I'd like to set the record straight and explain my story. I'm not a 'spy' for Collective Communities. I bought my house in a Collective Community in Black Diamond and received the keys on Sept 11 - 2020. As a Notary I did some work for Jake the owner of Collective Communities. My house won the Christmas decorating competitions 2 years in a row. I became known to the property owners as a good resident that took care of my property in the community. Management changed a few times during my residence, and I became friends with the manager 'Sarah' as we were both excessive plant lovers.
In 2024 my then husband began a battle with prostate and colon cancers, he missed a lot of work and found it necessary to retire after 25 years of service to the Boeing company. His pension alone was not enough to keep up the mortgage, lot rent, other expenses and daily living. So, we sold our house in May of 2024. We applied for his Social Security disability, a process that ended up taking 27 months to acquire. His pension alone was not enough to qualify for a rental anywhere as it did not meet the income to rent ratio, so we were technically 'homeless'. Living in the truck and with family while exploring Washington and fighting Social Security.
Winter came and 'Sarah' found out about the situation. She went to Jake (The owner of Collective Communities) asking if they had a rental anywhere that they could rent to me. The original plan was in a property in Lynnwood that they were attempting to restore. Because of my reputation for cleanliness and immaculate yard keeping, I was temporarily placed in a new house in the new Enumclaw community while this restoration was to take place. Unfortunately, there were complications with permits and requirements with the City of Seattle. Rather than tell me, 'to bad can't help you'.
I was offered this house in Bothell. As a rental with the prospects of renting to own. I have witnessed the amazing things that Collective has done with the property in Black Diamond, upgrades, improvements and cleaning up the neighborhood making it a safe and pleasant place for families to live. The Enumclaw community is brand new, 55+ community that was being built up as a safe and secure place for seniors. Truth be told, I wasn't fond of the idea of going to Lynnwood and found it to be a blessing when the property in Bothell was chosen as an alternative. This house had been on the market for over a year sitting empty.
Here I was looked upon as a 'spy' for Collective by many residents because of 'knowing' Jake. I'm not here to 'report' back to Collective, I'm not here to 'spy' on the community. I'm here because Jake is a good person and reached out to help someone that he knew to be a good person as well. I understand there is conflict between many residents and Collective. That is not a situation I choose to be on either side of.
I am just happy to have a place to call home, and hope to find friends amongst the neighbors. For me, I have seen many positive things done by Collective in many communities. I will be forever grateful to Jake for giving me this opportunity and helping me out of my situation. I'm now divorced and never could have accomplished this much on my own without someone stepping up and offering me an opportunity.
