12 households,
I think there was only one case where two households who had the same
seniority date wanted the same unit.  These two households met separately
and resolved their selection, amicably.  After that, each household made a
non-refundable deposit of at least 5% of the anticipated sales price of
their unit.  Households joining after the initial selection could choose
from the remaining units, first-come-first-served, and also made the
non-refundable deposit.

Once the units were selected, and some months after construction began,
households were allowed to select options, from a prescribed list, for
things like flooring types and colors, counter surfaces, washer/dryer
connections, etc.

The unit selection process worked well, but in retrospect I think the option
choices should have been more restrictive as some of these have led to
maintenance issues.

George Burman
La Querencia, Fresno, CA