Cohousing-L Mailing List: making cohousing affordable RE: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 252, Issue 21

[tmalbright (tmalbright]

Re: Affordable coho.

I have explored this in great length over the years.  The solution requires
a fundamental change in how the housing industry works.  In short, its
ultimately a political issue that requires change in regulations.

The key issues are:
1). Municipality requitements and limitations which add cost to
construction.  Some locations are worse than others.
2). The mortgage industry in entrenched in how it does business.  It's a
well-oiled machine that generates and issues mortgages in great volume.
However - with few exceptions - mortgages are only available for "tired and
true" product types - such things as wood framed 3BR / 2Bth single family
detached homes are easily understood in the underwriting process and can be
issued a mortgage easily.  Alternative (i.e. "not proven") technology and
construction techniques are not easily understood by an industry that now
makes plenty of money and has no incentive to change - so getting a mortgage
on a "earth house" for example is difficult.
3). Home Insurance industry - same challenges as the Mortgage industry.

For these reasons it has been more difficult to develop coho - this results
in mostly - "only people with money" having access to coho.

Changing municipality regulations and the home mortgage and home insurance
industry is too big a challenge for any one person to take on.

In my experience - the only way to have lower cost housing of any type is to
move to a location that cost less to live.  Not everyone wants to live in
Oklahoma. 

Ty


-----Original Message-----
From: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l-bounces+tmalbright=verizon.net [at] 
cohousing.org>
On Behalf Of cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 5:16 AM
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 252, Issue 21


Today's Topics:

   1. Re: making cohousing affordable (Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 252,
      Issue 19) (b farris)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2025 22:53:55 -0500
From: b farris <btgf [at] yahoo.com>
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ making cohousing affordable (Cohousing-L Digest,
        Vol 252, Issue 19)
Message-ID: <DD234DFB-96D4-4583-B7ED-D4FE6589DAD5 [at] yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

You are not out of touch. Creating housing that is affordable doesn?t seem
to be a priority in cohousing. I was actually thinking it would be a good
idea to create a new one with affordability as an important part of the
plan.
Izzy

> On Jan 26, 2025, at 2:39?PM, Kate C via Cohousing-L
<cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> 
> ?I get excited every time I hear about a home for sale in a cohousing
community?until I look at the price. I am not indigent, and certainly
wouldn?t qualify for affordable housing relief, but these homes seem to me
to be out of reach for all but the wealthy. I?ve owned my home for 15
years?am I just out of touch with the housing market?
> 
> ???? Kate C
> (she/her/hers)
> ** Vote. For a safer tomorrow **
> 
> Private correspondence
> Do not copy or forward without permission
> 
>> On Jan 26, 2025, at 9:28?AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:
>> 
>> [C-L]_ making cohousing affordable
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://L.cohousing.org/info
> 
> 
> 



------------------------------

Subject: Digest Footer

_________________________________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
http://L.cohousing.org/info


------------------------------

End of Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 252, Issue 21
********************************************