Iowans are Buying Co-Op Homes
A growing form of Iowa home ownership for seniors are “Co-Op” Homes. Over 1,100 Co-Op homes at 22 sites throughout Iowa have been constructed or under construction since 2009. The Senior Cooperative Foundation (SCF) website lists twenty-eight (28) Iowa senior housing cooperatives as of April 2021. The Senior Cooperative Foundation (SCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to support development of and best practices for senior housing cooperatives.
Since 2009 at least nineteen 19 Iowa senior housing cooperatives have been formed and built based on information from Iowa county assessors’ website. More cooperatives are under construction in Bettendorf, Pella, and Hiawatha in 2021.
What is Driving the Popularity of Co-Op Homes?
This quote from www.myLifeSite.net summarizes why, “A senior living cooperative—or co-op—is a housing option that offers adults 55 and over independence and social interaction without the maintenance, chores, and expenses of single-home ownership. Residents purchase a share of the community and also have a say in how the community operates.”
The Co-Op Lifestyle
The SCF sponsored website www.SeniorCoopLiving.org makes these points about the Co-Op Lifestyle:
- “Cooperative living lets you simplify your life while simultaneously enriching it. No more mowing (unless you happen to like mowing). No more snow removal (unless you happen to like shoveling snow). No more plumbing hassles or leaking roofs. Instead, you are free to simply enjoy your home and do the things you like to do.”
- “It’s a common refrain: “If we’d known how much we would love living here, we would have done this ten years earlier!”
- “Again and again, people who have chosen cooperative living say they are less stressed, more active, more socially connected and happier than they’d imagined they could be.”
- “Senior cooperative living is about freedom. About being active. About being social. About traveling without worries, or staying at home and being as busy as you choose. At a cooperative, there is always something to do and someone to do it with.”
What Amenities are part of a Cooperative?
The Co-Op Lifestyle is supported by the building amenities that are part of the complex. The common or shared areas of a cooperative support group gatherings for social events, and educational programs. It supports individual projects and the sharing of resources.
To support group gatherings a cooperative will have a large room for hosting things like potlucks, educational programs, meetings of members, and member celebrations. It may have rooms or open areas for small meetings, playing games, and visiting with neighbors. For individual projects and sharing resources a cooperative may include a workshop, car wash bay, bicycle storage area and raised garden plots. Some cooperatives have a guest room or two that can be reserved for friends and relatives when they come to visit.
For those age 55+, cooperatives are designed with the future in mind. Doorways are wider and use of steps eliminated. Bathrooms are designed and arranged to accommodate anyone with a physical limitation. Most cooperatives have at least one unit to support an individual with physical disabilities.
Where can I find out more?
Begin finding out more from the Senior Cooperative Foundation website Senior Coop Living. The site has a comparison of Condo vs Co-Op and a list of frequently asked questions. There is a directory of Cooperatives that can be used to locate one near you. Another source is Zillow.Com property search. Enter your zip code and choose Home Type Condo / Co-Op.
04-28-2021 by Lynn Paustian