Solace wrote:We would need a company name to go on the lease so each individual is not held fully responsible, howeverit shouldnt be too difficult to fill a spot if someone falls off the bandwagon.
This is an important problem that is comming up, and I've put some thought into it. I doubt everyone would be willing to join as general partners and accept full responsibility for all liabilities incurred by the partnership, so a limited partnership would be more desireable... except we'd still have to get someone willing to be a general partner. We could, of course, start a corporation BUT that starts to get really complicated. Most likely, if we went that route, we would want to go with an LLC. I really don't have that much knowlege wrt incorporating a business such as this because all of my businesses are sole proprietorships or trusts. We would need someone more knowlgable to get onboard, and even then there are many issues that will come up.
Thats why I feel the easiest way would be for one person to purchase a home (or possibly lease) and then rent (or sublet, provided the lease contract permits it) the other rooms out to other occupants. Alternatively, only part of the home could be occupied and the remaining rooms could be made available to those who pay a membership fee. The owner / lessee would be the manager of the home and would handle billing for membership, decorating the home, keeping it clean, etc. The membership fees would thus have to provide sufficient funding for maintenance (yardwork, maid service, etc) in addition to rent and also supplement the income of the property manager for his time and risk. I'm sure that anyone willing to take on this position would also require an enforceable contract for membership from several people before assuming such a large liability.
At this point, I'm thinking that I'd like to do it at some point, but right now really is not good. Furthermore, I'm not sure if I am willing, at this time, to allocate the funds necessary for a down payment on a 7-figure home because it's very a very risky venture, and to be honest I'm not exactly positive my credit history and verifiable income would really facilitate such a purchase. I'll have to think about it in the coming months, and see if there's a way that I could make it work. Also, mom is probably NOT and option at this point. Still, I can see a very high ROI if things actually worked out.