Now that you have a clearer sense of your own needs, wants, and dreams in co-purchasing a home, and you’ve found a group of people that share your vision of co-ownership, you can assess and discuss your compatibility with your co-purchasing group. The more detailed and clear your ideas are, the easier they will be to convey to others.

Now is the time to compare your needs, wants and dreams with your group so that you can all identify shared visions, points for further discussion, and potential incompatibilities.

Using your answers from your individual needs, wants and dreams, compare your responses with your group. Start first on needs, then move on to wants and, after all that, look at dreams. This is a time for open and honest brainstorming and discussion and is a space to thoughtfully consider your own needs and wants in the context of the group. This step may need one long discussion or several. As a group, you can decide how much time you need.

    
                Our Group
                
                Needs
            
                Wants
            
                Dreams
            
                Budget
            
                Down Payment
            
                Monthly Payments
            
                Utilities
            
                Desired Equity
            
                Other
            
                Location
            
                Neighbourhood Range
            
                        Neighbourhood Character
                    
                Public transport access
            
                Walkability
            
                School board areas
            
                Other

Through this process, you may find that there are many differences between you and your purchasing group. This is not necessarily a bad thing and doesn’t yet determine the success or failure of your co-ownership real estate purchase. Discussing compromises and reconciling differences can foster a sense of shared problem-solving and commitment to your co-purchasing project. You may also discover as a group that you have certain incompatibilities that are insurmountable.

This is ok!

It is better to honestly identify these incompatibilities now, rather than further along the process.

Once you’ve completed the comparisons and had significant discussions with your purchasing group, you need to take a look at any areas that you don’t collectively align on.

Are these wants or dreams that could perhaps be compromised on? Has someone expressed a need that conflicts with someone else’s need?
These are areas that you will need to prioritize for further, frank discussions. Some issues may be resolvable with some creative thinking and group problem-solving. Others may not be resolvable, in which case, you may want to reconsider your affinity as co-purchasers.

As hard as this might be, it’s important to try to identify incompatibilities now rather than further in the process when you have done more work together!

Before moving on to Step 2, make sure you check out Step One’s Summary and make sure you’re ready!

Looking for Co-Owners?

Try Our Matchmaking Service!

How Do You Establish Your Purchasing Group?

Click on the sections below to learn more.

Introduction to Finding Your Purchase Group
What Do You Want?
Getting Creative with Co-Ownership
How To Find Your Group
Sketching Your Ideal Home
Summary & Next Steps

What are all the Steps to Becoming a Co-owner?

Click on the links below for all the blog articles related to each step.

“Some of the best cooperative living arrangements are with former strangers. Because they don’t expect to be best
friends, and they act as responsible members of a purchasing group from the start.”

— Lesli Gaynor, Partner GOCO

Other posts from The Ultimate Guide to Co-Ownership

Featured

Step Five

Finding Your Property: Are You Ready To Buy?

Step Five

Now that you’ve made it this far, let’s talk about what happens when you find a property that you like and that fits your group. Again, the market is competitive so you and your group have to be ready to act fast.

Step Five

Finding Your Property: Let's Talk About Homes and Renovations

Step Five

As we said at the beginning of this step, the real estate market is a seller’s market most of the time. In the GTA, that isn’t looking to change any time soon. While there are a lot of different types of properties that your group can look at, you should always keep in mind that supply is limited.

Step Five

Finding Your Property: Your Home Brief

Step Five

Building on your understanding of the needs and wants of each group member, you can begin to create a list of criteria that you are looking for in your co-owned real estate purchase. This Home Brief will help your agent’s guide to finding you a property.

Step Five

Finding Your Property: Setting Yourself Up For Success

Step Five

The final step in a co-ownership real estate purchase is to find the perfect property for your group! This step is last because all of the preparation you and your group have done will make this step much easier. So once you are comfortable with your Group Agreement and have worked through your Legal Agreement and budget, you are finally ready to consider properties.

Step Five

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Finding a Lawyer and Frequently Asked Questions

Step Four

Once you have done the work of determining your legal rights and responsibilities, financial obligations, and future scenarios as a group, we recommend finding a lawyer who has some experience drafting co-ownership agreements. It is essential that your agreement is created with all members of your purchasing group and the contents of any wills or spousal agreements are shared with your lawyer as they prepare your group’s Legal Agreement, so that they align.

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Future Scenarios

Step Four

It is impossible to anticipate all future change, and you or members of your group might find yourself in a position of wanting to exit your co-purchasing arrangement. Members of your purchasing group must be in agreement about how and when your property will be divested (disposed of, sold etc.).

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Financial Obligations

Step Four

We recommend that you include a schedule for mortgage payments and a clear delineation of other payments, like bills and taxes, in your Legal Agreement.

