An open source AI kit for researching what it takes to buy a building with your neighbors.

When a building you care about goes up for sale, bring the listing to ChatGPT or Claude with the Community Buyout Kit. Explore ways to buy it, raise the money, and run it, and come away with a brief to share with your neighbors.

Why buy together?

When a place your neighborhood depends on goes up for sale, the next owner decides what happens to it. Buying it together puts that decision in your hands. You can own the building, run what’s inside it, or both.

The building

Neighbors buy the property together and become its owners. You share what it costs to keep it standing: the loan payments, property taxes, insurance, and repairs. In return, you decide who uses the space and on what terms, instead of waiting to see what a new owner does with it.

Run the business yourselves

If the building houses a café, a shop, or a community space, your group can run it too. That means taking on the staff, the day-to-day costs, and whatever income it brings in. It’s more work and more risk, but it gives neighbors the most say over what the place becomes.

Rent the space to a tenant

Or you can own the building and let a separate business run what’s inside. The tenant pays rent, which helps cover what the building costs to own. This is often how a beloved shop stays put: neighbors buy the building, and the shop keeps its home.

How it works

  1. Download the kit. Save the kit file to your computer. If it opens as text, use your browser’s Save As.

  2. Open ChatGPT or Claude and attach the kit. Start a new chat and attach the file you downloaded.

  3. Paste the real estate listing. Paste a listing link, or type the address and whatever you know. You’ll get a brief to share with your neighbors.

What’s in the open source kit

The kit is a set of instructions you give to an AI. It works in chat apps that can read file attachments, or as a skill in an AI agent. The brief it produces covers:

  • The building: price, current use, and deadlines, with sources.
  • What if?: one possible use, and who would own it, run it, and make decisions.
  • The money: costs to buy, costs to keep running, and expected income.
  • Fundraising: loans, neighbor contributions, grants, and what each requires.
  • Ownership and local rules: legal and governance questions to take to an adviser.

Example

Here’s a made-up building to show how it fits together.

What neighbors start with

A two-story building on the main street is listed for sale. The ground floor is a coffee shop that’s been there for 15 years. There are two apartments upstairs. The listing gives an asking price but says nothing about the coffee shop’s lease.

A preview of the brief

What if?
Neighbors buy the building and keep the coffee shop as a tenant. Its rent and the apartment rents help pay the mortgage.
The money
The purchase price plus closing costs, repairs, and reserves, compared with what rent could cover each month. The coffee shop’s rent is unknown, so the monthly gap stays open.
Fundraising
A bank loan for most of the price, with a down payment raised from neighbors. Contributions that promise repayment or ownership come with rules to check.
Next steps
Ask the coffee shop owner about their lease and rent. Ask a local lender what they’d need to see. Ask neighbors what they’d want from the building.

FAQs

Do we need a group already?

No. One person can start with a building they care about. The brief is meant to help you start the conversation with neighbors.

What if the listing is missing information?

You can start without an asking price or full details. The brief labels what’s unknown and tells you what to find out first.

Which AI apps does it work with?

Any chat app that can read file attachments, or an AI agent that can open the kit’s files. What the AI can look up on its own depends on the app.

Is this legal or financial advice?

No. The brief is a starting point for discussion. Before making commitments, talk to a local lawyer, lender, or other qualified adviser.

Does it cost anything?

The kit is free and open source. You’ll need access to an AI app to use it.

Contact & project background

Have a building you’ve wondered about buying with your neighbors, or feedback on the kit? Tell us at @communitybuyout on X.

The kit is a first draft and still in development. Read more about the project or get the kit on GitHub.