CoHome
RESOURCES FOR CO-BUYERS, CO-OWNERS, & THE CO-LIVING COMMUNITY
C0-OWNING WORKSHEETS & HANDOUTS
Our glossary of Common Real Estate Terms includes some terms particularly relevant to the co-buyer or co-owner.
A comprehensive chart of the ways a party may hold title to real property (courtesy of CW Title)
GETTING STARTED
Collection of 1-3 minute videos from Salmon Bay Community Lending chock full of helpful information about all things mortgage-related in bite size pieces. If you’re looking for an answer to a specific question, search the Mortgage Minutes playlist. Click HERE
| Local Seattle company CoBuy offers a comprehensive online course about the co-buying process leading into co-ownership.
(Amy McKenna Homes has no relationship with CoBuy.io)
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Home search app linked directly to the NW Multiple Listing Service. Facilitates messaging between you, your co-buyers, and your realtor. Click HERE to download the app.
A robust Substack written by the founders of Radish, a co-living community in Oakland. It has a wide range of articles on subjects such as financial structures, finding property, managing conflict, decision-making, etc, as well as stories by people who have created co-living communities themselves.
PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
Wilson Law Group
Terrance Wilson
Attorney & Owner
(206) 805-6238
Addresses a wide array of Real Estate, Land Use, and Development issues, working with Land Surveyors, Civil Engineers, Architects, and other related Land Use professionals on boundary issues, easements, CC&Rs, subdivisions, Condominiums, Boundary Line Adjustments, as well as other regulatory processes and legal issues surrounding them.
Michael Safren, Senior Partner
The Law Offices of Jenny Ling, PLLC
14900 Interurban Ave. S., Ste. 280,
Seattle, WA 98168
(206) 859-5098
msafren@jennylinglaw.com
www.jennylinglaw.com
As part of his real estate specialty, Michael drafts tenancy in common (co-ownership) agreements; deeds; boundary line adjustments; and helps landlords in residential real estate disputes, as well as other RE legal services. Michael also specializes in estate planning and probate.
Attorney | Partner
(206) 784-3049
nathan@seattledivorceservices.com
Nathan is an Attorney and Partner of Seattle Divorce Services in Ballard. He has practiced family law since 2009, and Collaborative Law since 2016 and has been helping address the unique legal concerns of alternative families and households since the early days of his career.
Pacific Evergreen Law Group provides estate planning services, including wills, trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Probate.
Ten Penny Studio Design and Construction
| Kelly Sommerfeld, Co-Owner, Lead Designer |
| (206) 445-5008 |
| kellys@tenpennystudio.com |
Ten Penny Studio Design and Construction offers support for shared living in a few key “buckets”:
- Social Infrastructure – Supporting the dreams, values, and interpersonal dynamics that make communal living successful.
- Design & Built Environment – Creating architecture that supports and enhances shared living arrangements.
Their specific niche lies in the built environment, particularly on 1-3 single-family lots where homeowners might already have some equity and the zoning allows for creative additions like ADUs and additional units. They focus on working with individuals and groups invested in their neighborhoods— people who want to take down fences, host block parties, and create spaces that invite connection.
Matt Hutchins, Principal
CAST Architecture
matt@castarchitecture.com
CASTArchitecture.com
CASTis committed to improving the lives of individuals, families, and the community through vibrant and thoughtful design. CAST is at the forefront of sustainable architecture, creating high-performance buildings designed to endure. Their approach prioritizes responsible resource management throughout a building’s lifecycle, integrating climate-responsive design, the best available building science, and site-specific strategies.
Check out their blog about DADUs here.
Common Ground
David Palmer, Co-Founder | Sales
David@CGDadu.com
(206) 295-4021
CIC Consulting Group, LLC
Rebekah Baze | Owner & Founder
(425) 681-3381
Rebekah@cicconsultinggroup.com
Condos come with a dizzying array of legal and financial documents (alternately called the "Resale Certificate", "Resale Package", "condo docs" or "HOA docs") which can be difficult to decipher for even experienced buyers. Rebekah analyzed those documents and goes over them with a prospective buyer in a video call, along with data comparing the property to similar condos in the area. A short interview with Rebekah can be found here.
Shared Capital Cooperative is Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund that provides financing to cooperative businesses and housing throughout the U.S. By borrowing from and investing in the fund, members directly engage in their work, connecting cooperatives and capital and supporting shared economic prosperity and ownership. Shared Capital Cooperative also raises investments from social investors who support the cooperative economy.
Seattle-based contact:
Mike Seo (Portfolio Manager) | 612-767-2103 | mike@sharedcapital.coop
ADU/DADU RESOURCES AND INFORMATION
Co-Housing Projects, Communities & Developers
Frolic Community enables communities to build projects that reflect the way they want to live. They partner with single-family homeowners to co-develop multi-family housing on their properties. Homes in their projects can be purchased with low down payments and are affordable to middle-income families. You can read about current projects here.
Head of Community Architecture
kalen@frolic.community
Crow Woods is a nine-unit cohousing community in North Seattle on Meridian Ave N between N 117th & 120th Streets. Units are advertised as being move-in ready Fall of 2025.
(We have no connection to or further knowledge about the community so please contact them directly for information.)
re|Space
Rick Romanowski | Co-Founder
Rick@reSpace.co
In its infancy, re|Space is rolling out homes featuring "fractional ownership." Fractional ownership differs from a group co-buying a property themselves in that re|Space would configure the home's ownership structure and individuals can buy in on their own. Watch a King5 news story about it here.
CoHousing.org – Supports co-housing communities and educating the public about the benefits of co-housing. Click HERE
Resource hub for the local Intentional Communities movement. Click HERE
Assorted Other Information -- Zoning, etc
One Seattle is the roadmap for where and how Seattle will grow and invest in communities over the next 20 years and beyond. Includes a new Growth Strategy that guides the proposed zoning update.
Downloadable PDF of Seattle's generalized zoning boundaries (last updated June 15, 2022).
Can cross reference against the OneSeattle draft Zoning Map to see what is being proposed for the future.
On February 7, 2024, the Washington Legislature passed HB 1998, allowing occupancy of multiple tenants/residents who have private sleeping quarters, but use shared kitchens, dining areas, and community spaces with other tenants/residents. Further reading:
- HB 1998 Bill Report (summary)
- Washington State Standard: WA House approves bill to expand dormitory-like housing
- The Urbanist: Seattle Proposes Co-Living Ordinance Seeking to Meet New State Mandate
- MRSC: Six Housing and Planning Bills that Help Washington Communities Confront the Housing Crisis
House Bill 1110 aims to promote the development of middle housing by requiring cities to allow such housing types in predominantly residential zones. Further reading:
- CG Engineering: The Missing Middle Bill 1110 and what it means for Washington State
- Seattle.Gov: What Is HB 1110? (one-page summary of HB1110 as it relates to the city of Seattle)
- MRSC: Missing Middle Housing
- The Urbanist: Washington Legislature Wants to Rein In Historic Landmarking to Spur Housing
Helpful Books
The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen
A re-examination of the default assumption that one should form one's household and emotional needs exclusively around a romantic relationship. Both novel and traditional, returning to village/tribe/extended family connections that were the norm before the elevation of the Nuclear Family.
The 6 Types of Working Genius by Frank Lencioni
While using a bit too much corporate lingo, the book can be a useful tool for a group to get clarity around the strengths/weaknesses and natural tendencies of each individual. It can go a long way to mitigate unspoken expectations and encourage clearer, judgment-free communication when working together.
