Buying a Community
“you don’t just buy a home, you buy a community”
First, we hope you will visit us soon!
At Elderberry we say “you don’t just buy a home, you buy a community”. For this reason, the Membership Committee encourages interested couples and individuals to consider your commitment to community living as well as the financial and time responsibilities and your health needs.
We have provided two sets of questions. They are for your use only — as tools to assess how well you might fit into cohousing at Elderberry. The first questionnaire is about your alignment with Elderberry’s mission and values. The second questionnaire mostly concerns chronic health conditions that could affect your long-term happiness at Elderberry or at other cohousing communities.
To live at Elderberry you must first be a member. We invite you to read our Membership Process. There are seven steps, including visiting the community and becoming an Associate Member. The annual, non-refundable Associate Membership fee is $300. We also require attending business meetings, workdays and social events, so that you can meet with the Membership Committee, get to know current residents, and experience life at Elderberry.
This process gives you a chance to be sure you can agree to follow our consensus process and our policies and covenants. The membership process takes time, so we encourage you to begin as soon as possible, especially if you are interested in purchasing a home or being on the waiting list for future homes.
Please come and visit us soon!
At Elderberry we say “you don’t just buy a home, you buy a community”. For this reason, the Membership Committee encourages interested couples and individuals to consider your commitment to community living as well as the financial and time responsibilities and your health needs.
We have provided two sets of questions. They are for your use only — as tools to assess how well you might fit into cohousing at Elderberry. The first questionnaire is about your alignment with Elderberry’s mission and values. The second questionnaire mostly concerns chronic health conditions that could affect your long-term happiness at Elderberry or at other cohousing communities.
To live at Elderberry you must first be a member. We invite you to read our Membership Process. There are seven steps, including visiting the community and becoming an Associate Member. The annual, non-refundable Associate Membership fee is $300. We also require attending business meetings, workdays and social events, so that you can meet with the Membership Committee, get to know current residents, and experience life at Elderberry.
This process gives you a chance to be sure you can agree to follow our consensus process and our policies and covenants. The membership process takes time, so we encourage you to begin as soon as possible, especially if you are interested in purchasing a home or being on the waiting list for future homes.
Please come and visit us soon!
Financial Responsibilities
The cost of buying a home depends on the square footage and features of the home. Elderberry’s homes have been built to meet specific standards of energy efficiency, accessibility and ease of maintenance. The size of the houses, which are in duplexes and quadraplexes, is 700 to 1,200 square feet, plus one smaller “tiny house”.
Elderberry is committed to a self-sustaining property owners association, maintaining sufficient capital to ensure the financial viability of the community while keeping costs as low as possible for residents.
While much of the management and maintenance of Elderberry will be provided by residents, Elderberry members also determine assessments (usually in the form of monthly homeowner’s fees) to cover the cost of services that cannot be provided internally, or for which the community chooses to hire assistance.
These monthly assessments are used to cover expenses such as the following:
+ Maintenance and repairs of the interior and exterior of the Common House and most exterior maintenance of individual homes
+ Maintenance of roads, pedway, paths, and parking area that serve the community
+ Well water quality testing and maintenance of the septic system
+ Landscaping and upkeep of common property
+ Community administrative services as needed, such as attorney fees, tax preparation and yearly audit
+ Insurance on Common House and liability insurance for the Elderberry community
+ A reserve fund, as required by the homeowners’ association to ensure the financial viability of the community
Homeowners are responsible for their own telephone, Internet, TV; homeowners’ insurance; property taxes; interior home maintenance and repair; electricity. Electric power is centralized for the entire community, and each homeowner pays a percentage of the entire bill based on the cubic feet of the individual home. (This arrangement allows us to keep electric costs lower by eliminating a monthly meter fee on each home.) The cost of garbage collection and recycling is added to the electric bill each quarter and is shared by homeowners.
The cost of buying a home depends on the square footage and features of the home. Elderberry’s homes have been built to meet specific standards of energy efficiency, accessibility and ease of maintenance. The size of the houses, which are in duplexes and quadraplexes, is 700 to 1,200 square feet, plus one smaller “tiny house”.
Elderberry is committed to a self-sustaining property owners association, maintaining sufficient capital to ensure the financial viability of the community while keeping costs as low as possible for residents.
While much of the management and maintenance of Elderberry will be provided by residents, Elderberry members also determine assessments (usually in the form of monthly homeowner’s fees) to cover the cost of services that cannot be provided internally, or for which the community chooses to hire assistance.
These monthly assessments are used to cover expenses such as the following:
+ Maintenance and repairs of the interior and exterior of the Common House and most exterior maintenance of individual homes
+ Maintenance of roads, pedway, paths, and parking area that serve the community
+ Well water quality testing and maintenance of the septic system
+ Landscaping and upkeep of common property
+ Community administrative services as needed, such as attorney fees, tax preparation and yearly audit
+ Insurance on Common House and liability insurance for the Elderberry community
+ A reserve fund, as required by the homeowners’ association to ensure the financial viability of the community
Homeowners are responsible for their own telephone, Internet, TV; homeowners’ insurance; property taxes; interior home maintenance and repair; electricity. Electric power is centralized for the entire community, and each homeowner pays a percentage of the entire bill based on the cubic feet of the individual home. (This arrangement allows us to keep electric costs lower by eliminating a monthly meter fee on each home.) The cost of garbage collection and recycling is added to the electric bill each quarter and is shared by homeowners.
Time Responsibilities
In accordance with our values, attendance at Elderberry’s monthly business meetings, get-togethers and work days is an important responsibility for members. In addition, Elderberry’s affordability is enhanced each time a member contributes work that might otherwise have to be hired out.
In accordance with our values, attendance at Elderberry’s monthly business meetings, get-togethers and work days is an important responsibility for members. In addition, Elderberry’s affordability is enhanced each time a member contributes work that might otherwise have to be hired out.
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