Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary of Terms
- Member: An individual or household that has paid the membership fee and is interested in becoming a JVer.
- JVer: a “Joint Venturer” is an individual or household that has been accepted by the community and has committed to the project by contributing equity and signing the JV deed.
- JV deed: the legal agreement to be signed by all JVers.
THE PEOPLE
Q: Who are you?
A: We are a diverse group of households, young, old, families, couples, singles, kids. We decided to establish a community and live together cooperatively as neighbours and friends.
Q: Are you investors or developers?
A: We are ALL future residents! The individuals that are steering this project are the very same people that will be moving in when our new homes have been built. We have established a joint venture, pooled our funds and purchased the property on Brougham St. We have recruited the expertise of highly reputable contractors to oversee various aspects of the development. Those firms are:
- Property Collectives – Development & Project Management
- Realm – Landscape design
- DKO – Architecture
Q: Who are Property Collectives?
A: Property Collectives Australia is a property developer who specialise in joint venture development by groups of owner builders. Brougham Street Cohousing is their tenth project and their first cohousing development. They manage the project on our behalf and with our input.
Q: Are you looking for new members?
A: Yes! We still have several vacancies. We are particularly seeking willing, passionate, enthusiastic and proactive participants that share our vision and have the capacity to share some of the load of establishing & managing a sustainable community together. To register your interest please click here. To support our vision of intergenerational living we are particularly keen to hear from younger families.
THE PROJECT
Q: What lots are available?
A: Note these numbers are likely to shift as the design evolves.
| TYPE | BEDS | LOT & SIZE |
|---|---|---|
| Treehouse S | 2 | Lot 15 – 104 sqM from $1 Mil |
| Treehouse S | 2 | Lot 18 – 104 sqM from $1 Mil |
| Treehouse M | 3 | Lot 12 – 118 sqM from $1.2 Mil |
| Treehouse M | 3 | Lot 13 – 118 sqM from $1.2 Mil |
| Treehouse M | 3 | Lot 14 – 118 sqM from $1.2 Mil |
Q: What is the timeline of this development?
A:
June 2021 – Acquisition & settlement
October 2022 – Town Planning submission
April 2024 – Town Planning Approval
Early 2025 – Construction phase
Mid 2026 – Move in!
HOW DO I JOIN?
The first step is to come and see our land and our plans for yourself. We have an Open House at 2:00pm every second Sunday. You can book your spot here.
In a cohousing project you are not just buying a house, so we have a process to step you through getting to know us and understanding our values and aspirations.
After spending some time getting to know the community, you can be invited to participate fully in our development as a Joint Venturer (JVer). This gives you the right to a townhouse of your preferred size (2 or 3 bed) and allows you to fully participate in design finalisation and customisation of your new home.
WHAT IS A SELF FUNDED DEVELOPMENT?
We, the future residents, are the developers. We are not purchasing our homes from a developer who makes decisions on our behalf and retains a profit margin. We employ an experienced project manager, Property Collectives Pty Ltd who manage the project on our behalf with our input. Self Funded means that we provide the first 30% of development cost, and the banks provide the rest. Because we are the developers, we have control over quality and design, and we do not need to pay the Developer Margin of approximately 15% as you do with a conventional build.
Q: Will I own my own unit?
A: The answer is yes! You will also own a share of the common facilities and land through strata title. At the end of the project, all joint venturers are required to purchase their unit and share from the joint venture. This is done either by taking out a bank mortgage or using your own financial resources.
Q: Can I sell my unit?
A: It is your unit so you can sell it. We also hope that the quality of the development and the demonstrated desire for people to live in community will result in high sale value. We would hope and expect that a purchaser would be someone who is prepared to engage with the community.
Q: Can I customise my unit?
A: Each unit type is based on a standard design. There is the opportunity to customise aspects of the design to suit your needs. Any customisation is at extra cost to the standard design.
Q: How do we manage age diversity?
A: A strong community has a range of ages and family types. We take age and family type (single, couple, kids) into consideration when finalising offers to join the community.
Q: Is this affordable housing?
A: We are trying to keep the pricing of units as affordable as possible while providing dwellings and common facilities built for a long life and comfortable living. Unit sizes can be modest because of our shared facilities and we expect the cost of living in community will be lower due to our collective buying power and our productive gardens.
Q: How do we make community decisions?
A: The Brougham Street Cohousing community has formed with the intention of living harmoniously together. We aim to balance privacy with getting to know each other. Some will want to be very involved in community life, others less so. Our decision making reflects this, and you get a chance to experience how we do this by attending meetings and activities as a member while you are getting to know us.
Q: Is living in a community hard work?
A: As with any situation where groups of people are working together on a joint vision, there are both challenges and rewards. We aim to work as a community, using tried and proven co-housing and communication strategies to work through challenges that arise.
Q: Does each dwelling also have a Private Open Space?
A: Yes, privacy is important in community living
Q: What if I am someone who travels a lot?
A: We have JVers who are in this position right now, and they are of course free to come and go, but ideally this would be their primary dwelling.
Q: Will I be able to have my family and friends over on a regular basis?
A: Absolutely! It’s no different to any other home. We’re exploring the possibility of holding larger functions too. Watch this space.
Q: Will there be storage space?
A: We will have a large bike shed (with recharging for E Bikes) and shared storage. All units have storage space included.
Q: I might not be able to make communal dinners. Is this an issue?
A: Regular group meals and socialising are among the core principles of the Danish CoHousing model, so there is some expectation of attendance even if it is only occasional. A common meal is likely to occur at least once a week, with random potlucks scattered in between. We intend to maximise the use of our beautiful space!
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