The Rise of Intentional Community Values in the Pacific Northwest

As much as I want to say this rise has been happening lately, it’s been growing in popularity and importance since before I was born. Let’s be real. As much as I feel like I’m reinventing the wheel, the cohousing movement has been around for a WHILE. So why does it seem like such a foreign concept in the real estate space? I’ve been a licensed real estate broker for 3.5 years now, and most people stare blankly at me when I mention the words “intentional community,” “co-housing,” "co-living,” or “ecovillage.” So I want to take a moment to highlight the shared vision that I keep hearing from more, more, and MORE people in the quest for my own village dream! When I explain what I’m trying to build, people I meet on the West Coast or Midwest tell me they dream of the same thing:

• Shared land with my own privacy and a shared belonging to our place/land

• Neighbors that I know well, trust, and share morals and values (which can be backed up with a solid community agreement)

• We share cultural celebrations, rites of passage for our community members, and significant events

• Shared responsibilities and interests (in my case, I want my neighbors to share an interest in nature, like bird-watching, growing plants, raising and tending animals, and possibly create a homeschool group)