Buenavida is an intentional community to be populated by a mix of singles and small families from a wide variety of backgrounds; who are willing to share property and responsibilities to attain a higher quality of living in a healthy, gregarious environment.

1. Intentional community:  is a planned residential community designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork. 
2. Population:  dwellings are adequate for a single person, two adults or a couple/parent with a child.  Diversity  of  culture, age and skills will be sought as much as possible.
3. Willing to share property and responsibilities:  The members maintain the  property in top shape by both sharing the cost and the work involved.
4. To attain a higher quality of living:  not only in terms  of  material possessions and economic gain but also by living in a caring environment and seeking a mutually fostering style of life.
5. A healthy, gregarious environment:  the community will encourage and support healthy habits and meaningful relations with peers. There is a commitment to blend into the social format adopted by the group, performing certain duties,  attending meetings and fraternization.    

Buenavida is an expense sharing community – all the members pay the same amount of fees and  divide tasks  equitably.  Members are not required in any way to share their income or personal assets with other members.  This information is private and should not be disclosed or questioned.  The Board of Directors will only be concerned in that the member has the solvency to pay his/her share of cost & expenses.

The community is divided into units of three houses each with a cylindrical structure shared by the three houses. You will own your home, 1/3 of the cylindrical structure shared by the other two owners in the unit and 1/3 of the land of the unit. Each member will own 2.120 sq. feet of private land, which is about 5% of an acre.

Our Exterior Plan page provides detailed information about what is included in the unit.

Our Interior Plan page provides detailed information about the interior of each house including floor plans.

<!-- >Your ownership will include 1/18^th of the land (that is not private), buildings, equipment and savings. This is called “common property” and not apportioned to any one member. The savings will not be transferred to your name until you sell the house.<-->

The land, the parking buildings, community center and the silos that are between the houses. Also any equipment or furniture located in these premises. This is probably one of the toughest things about living in a community because we also have to share the cost and responsibility of taking care of things.

For more information, visit our Community page.

You will be involved in the development of your community from the beginning. You will be keep abreast as things occur, you will see pictures and videos. You will have access to records of expenses and balances once you have become a member.

You will have the opportunity to participate in the interview process and selection of members approved after you are qualified. You will know your neighbors even before you move in!

Even when the real estate investment results in very favorable renderings, there is another reason to live in Buenavida IC. It is the desire in your heart to live among a group of people who you know, who are safe, where social problems will be solved using well established conflict resolution and anger management strategies. Violence and disrespect are NOT acceptable. You have to be willing to give up the time and put forth the effort to create an environment that is priceless.

To achieve cohesion and balance, we strive to make Buenavida a place where families live long-term. There are certain clauses in the By-Laws that strive to accomplish just that.

We are projecting the cost to be between $160K and $180k. The cost will include all the expenses incurred in the design, marketing, construction, fixtures, appliances, taxes, excises such as permits and inspections, and insurance. In the accounting records (which only members can view) we will identify each expense, carry a running total and show the amount divided by 18. Yow will be well informed and be able to question any expense. At the time of the closing, the amount of ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS per house will be added as a flat fee for the developer.

A wonderful resource for learning about the intentional communities is TED talks. Search for “About Intentional Communities”.

Another resource is the Fellowship for Intentional Communities organization.

A blog entry published by Sky Blue, Executive Director of the FIC organization, answers questions such as Why do intentional communities matter? and What are intentional communities about?.
Watch Sky Blue’s interview on YouTube.

1. Please fill out our Preliminary Application Form. You will get an email providing feedback and asking for best time to schedule either a telephone or personal interview.
2. Schedule and conduct the personal/telephone interview.
3. You will receive a mailed reply. If the interview was favorable, you will be invited to become a member of Buenavida Intentional Community as an owner of 1/18th of the shares of the LLC.
4. You have 30 days to buy the shares and meet with the mortgage lender to begin the process of qualifying for the loan to buy one of the 18 units.
5. When you are pre-qualified for the loan, you have 30 days to deposit $10,000 in an escrow account at the bank. This is the down payment that will be applied to the loan on the day of the closing.
6. On the day of the closing, you will be responsible for the rest of the down payment and receive documents of ownership as well as the membership in the HOA and shares of the LLC.