The city of Nanaimo,on the island of Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada is a charming community of 79,000 residents,with a thriving artist’s community and internationally renowned university-college. As the word is spreading about the resort style amenities of community living in Nanaimo, the popularity of cohousing properties is on the rise. Cohousing properties are the loose equivalent of detached condominiums in the United States. Each house in a cohousing community is owned by the individual property owner, but the land and amenities of the community are shared and co-owned by all property owners in the cohousing community organization. All maintenance of common areas is facilitated by monthly dues and decisions regarding common areas are made during regular meeting of the owners which are referred to as property ”councils”.

While each house in a cohousing community contains all of the conveniences of any single family home, including garages, balconies, and full kitchens, the cohousing communities of Nanaimo are more socially oriented than what is typically expected of a detached condo association in the States, in fact the premise of cohousing is to foster the desire for residents to interact. Nanaimo cohousing communities routinely organize community events for the residents, and many cohousing properties include a common dining facility for community meals and special rooms in the event house designated for specific functions such as teen gatherings, children’s playrooms and community rooms for classes and lectures. Community meal planning also includes community preparation of the meals. While this practice is completely voluntary on the part of individual residents, most enjoy the prospect of spending time with their friends and neighbors in the community kitchen, helping to prepare the meal that all will share.

In addition to regularly planned community events, the general lifestyle of a cohousing community is that of an open door environment. Residents enjoy the socialization of visiting with their neighbors on a regular basis, to the extent that many communities form a subtle code system to indicate ”do not disturb”, such as closing the blinds on the front door to convey that they would like privacy at a particular time. Residents who prefer a more solitary lifestyle report that this method works well, is well received and good natured, and alleviates any concerns about neighbors becoming invasive. Since the prospects of purchasing international real estate property can be more complicated than typically expected, enlisting of a local CoHousing Real Estate Agent to assist with the organization of paperwork and navigating of proper channels is crucial. A domestic real estate agent may or may not be versed in dealing with international residential properties, but will certainly be able to direct you to an appropriate professional to facilitate the purchase.