Most cohousing communities welcome visitors. Cohousers tend to be proud of their communities and eager for more people to learn about cohousing.  Some communities host scheduled tours (which can be found here [link] or on the community’s website), while others are glad to set something up with individuals. If you don’t see anything on the community’s website, reach out by email and ask how you can visit them. One great way to visit cohousing communities is to attend a conference which includes a tour of multiple communities.

Most forming communities do welcome members who live in another state prior to move in. We recommend visiting the community in person before joining.  Keep in mind that unless you travel a lot, you will miss out on much of the early community building and decisions will be made without you when you aren’t able to attend meetings. This can be good practice for learning to trust the wisdom of the community as a whole, but can also be frustrating for those who have strong opinions about the development process.  Joining remotely isn’t a good choice for everyone, but certainly can work. Be sure to talk about how communication will work and how involved you will be able to be before you commit.

While some folks are lucky enough to find a great community for them right away, a surer bet is to take time to do your homework.  Visit as many communities as you can before you commit to one. Even communities that are outside the region you want to live in will help you define what is important to you about community.  Take time to read the Cohousing-L listserv as well as the information on this website. From there, use the Community Listing to review websites. The more communities you learn about, the more you will know what you are looking for.  Once you have a few in mind, spend time with them. Most communities will welcome you to work days, common meals and business meetings as you get acquainted. They want it to be a good fit as much as you do. The more particular you are, the more time you will need to invest to find the community that will work for you.  Keep in mind that there likely isn’t a perfect fit. Sharing resources makes everyone richer overall, but also means no one gets everything just the way they want it.