What if a member wants to move out of the community and sell his or her home?

Any household leaving the community can legally sell its property to anyone it chooses, except in a few cohousing communities in the U.S. that are structured as cooperatives. Some groups maintain a “right of first refusal,” which means that the seller must offer his or her home for purchase by the community or to an individual or individuals within the community before putting it on the open market. In other communities, residents sign a voluntary agreement that they will not lease or sell their house to a person or persons who do not wish to participate fully in the community.

Some groups maintain a waiting list of people interested in being informed if a home becomes available. The seller and the rest of the community will benefit if everyone lends a hand in finding new owners. When it comes to resales, experience has shown that homes in cohousing have appreciated faster than the market as a whole.