Want to take advantage of today’s Seller’s market and make an immediate transition to Highland Green?
Our Highland Green on-campus rental program provides a number of key benefits.
Custom Floor Plan "DNA"
Having built over 200 homes here, we have a wide array of custom home plans for you to more easily replicate.
Activities & Clubs at HG
Dynamic Social, Intellectual, Exercise, and Volunteer activities at Highland Green build a sense of community, fun and wellness through interaction with others.
Financial Strength & High Quality of Life
Highland Green owners are shareholders in a housing corporation and are represented by a cooperative board of directors guided by professional management that helps make decisions that shape the community.
While very similar to other forms of property ownership where you can sell your home at current market prices and deduct any mortgage interest or real estate taxes, cooperative ownership at Highland Green offers many other unique benefits.
You maintain the interior of your custom Highland Green home but you cooperatively share in the cost of such things as routine scheduled lawn care and snow removal; scheduled exterior maintenance such as repainting; inspection of your built-in safety systems; insurance on the structure of your home and use of the Community Center and all of its amenities. In other words, cooperative ownership and Highland Green’s low-maintenance lifestyle allows for less time spent worrying about taking care of your home and more time enjoying your life.
The cooperative structure is the financial platform on which Highland Green was built and allows it to be a unique community. It ensures that the community evolves in accordance with the original vision of our founder with approval of co-op owners.
The contractual long-term management agreement between cooperative and the founder allows for stability throughout the development of Highland Green, unlike a condominium development where there can be frequent changes in management.
Over a decade after the community was founded the Highland Green cooperative shareholders and Highland Green Management have created a finely run operation which offers not only financial strength but a stable reserve plan for the future. Cooperative Ownership also protects the appearance and value of the community. HG residents are very proud of their very strong reserve planning.
A Partnership For Success:
- A founder with a long track record of successfully managing successful planned communities.
- A management team with the leadership and vision to guide the Highland Green residents.
- A marketing staff dedicated to excellence and to cooperation with residents to exhibit pride in the community and to promote, support, and influence the growth of the Highland Green community and lifestyle.
- A group of owners bringing their considerable talents and diverse backgrounds to bear to help ensure lasting value in the community and take pride in collective well being.
Cooperative Ownership FAQ
Q. Is there a monthly fee associated with Cooperative Ownership?
A. Yes, owners pay a monthly fee that contribute to an operational budget, management, ground lease, common area maintenance, insurance, and contributions to a strongly planned replacement reserve fund for capital expenditures such as repainting of homes.
Q. Do I have any say about services and fees?
A. Yes, owners are represented by a Cooperative Board of Directors who, together with the Management Company, makes decisions that govern and shape the community.
Q. How are the fees established?
A. The expert staff of the Management Company creates a cooperative budget, which is reviewed by a resident Budget Committee. Their goal is to determine a monthly fee that accurately represents the expenses necessary to maintain appearance, value, and a top class community, while controlling costs. Ultimately, the fees must be voted on and approved by each Coop’s Board of Directors.
Q. Is the community financially stable?
A. Yes. The co-ops at Highland Green have assumed full financial responsibility for their collective assets and have embraced a detailed reserve study designed to fully cover expenses going into the future. Funding and enhancement of reserves helps to avoid surprising special assessment in the future.
Q. Is the community well managed?
A. Yes. Highland Green Management brings decades of experience in successful community management. The management team helps guide the cooperative boards in making decisions and meets with committees in order to promote and ensure the strength and stability of the community.
Q. Is there a fee when it is time to sell my share? How does the resale process work?
A. When it comes time to sell your home at Highland Green, there is a transfer fee equal to 8% of the contract price. For Quarry Phase 1, the newest co-op phase, homeowners, the fee is 10%, with the additional 2% being reinvested in the Quarry Phase 1 reserve fund.
For you as the shareholder, that means that you keep either 90% or 92% of all appreciation and equity from the sale of your Highland Green home. Unlike entrance fee models offered by some communities, this market-based approach provides shareholders with the possibility of the highest possible return on their investment.
In return for this fee, the Sales & Marketing office provides the following services:
- Coordinate and sponsor all marketing, advertising, professional photo shoot, Open House events and other publicity initiatives to promote the sale of your home. The sales team will also provide advice and resources that may help you prepare your home for sale.
