This page explains how people move forward — gradually and intentionally- from Explorer member-- to becoming our neighbor.

By now, you’ve seen the land, met the people, and experienced intentional community and how the co-creation process works.

What comes next is not an all-at-once leap.
It’s a clear, staged pathway that allows people who intend to invest to move forward step by step, with time, support, and shared responsibility.

This page explains:
 

• how Full Membership works

• what the 3 stages are

• what your next decision is

• and what responsibilities and benefits come with stepping forward

First — an important framing
Full Membership is a pathway, not a single decision.

No one is expected to go from “interested” to “fully invested” all at once.

Instead, Full Membership is designed as a gradual progression where we support each other:
 

• from intention

• to preparation

• to formal commitment

• to investment

Each stage gives you:

• more clarity

• more responsibility

• more participation

• and, eventually, more financial commitment

This structure exists to reduce pressure, avoid rushed decisions, and protect both individuals and the community.

What Full Membership means here
Full Membership is a formal commitment to the intentional community — made in preparation to invest.

It means:

​

• You are formally joining Greek Village Cohousing as a Full Member

• You intend in the future to invest in a GVC village and home, and you are preparing to do so responsibly over time

• You are committing time, participation, and follow-through

• You are showing up to help grow both the community and the project

It does not mean:

• You are buying a home yet

• You are placing a down payment yet

• You are reserving or selecting a unit

Those steps come later, once preparation is complete.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The Full Membership Pathway (at a glance)

The pathway has three stages, each building on the last.
 

• Stage 1 — Full Membership in GVC

  • Formal Full Membership in Greek Village Cohousing while preparing for investment.

• Stage 2 — Pathway to Investment in a particular community

  • Commitment to Taygetes Cohousing Village, deeper participation, and final preparation to invest.

• Stage 3 — Full Investment and Community Partner Status

  • Investment in your home, choose your unit (unit priority number), and sign your home contracts.

This page focuses on Stage 1, because that is the step available to you now.

Stage 1: Full Membership in GVC: 

Formal Full Formal Membership in Greek Village Cohousing Intentional Community

Stage 1 is for people who intend to invest, but need time and support to complete practical steps such as:

• organizing funds

• legal or tax planning

• residency or Golden Visa logistics

• family timing and coordination

This stage turns a serious intention into a workable plan with community support.

What you commit to in Stage 1
 

1. Becoming a Full Member of Greek Village Cohousing

2. Participating reliably in community meetings, circles, and learning spaces

3. Engaging in good faith preparation for the next stage

4. Contributing to the growing community and project

What you receive in Stage 1
 

1. A meaningful seat at the table as part of the founding group

2. Active participation in shaping the village’s foundations and culture

3. Voting membership in GVC as a Stage 1 Full Member for up to 6 months

4. Guidance and mutual support, access to vetted professional referrals

 

This is not a waiting room.
It is an active, preparatory stage with shared responsibility.

Fees, timing, and notice
Full GVC Membership Fee (non-refundable)

The Stage 1 fee supports professional services, facilitation, and GVC operations that begin immediately.
For that reason, the fee is non-refundable.

• €2,000 — if paid on or before the last day of the tour

• €2,500 — if paid within 2 weeks of tour end

• €3,000 — if paid within 3–4 weeks of tour end

Duration

Full Membership Stage 1 is intended to be short and purposeful — from 1 week up to 6 months, only when genuinely necessary to complete logistics.  

Eligibility and fairness
To keep the pathway clear and fair for everyone:

​

• Explorer Membership expires one month after your tour (unless you have time left in your 4-month Explorer membership).

• Once Explorer status ends, the option to purchase a home is no longer available

• Those who step away from the Membership pathway are not eligible to re-enter later

• Unit priority numbers (your choice of unit) are assigned only after investment in the particular community you've chosen. (Stage 2)

These boundaries protect the people who are moving forward together and the integrity of the community.

A note for households
All adults in a household must complete Explorer responsibilities and be aligned before entering Pathway Membership.

This ensures shared understanding, reduces future conflict, and supports long-term community health.

What to do next
Your next steps

• Read this page carefully

• Review the GVC Full Membership Agreement

• Talk together as a household

• Decide by one month from your tour end date.

If you choose to move forward:
 

1. Sign the GVC Full Membership Agreement

2. Submit the Stage 1 Pathway Membership fee

If you choose not to:

You may step away with clarity and goodwill

You may choose to join the Supporter Circle for short Common House visits

You permanently release your place in the ownership pathway

Both choices are respected.
Only one leads to living here.

Documents and links (See Evi)
 

​

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

​​

Looking ahead: how the pathway continues

Stage 1 is the first formal step in a longer pathway. Moving forward beyond it happens intentionally and collaboratively, not automatically.

​​

Here is a basic summary of what comes next:

Stage 2 — Pathway to Investment

Stage 2 is a manageable, supported step toward making your place in the village real.

You don't need to have everything figured out. You do need to be genuinely ready to move forward — with your finances, your household, and your commitment to the community. This stage gives you the structure, the time, --- and it pools our resources to help each other make the transition to Greece and cohousing.

​​

What you do in Stage 2: 

​

1.  Sign your Letter of Intent to Invest and your Community Partner Agreement with GVC and Taygete Cohousing Village or the regenerative project property (you will have participated in picking out the property for sale).

