loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
$30,000 / 1br - 550ft2 - Berkeley Housing Co-op offering two openings to co-own 1-bedroom units (berkeley)
Parker, Berkeley, CA 94704
Parker near Dana
1BR / 1Ba
550ft2
available jan 1, 2027
QR Code Link to This Post
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS 11:59PM ON NOV 1ST, 2026
You can find the application on our website at parkerstcoop.org
Our monthly assessment for a 1-bedroom will likely be just $675 (compared with average rent of about $2,400 for a 1-bedroom in Berkeley). This covers all our shared costs and is adjusted occasionally as needed.
This is a great opportunity to become a fellow co-owner at a very affordable cost and secure long-term low-cost housing with a co-op community in a fantastic location in Berkeley!
The current share price for a 1-bedroom membership is about $30,600 (which is a small fraction of market rates and entirely refunded/sold back with nominal interest if a member leaves the co-op)
ONE-TIME CAPITAL CONTRIBUTION FEE
Lastly, if admitted, becoming a member also requires a one-time, nonrefundable $6,000 Capital Contribution Fee, which helps sustain the maintenance, renovation, and restoration of co-op property. For example, the cost of renovating an apartment prior to move-in varies, but averages about $12,000.
Please note: this fee is separate from the membership share price, does not create additional equity or transfer value, and is not refunded when membership ends.
But you'll save several times its value within even just the first year of membership compared to renting a regular 1-bedroom!
CO-OP DETAILS
PSC has 24 units in two buildings. We’re located in a highly convenient Berkeley location, fairly near the UC Berkeley campus, downtown, a bunch of grocery stores, Ashby Avenue, the Berkeley hills, two BART stations and other public transportation, and just two blocks west of Telegraph and two blocks south of Dwight.
With individual apartments along with shared communal spaces, PSC differs from many housing co-ops: there is no common kitchen, food is not included in our shared expenses, and we do not usually share cooking other than monthly potlucks and occasional social events.
The apartments have beautiful, nearly wall-to-wall windows in the living room, sizable windows in the bedroom and kitchen, hardwood floors, and original Art Deco kitchens and bathrooms.
Shared spaces include common rooms, rooftop decks, beautiful though moderate garden spaces (17 fruiting plants!), high-quality fitness equipment, a very well-equipped maintenance room, bike/storage space, and a rear parking lot.
MAKING IT POSSIBLE
We co-own and manage the property and work together to help keep it very affordable for us and for those who come after us.
For that reason, we need people who are excited and prepared to contribute substantial time, energy, and skills to the co-op, such as project leadership, budget management, facilitation, conflict mediation, administration and/or gardening. An ability to get along with a wide range of different people is also highly desirable, and prior co-op experience, or similar experience with cooperative or community-based living, is a plus.
MAINTENANCE SKILLS — HIGHEST PRIORITY FOR THIS OPENING
For these specific openings, substantial maintenance experience/skills are a major priority!
Examples of skills/experience we're looking for: electrical, plumbing, carpentry and/or skilled maintenance experience, such as:
- Installing a light switch, electrical receptacle/outlet, wires or electrical boxes in walls, or new ceiling fixtures or ceiling fans
- Replacing a window crank, cracked window pane, faucet washer, entire faucet, sink, p-trap, shower valve or pipe within a wall, or toilet
- Experience using a motorized snake, power saws, or a hole saw on a door to install a lockset
- Experience moving hinges on a door or planing a door
- Experience repairing a stove/oven/furnace or wood rot
- Experience setting ceramic tiles or regrouting
Applicants do not need experience in all areas, but significant maintenance knowledge and experience will be given particular consideration for this member selection.
9-MONTH PROSPECTIVE TRIAL PERIOD
The final two candidates selected after our interview process would first enter a 9-month fixed-term tenancy so they can get to know the co-op, and the co-op community can get to know them, before any permanent decisions are made. As a tenant, the candidate would pay $1,675/month in rent (compared with average rent of about $2,400 for a 1-bedroom in Berkeley), along with a $1,675 security deposit (which is either refunded or credited towards the share value).
Near the end of the 9 months, the co-op will make a separate, final decision about whether to offer the candidate admission as a co-op member and co-owner.
Please note: although someone selected through our competitive application process would presumably be well-positioned for acceptance at the end of the 9 months, participation in the trial period does not guarantee membership.
CO-OP TOURS
We’re planning to organize at least two tours of the co-op property in October before the application deadline. If you’d be interested in joining a tour, please contact us and let us know.
[Note: only two admins will see your message, and they simply help coordinate the process and have the same say in the selection as every other co-op member, so there’s no need then for a major self-pitch!]
After the application deadline, we’ll also organize potlucks to provide an opportunity for applicants and our co-op members to meet one another.
We don’t have openings that often, and each one is a special opportunity! Please feel free to share this opening with anyone who might be interested in being a new member for our community!