#housing co-op

[ititledit]

This headline does not do the story justice

"Aware that his house in Machynlleth could become a "palatial" second home for the highest bidder, he opted instead to sell it to his lodgers.

"Quite a few people said I was crazy," grinned Mr Corden.

The 62-year-old retired psychiatric nurse, who now lives in Spain, said: "I don't think it's always great to go for the biggest penny, there are other things in life than just making as much money as you can."

...

"When he decided to sell and move abroad, he wanted the creative and progressive spirit of the house to continue, even if it meant he would be worse off.

"I had a bunch of really nice lodgers who were established there. They were very keen on the idea of it becoming a housing co-operative.

"So I thought - let's try it and see how far it gets."

Offering Bryn Tyrnol at a knockdown price allowed his former lodgers to form a housing co-operative to buy it.

It means they share ownership and management of a house they could not afford as individuals."

As someone who has bought a house with three other people for this reason, Im going to keep promoting the idea of housing cooperatives.

You don't have to buy a home with a partner. There are lenders and organisations who will support you in building an alternative way of living.

We ended up borrowing from a traditional building society, so I cant first hand vouch for the above, but people are making it work! You can do it too!

[feckcops]

I Live in a Housing Co-op. But No One Really Escapes London’s Accommodation Crisis Anymore

“Hearing why people have applied can now be gruelling work. There was always need – the housing crisis isn’t new, of course – but five years ago the emphasis was often on community, with many people just wanting to live in a friendlier, more communal way in an otherwise isolating city. Now, it seems like among every four interviewees sent to each panel, one will be sleeping on sofas, one trapped with an acrimonious ex-partner, one in an expiring sublet and one in a damp and mouldy home they can’t afford to heat …

“Our housing co-op was built as short-term accommodation with students – assumed to be young, single, ‘mobile’ people – in mind, according to early documents. People weren’t meant to stay a long time because of the relatively poor standard of accommodation. Our houses are more overcrowded than the legal requirement for private-rented homes, with eight people to one kitchen and one shower. We’re near an incinerator and back on to a railway line. The soil in our garden – once used as a dump by the council – is too toxic to grow vegetables in.

“It’s also a really great place to live. There is a community (that happily includes older people); there are often parties; being involved raises interesting questions about how we should live; most of my housemates are a joy, who got me through lockdown and bolster my life; and – importantly – we are free of a landlord. But for many people, it’s not a place to stay forever or to grow old. There are a lot of needs we can accommodate, but we can’t be anything other than what we are: 14 crowded, shared houses, squashed together, where you can’t have a baby or a dog. It can be tiring to live with so many people. And it’s draining to live with those who feel trapped, resentful and unhappy. But for many, there’s no choice to leave. When I moved in in 2017, renting something equivalent would have cost around twice what we pay – now it’s probably three times as much, and a struggle to find. A studio flat, meanwhile, is absolutely out of reach for almost everyone.”

[creekfiend]

Kuzu: I get the impression that the vampire interview is about if everybody from your local queer scene was immortal and you couldn’t get away from them. This is an effective vampire premise because unlike most, it fills me with genuine horror

Pip: yeah vampire interview is like "what if there were genuinely so few of you that if you wanted to be around anyone who you could even slightly relate to you would have to be in a bullshit theater cult in France." absolutely chilling to imagine, thanks

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Another one of the dream apts. I can't afford in NYC. This is a 4bd, 3ba condo in a 1929 building. $4.35M + a ridiculous $10,307mo. HOA fee. (WHAT can you possibly get for $10,307mo.?)

Elegant lobby has a beautiful fireplace and guests arrive to your unit via an elevator on a private mirrored landing. This is Unit 8B, so I'm guessing it's on the 8th fl.

The entrance foyer has a beautiful inlaid floor and a closet.

The living room is spacious and very light. Lovely original fireplace.

Folding doors open to a beautiful dining room with gorgeous wallpaper and 2 large niches. A large window between the niches provide a view of the city.

The eat-in kitchen is fairly large for a NYC apt. It has high-end appliances and a good amount of storage, plus a big window by the sink.

Assuming that this is the primary bedroom. Not very big, but it's okay. (Not $4.35M okay, but it could be decorated nicer.)

The closet/dressing room is nicer than the bedroom.

Then this is one of the baths. It's smallish, but features Carrera marble.

This bedroom has some built-in shelving. It's cute. Would also make a nice home office or TV room if you don't need 4 bds.

This smaller room is very cozy, has some built-in storage, and looks like it has an en-suite.

It's bigger than it looks, b/c according to the floor plan, they didn't show the butler's pantry, the library or the den.

https://www.redfin.com/NY/New-York/136-E-79th-St-10075/unit-8B/home/114874245

[kanechroniclesgraphicnovel]

Shadow/Mist Traveling-A little Hades/Pluto spawn sibling cooperation from the House of Hades Graphic Novel

[tratserenoyreve]

been a bit but i am still Around, just. went through the death of my grandma and thinking about her life and the destruction of her family's culture and how frustrating and poignant it is to see in parallel with world events. my feelings towards her are complex but i do grieve that we didn't get to celebrate her birthday this year. i haven't had much i've wanted to say i'm just ambling along and am nebulously sad, hoping that things improve for friends and loved ones.