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Rights and Responsibilities

Step Four

Over the next three sections, we will be covering the three important features to include in your legal agreement. Starting now with Rights and Responsibilities!

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Types of Legal Arrangements

Step Four

Generally, there are two types of legal relationships between co-owners: you can buy property as either tenants-in-common or as joint tenants.

Step Four

Making Your Legal Agreement: Introduction

Step Four

Your legal agreement is an essential part of the co-ownership real estate purchase. It may feel daunting or uncomfortable to discuss certain aspects of your living arrangement through the lens of a legal agreement, but your Legal Agreement is in place to protect you and your group, both individually and collectively.

Step Four

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Group Agreement Case Studies

Step Three

Finally let’s finish up with some case studies to summarise Step 3 before moving on to Step 4: Creating Your Legal Agreement.

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Conflict Resolution

Step Three

Conflict resolution is an important aspect of co-ownership and collective functioning. Find out the best ways to get through these situations.

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Communication Is Essential

Step Three

Communication is an essential part of a co-ownership agreement. Your group needs to open and honest as well as regular in your frequency when it comes to house meetings and general communication.

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Collective Decision Making

Step Three

There are many models and resources for collective decision making, and we recommend that you determine a decision-making structure with your group early on.

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Identifying Your Shared Goals

Step Three

It’s important to harmonise and identify your group’s shared goals. This will build the foundation for your group agreement.

Step Three

Creating Your Group Agreement: Getting Started

Step Three

It’s time to look at how your group is going to function when living in a co-ownership arrangement.

Step Three

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Summary & Next Steps

Step Two

Summarize Step 2 and take a look at the final parts to make sure you’re ready for Step 3!

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Combine-Leverage-Split

Step Two

Finally, the last piece of your financial puzzle is to assess your ongoing costs using the Combine-Leverage-Split method!

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Creating Your Budget

Step Two

It’s Budget Time! Check out the example of the McGill group and create your group budget together!

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Get Your Financial Profile Ready!

Step Two

It’s time to get your finances together and create your financial profile! Get together with your group and create a group outline to figure out your buying power!

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Who Will Lend To You?

Step Two

Now that you’ve completed your crash course on mortgages, it’s time to move on to who will lend to you and how will you convince them to lend to your group.

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: What's In A Mortgage?

Step Two

Mortgages can be complicated. Co-ownership can make the process even more complicated. While it is helpful to have a working knowledge of the basics on mortgages, we’ve compiled a quick crash course aimed at co-ownership.

Step Two

Building Your Financial Model: Introduction

Step Two

Now that you’ve got your group together and you’ve decided that you would be a good fit, it’s time to get real about everyone’s financials.

Step Two

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: Summary And Next Steps

Step One

That’s all of step one and finding your purchasing group for co-ownership. This step can take a lot of time depending on a number of factors but, as it is the first step, it’s one of the most important. You need to work hard and dig deep to solidify your purchasing group and ensure the success of your co-ownership purchase.

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: Sketching Your Ideal Home Together

Step One

Now that you have a clearer sense of your own needs, wants, and dreams in co-purchasing a home, and you’ve found a group of people that share your vision of co-ownership, you can assess and discuss your compatibility with your co-purchasing group. The more detailed and clear your ideas are, the easier they will be to convey to others.

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: How To Find Your Group

Step One

There are many ways to form a purchasing group for co-ownership purposes. While co-ownership is still relatively new, there are plenty of services that are available to you even if you are a single buyer looking for a group.

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: Getting Creative About Cooperative Living

Step One

There is a broad spectrum of co-purchasing relationships. You and your potential co-purchasers get to decide where you fit on that spectrum, and develop your own shared goals for your home. You might be entering into this process with friends or family members, or with complete strangers.

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: What Do You Want?

Step One

Finding Your Purchase Group: Introduction

Step One

Co-purchasing is a significant commitment that can have high stakes. You and your group will jointly manage what may be your most important asset, and this project must be undertaken with care and planning to be successful. Every group is different and you will develop your own models and methods to facilitate the functioning of your home.

Step One

Intro to Co-ownership

The Single Moms Merger

Intro to Co-ownership

With good planning, your co-ownership purchase can be a profound and rewarding experience. The following are 3 entries are studies from groups who co-purchased their homes. While not all of these groups remain together, their stories demonstrate the importance of preparation and following the 5 Steps. Check out how Two Mothers fared in this case study example!

Intro to Co-ownership

Looking for Co-Owners?

Try Our Matchmaking Service!

How Do You Establish Your Purchasing Group?

What are all the Steps to Becoming a Co-owner?

Other posts from The Ultimate Guide to Co-Ownership

Lesli Gaynor gaynor.lesli@gmail.com