Cooperative:  a group of people doing something that a single person is unable to do is a co-operative in action.

There are 30,000 co-operatives in the US today, with 1.2+ million individuals and families owning their homes and properties thru co-operatives. The purchasing power of 250 families, whether buying land or acquiring goods and services is formidable.

Besides being able to purchase land as a group at an affordable price, membership can be restricted. This allows a land or housing co-operative to grant approval based on board or even membership approval. This process allows for a certain amount of screening. It avoids owners whose only interest in in flipping the property or selling a land/housing share to just anyone.

When using the market share type of equity model for the cooperative, as in other forms of home-ownership, equity accrual is generally an important concern for homeowners. In market-rate cooperatives, cooperative shares can be bought and sold at a market price and members can build equity in their investment.  For additional information on housing cooperatives, go to: https://coophousing.org/resources/owning-a-cooperative/starting-a-new-cooperative

For additional information on the different types of co-operatives and their history go to: https://community-wealth.org/strategies/panel/coops/index.html