Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: making cohousing affordable (Re: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 252, Issue 20)

[Michael J. Moore (moore.michaelj3]

At Elderberry Cohousing in Rougemont NC ( north of Durham ) we have taken a
multi-faceted approach to this issue . We are a senior community of 18
homes , located in a rural  county about 25-30 minutes from the nearest
hospital and major grocery stores . The Triangle area of Raleigh /Durham /
Chapel Hill has seen tremendous growth , but we have so far avoided most of
that .  Still , the cost of homes are going up  . We try to keep those
costs manageable in a number of ways . Property taxes are lower here , and
our homes range from 325 square feet to 1200 square feet .  In addition ,
sales of homes are handled internally , eliminating the need for realtors
and associated fees .  Home prices are capped ; no homes are sold higher
than the appraised value .

Other steps we have taken include the addition of solar panels to help
reduce utility bills .  Our green certified homes are all electric , and to
save on meter costs , all 18 homes plus the Common House are grouped on 4
meters .  This saves quite a bit on meter costs . Electric bills are based
on square footage of our homes .  I just happen to be the tiny house guy ,
with the smallest home at 325 square feet , and my electric bills last year
averaged $24 a month , ( this does not include phone / internet ) .  Our
monthly assessments  are the lowest of 12 communities in the region because
, as active seniors , we do a lot of the work maintaining our community
ourselves .

Does all this solve the affordability issue ?  No , and we are well
aware of that .  We are always exploring ways to improve , but this is a
tough issue .


On Mon, Jan 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM Kate C via Cohousing-L <
cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> Sharon,
> I’m sorry that it sounds like maybe TV is a challenge for youngs and olds
> to participate in your community, and of course the bedroom loft design of
> most tiny homes may be a critical impediment for some elders.
>
> Here in Austin, there is a tiny home community that helps provide stable
> shelter for people without homes. The homes are quite spare, and all
> facilities are in a shared common house. That doesn’t seem practical for a
> coho community, but personally, I don’t see why each unit would require its
> own laundry facilities, for example. (My apartment never had one.) And as
> many of you have shared stock pots, sanders, and books to keep personal
> possessions to a minimum. I wonder if anyone has an option for rentable
> personal storage rooms as well.
>
> Sharon, I am a “collector” of the first order, but for me, I wonder if the
> advantages of living in community might not be incentive enough for
> disvestiture, especially if my beloved things (eg books) were not disposed
> of, but being loved by others as well.
>
> Looking forward to more of this conversation and how communities think
> about affordability, tiny houses, and use of personal and communal space.
> Does this bear on buy-in expenses at all?
>
> I am ever so slowly trying to figure out whether cohousing would work for
> me, and these conversations are valuable and interesting. Thanks.
>
> 🏳️‍🌈 Kate C
> (she/her/hers)
> ** Vote. For a safer tomorrow **
>
> Private correspondence
> Do not copy or forward without permission
>
> > On Jan 26, 2025, at 8:16 PM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:
> >
> > Re: [C-L]_ making cohousing affordable
>
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