Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Home for sale in Swan's Market Cohousing, Oakland CA

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Mar 8, 2023, at 11:08 PM, Kathryn McCamant <kmccamant [at] 
> cohousing-solutions.com> wrote:
> 
> I know that housing prices are often a shock for those who have not been in 
> the market recently, and particularly in our more expensive cities. I also am 
> frustrated by the cost of housing, and particularly new housing of all sorts 
> including cohousing, and the ever growing gap between what people can afford 
> and what it cost in the current American system. I encourage all of you to 
> call your Congresspeople and demand we make housing a basic right, and then 
> fund that right with our taxes.

There was an earlier message about lobbying congress and educating architects, 
etc., about cohousing and the need for housing at prices people can afford. I 
was going to respond and have lost the message so I will respond here.

One thing to explore is ownership policies in different countries. I talked 
with a woman who was developing cohousing in Israel and how they were “given” 
land. I’m not sure I have this right but the government decides who can build 
where — like homesteading. The government agency in charge of apportioning land 
wanted to encourage cohousing. It is very close to the kibbutz model. So they 
applied and it was “given” to them. I think it is probably like a lifetime 
grant. They can’t sell it but now one else can either. 

That takes land out of the equation of things that can be used as investments 
designed to raise prices. Housing is being purchased by investment companies 
that then have a hold on the market and can inflate prices. Rather than 
competing with homeowners, homeowners are competing with huge investment 
groups. 

Rentals in France are also different — people rent for whole lifetimes. They 
don’t move around.

There is a youtube video about huge fancy buildings in Manhattan that are 
built, and the apartments purchased for millions of dollars and they are 
totally empty. And will remain empty. They are purchased for various investment 
reasons. No one lives in them. It’s an incredible video. A reporter obtained a 
visit pretending to be a purchaser. The person interviewing her was dumbfounded 
by her questions because she was asking questions about living there — taking 
kids to school, etc. The real estate person couldn’t answer the questions 
because no one had ever lived in the building.

I don’t know if anyone has confirmed the number but rent control is blamed for 
thousands of apartments being left empty in Manhattan and other cities with 
rent control because it is not worth messing with people renting them. They 
just sit there until everyone moves out and the building is torn down or 
renovated as condos.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org