More consumers are expressing interest in shared housing and cohousing concepts.

Considering the tightening economic squeeze affecting most families and the difficulty in qualifying for mortgage financing, the trend is not surprising. One solution: Share a housing facility with other like-minded and like-motivated people.

Shared housing is simply when two or more family groups — usually other family members or close friends — split the ownership and operation of a home. Most participants are young married couples, singles or (increasingly) senior individuals or couples.

Shared ownership has long been prevalent with second homes or vacation properties. It allows individuals and families to have an ownership interest in a dream vacation home, when total ownership would be unaffordable.

In some cases, people who completely own a vacation home are now selling ownership interests in their property to others. It's a viable way to generate cash; often they aren't sacrificing any time that they can spend at their vacation home.

When purchasing a home jointly with others, it's usually best to take title with a tenancy-in-common agreement, with each owner arranging their own financing. This should be discussed with your attorney or financial adviser.

Cohousing is defined as multiple groups sharing accommodations and responsibilities in a single housing project.

"There's definitely a growing interest in this concept," said Craig Ragland, executive director of the Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US). "There are now about 115 cohousing projects in operation in the U.S., with many more in the planning and construction stage. California has 27 projects — the most of any single state. Washington state comes in second with 13 projects."

A cohousing project is where a number of resident groups participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhood. Private homes within the project include features normally found in conventional homes, but residents have access to extensive common facilities such as courtyards and playgrounds.

"Cohousing offers an end to the isolation of the single-family home," it was noted in the Cohousing Handbook, published in Canada. "Residents own their own homes and can gather in common areas to share meals and socialize. It addresses and alleviates many of the demands and pressures of modern life — everything from day care for the kids to aging at home. It's all easier with the help of close neighbors."

There are usually from 7 to 57 residences in each project, but most include 20 to 40 households, Ragland said. "Ages of individual residents typically range from their 30s though 80s. Very few young couples in their 20s participate in these community groups," he noted.

Realtors are often involved in the sale or purchase of cohousing homes. "For new communities, someone needs to deal with the sale transactions, and real estate brokers are the professionals with the experience to be most helpful," Ragland said.

The cohousing concept started in Northern Europe, where it is still growing in popularity. It was more recently introduced in Canada and the U.S. For more information on the concept, visit: www.cohousing.org/.

Q: When will home sales start an upward climb?

A: Existing-home sales are now on the increase as more people take advantage of lower home prices and mortgage rates, which continue to be historically low.

Home sales, including single-family, townhomes and condos, rose 5.5 percent from August to September, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). "The sales turnaround, that began in California several months ago, is now broadening across the country," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist.

Richard Gaylord, NAR president, added this note: "This is the first time since November 2005 that home sales have been above year-ago levels. Credit tightened at the end of September, but the improvement demonstrates that buyers who've been on the sidelines want to get into the market to make a long-term investment in their future."

Yun warned that the credit market is not settled yet.

"Additional housing stimulus would stabilize prices more quickly, and that in turn would bring faster stability to Wall Street," he said. "Removing the repayment feature on the first-time buyer tax credit and permanently raising loan limits would bring more buyers into the market and further reduce inventory."

Q: Does the Census Bureau produce data on real estate?

A: The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly published a compilation of historical data that is particularly interesting to people involved in real estate activity. The American Housing Survey provides information on apartments, single-family homes, manufactured and mobile homes as well as vacant housing units.

The survey breaks housing down by age, race and sex of householders, income, and housing and neighborhood quality, among other categories. It also includes data on mortgages, rent control and rent subsidies, and transitory patterns of households. For more information, phone the Census Bureau at 888-518-7365.

To find out more about Jim Woodard and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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