2. Complete the Sociocracy Foundation Course — the decision-making method our village uses, and the foundation for everything we build together
 

3. Demonstrate proof of financial readiness to purchase your home
 

4. Complete the vetting and community consensus process — background check, character references, child-safety screening, and community consent

5. Your Stage 2 Investment: €30,000

At Stage 2, you make your first financial investment in the village. This payment has two parts, each with a different purpose.

€15,000 — Community Development Contribution for the group
This is a non-refundable contribution to the costs already being incurred to make your home possible. These allow you the opportunity to use pooled resources to help each other and the group reach its goals. 

​​

Typical expenses paid:

• Legal due diligence, contract review and preparation,

• Legal due Diligence title and ownership verification, regulatory and zoning confirmation, and ongoing legal counsel as the project moves through development

• Professional Accounting partner fees — accounting, financial management, and budget oversight for the community entity. Individuals can also benefit by talking to our accountant.

• Immigration Legal Consultations and professional services

• Tax professional consultations and professional services. 

• Professional partner financial management and budget oversight fees for the entity and individual members navigating their move to Greece

• Community-Building recruitment and marketing to attract members, leading to construction!

• Bilingual documentation — Greek and English versions of all legal, governance, and community materials, and translation costs for official filings and member communications

• GVC stewardship and project management — Evi's ongoing work holding the project forward: coordinating professionals, managing timelines, representing member interests, and keeping the development on track

• Member support and transition services — structured guidance, vetted referrals, and hands-on support for each household's practical journey toward life in Greece

• Community completion — the work of finding, orienting, and vetting the right people to complete your village, because the people around you are as important as the home you are buying

• Group facilitation — the cost of running effective community meetings, sociocracy circles, and working groups throughout the development phase, across multiple time zones

• Site coordination — organizing and hosting group visits to the land, coordinating with local professionals, and supporting members experiencing the village in person

• Community systems and infrastructure — the platforms, document-sharing tools, and communication systems that keep an international community connected, informed, and organized over a multi-year process

• Predevelopment reserve — a portion held for costs that arise as the project moves through its later stages, because responsible development requires the flexibility to respond when needed

• ​​

Your Stage 1 membership fee (€2,000–€3,000) is credited toward this amount. Your net new contribution to this fund at Stage 2 is therefore €12,000–€13,000.
This portion is non-refundable because the work it funds begins immediately and cannot be recovered if a member later withdraws.

€15,000 — Home Purchase - Small Good Faith Down Payment 
This is your money, held in a dedicated GVC escrow-type account and applied in full toward your home purchase at closing. It is not used for operations. It is refundable if the project does not proceed, under the terms set out in your Community Partner Agreement.  While this is not your full 20% down payment, it provides important leverage to show our professional partners that we are serious investors.

​​

 

What happens when your Stage 2 payment is received? 

1. You get to choose your unit! 

​

The unit priority number is assigned as soon as your Stage 2 investment is received and confirmed. Priority numbers are assigned strictly in order of payment — the earlier you invest, the earlier your choice of unit.  The unit priority policy in our decision log sets out the system.

This is the moment your place in the village becomes real.

​

2. Your Founding Member Discount Attaches

Founder’s Circle Discount: 6 (founder’s seed group) 6 (founders circle)
Members who complete Stage 2 within the founding window receive a discount off their total consolidated unit price, credited at closing.

First Founder's — first 6 households 
Founders' Circle — next 6–12 households 
All subsequent members: published price

​

Once a tier is full, it closes permanently.

​

3. You get a seat at the table to make all pre-construction decisions and shape your village

​

 

What comes next
After Stage 2, you move into Stage 3 — Community Partner and Investment, where you place your full purchase investment, sign your home contracts, and your unit priority becomes active with the builder. For non-EU members, this is also the point at which the Golden Visa process can begin.

This stage marks commitment to Taygetes Cohousing Village and deeper participation in village-level work.

At this stage:

• you sign a Legally binding contract to become a member of the ownership entity in your chosen community.  You legally become a true Community Partner.  This involves signing the Partership Agreement in the joint entity that we ourselves have written.

• all adults complete a short course in nonviolent communition over the next year- to ensure foundation for decision making

• you continue to participate actively in a village circle or working group

• you demonstrate readiness to invest, including proof of ability to purchase

Stage 2 is where preparation becomes readiness.

​​

Stage 3 — Community Partner (Investment Stage)

This stage is where financial commitment is made and unit priority becomes real.

At this stage:

• you place your initial investment (20%)

• you unit priority number becomes "activated" with the builder, who becomes aware of your timeline and unit choice once you've signed contracts  

• you move forward with construction-phase commitments

Stage 3 is the point at which intention becomes investment.  This is also the stage where non-EU members can potentially apply for Golden Visas.

​

Important Notice: Advancement to Community Partner is not guaranteed

Advancement from one stage to the next is not automatic.

Moving into Stage 2 and Stage 3 requires:

​

• Completion of the responsibilities of the prior stage by all adults in the household

• A successful application, vetting, and consensus process within the community

​​

Vetting will include things like criminal background checks, proof of financial readiness, character references, child-safety due diligence checks (including relevant offender-registry screening), as well as consensus once the vetting reports are collected.

​

In addition, all advancing members complete interactive orientation -  for alignment regarding our mission, decision-log agreements, and community commitments.

​

This ensures that those moving forward are aligned, prepared, and able to participate in the shared responsibilities of village life.

​

​

​