- Identify your Buyer and oversee and coordinate building inspection and appraisal process.
- Perform closing and legal work.
- Since Highland Green is a cooperative form of ownership and not real estate, as a Buyer or Seller you are not subject to the Maine State Transfer Tax, recording fees, and other charges that are associated with a real estate closing.
At Highland Green, your cooperative fees contribute to common services and amenities which are designed to protect the appearance and value of your community and allow you to spend more time securely enjoying life. While each cooperative neighborhood has a slightly different monthly fee, these services are common to all owners.
-
Routine scheduled lawn care and approved landscaping
- Snow removal for roads, sidewalks, driveways and walkways of each home
- Scheduled trash removal and recycling
- Scheduled exterior home maintenance including repainting and re-roofing
- Monitoring of smoke, fire, and low temperature sensors by Cunningham Security
- Annual scheduled inspection performed on security, fire and sprinkler systems
-
Routine maintenance of lawn sprinkler system
-
Property, Casualty and Liability Insurance on the structure of the homes
-
Ground Lease Payments
-
Property, Casualty and Liability Insurance on the common buildings and land
-
Use of Community Building and Amenities
- Unlimited use of Community Center – gathering room, conference room, kitchen, exercise and aerobic rooms, locker rooms, pool, tennis court, bocce court, swimming pool
- Use of gathering room for private functions
- Scheduled inside and outside maintenance of community center building, including pool, tennis and croquet courts
- Invitations to Special Events
- Scheduled housekeeping for entire community center building
- Scheduled trail system maintenance
- Supplies for all restrooms and locker rooms
- Routine maintenance of kitchen equipment
Routine scheduled lawn care and approved landscaping
Snow removal
Scheduled trash removal and recycling
Scheduled exterior home maintenance including repainting and re-roofing
Monitoring of smoke, fire, and low temperature sensors by Cunningham Security Company
Annual scheduled inspection performed on security, fire and sprinkler systems
Routine maintenance of lawn sprinkler system
Property, Casualty and Liability Insurance on the structure of the home
Resident vs. Co-op Responsibility
Resident Responsibility
AC units (visible) must be painted in standard color
Appliances
Ceilings
Circuit breakers and meters
Decks, terraces, cement slabs
Door and window locks and hardware
Draperies, curtains and blinds
Fences on resident’s Lot
Fire sprinkler system (Interior)
Fire alarm system maintenance and repairs
Floors and finishes
Generators
Gutters
Heating, plumbing, gas fixtures and conduits, including exterior flues, chimneys and active vents (dryer)
HVAC
Interior walls and coverings
Landscape services beyond the scope of Coop contract
Leaks (exterior) and resulting damage due to post-closing installation. Ex. – Roof leak caused by solar panels or satellite dishes
Lighting and electrical fixtures (except exterior light post)
Maintenance of Unit (includes sheetrock, framing, and insulation to the siding)
Pipes and wiring (inside and outside walls) but not beyond outside piping
Plantings in excess of initial landscape specifications (1 year developer warranty) and post-closing planting
Exterior maintenance on all post-closing construction/additions
Post-closing equipment and its conduits including satellite dish and other receivers
Screens
Shutters
Solar panels
Co-op Responsibility
Bocce courts
Common and Coop street light poles/lights
Common and Coop roads, curbs, sidewalks
Community center, contents, parking, pool, grounds
Drainage, utility infrastructure, fire security lines and water hydrants
Exterior leaks and resulting damages (except those caused by resident installation/additions)
Exterior lights on structure (bulb is resident responsibility)
Exterior light post (bulb is resident responsibility)
Home and common grounds:
- All common area plantings and design
- Common and home irrigation system
Mailbox and post
Resident driveway, walkway and entrance stoops
Resident home exterior (original construction):
- Siding, trim, and fake vents
- Roof shingles, flashing
- Garage doors (opening system is resident responsibility)
- Entrance and terrace doors, frames, bulkheads
- Sashes and sills
- Windows, window panes, window frames, seals
- Original porch enclosures (resident is responsible for removable screen panels, removable plexiglass or glass panels and all exterior maintenance on all home additions)
Pump stations
Retention ponds
Snow & trash removal
Tennis courts
Village Drive entrance features