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

O LOOK - HOUSING THAT ISN'T A FOR-PROFIT EXPLOITIVE INVESTEMENT SCHEME!

[racefortheironthrone]

With housing becoming increasingly unaffordable to many Americans, do you think we might start to see bigger companies and labor unions start buying and/or building housing for their workers?

Companies, not so much, because especially post-tech layoffs, the dominant paradigm is to view labor costs as something to be avoided and passed on to consumers or the government etc. as much as possible. So even though workforce housing is a sound investment, most employers won't put in the money.

Labor unions have done this historically, but it's a heavy lift when it comes to organizational capacity, especially when the costs are distributed across ever-smaller numbers of members. It's also the case that U.S banking, housing, and labor law makes it unnecessarily difficult to build cooperative housing of this sort.

Changing the law and financial policies to something more similar to continental Europe or Scandinavia would dramatically alter how much cooperative housing is built in the U.S.

[vagabond-pinky]

do yourself a favor, House of Ashes is on sale right now on steam. it’s 50% off, it’s so worth it! buy it!

especially if you liked any of the dark pictures game, house of ashes is the best one

[hexgiirls]

the junimo catalogue is probably my favorite thing now

[historywaitsfornoone]

Did Roman apartment houses have a "Super" on site, or a doorman? Was parking included for your horse and wagon? What happened if your insula went condo? In this video you'll learn about Roman apartment houses, or insulae; who lived in an insula, and on what floors; the floor plan of a typical insula; and what a typical insula would have looked like.

[deanmarywinchester]

disappointed I might not be able to take the real estate finance class in my program <- insane sentences. what have I become

[weirdstrangeandawful]

I confirmed multiple times over that I am allowed to stay where I currently live despite nto technically being a full time student since I'm on a co-op term especially with my disability. Multiple times. I have it multiple times verbally and once in writing.

I just got notified with less than a month's notice that I will be evicted if I don't take 3 courses on top of doing a full time co-op. I am not allowed to take more than one course on co-op. AS PER THE UNIVERSITY. WHO ARE THE ONES EVICTING ME!

I hate it here. They're also exempt from all rental laws despite the fact that I'm fully renting from them. And I do mean all. They don't need to give notice or even knock before entering my home. They increase my rent by 8% every year even though rent increases are capped at 2% here. I can't vote in municipal elections. I can't own an AC (I do anyway. They can suck my dick at the human rights tribunal). They are not required to allow me to add any accessibility features. I had to stop performing music because I'm not allowed to practice an instrument (even during the day for short periods). It's a fucking disaster. I can't even change my own lightbulbs for fuck's sake.

And now they're threatening me with eviction!

[mittenfoot]

how'd I never notice that the ducks can swim

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Got a crazy one for you today. I still can't get over it. I live near this, but thanks to Curieously for bringing it to my attention. I had no idea. This is Horizon House in Fort Lee, New Jersey, built in the 1960s- there are several buildings. It was always THE most prestigious place. How I always wanted to live here. My mom, who was a decorator, had several clients there. Okay, but here's where it gets weird- this is a glam penthouse for sale. 2bds, 3.5ba, yet it's only $190K. I won't reveal why until the end. You will be shocked. Curieously and I are still talking about it.

The sunken living room is very large. Walk down marble stairs.

The view is New York City across the way. That's the Hudson River dividing NJ/NY and there's also a view of the George Washington Bridge (circled) leading into NYC. (Traffic is a bitch, though, if you're commuting to the city.)

It's very open and spacious. You can even fit a baby grand piano in here and look at the cool canopy over the dining area.

Big kitchen- love that exhaust hood.

The kitchen is so large, it's an eat-in kitchen. Look at the big table that fits.

Check out this guest powder room.

This is the family room- it's a bit dated, but it was built in the 60s, so it's mid-century modern. Got a great view, though, a fireplace, and a door to the terrace.

Huge primary suite. You can see the walk-in closet, too, plus a built-in.

Check out the marble bath. (Remember - all this for only $199K)

Isn't the 2nd bedroom cute? It's got nooks.

Bath #2.

And, marble bath #3.

I wish my building had a lobby like this.

Resident's pool and patio.

Tennis courts.

Gym.

And children's playground.

Okay, so what's the deal? Well, apparently, it's only $199K to buy it, BUT, the HOA fee is a whopping $7,004.13mo! Oh, and Co-op board approval is required -income ratio 4:1. (B/c who the hell can afford that?) So let me get this straight. You pay a fee of $7Kmo. to live here and when you sell it you only get a measly $190K? How is this even possible? That's not all, though- it's an additional $98mo for parking/$106mo if you want valet parking. It's called a Stock Cooperative, which I really don't understand: A co-op is a way to own a primary residence, but where homeowners don't own their units outright; instead, each resident is a shareholder in the co-op itself.

[bitter-as-wormwood-13]

playing bard in bg3 is so fun I skipped like. 2 encounters in act 2 because I got the enemy to die all by themselves.