Own in LA for less

Buy a home in LA with someone. Split the cost, not the dream.

Priced out of buying alone? You are not stuck. Two incomes buy a very different home than one. CoBuy LA helps you purchase a place together the smart, legal, well documented way, and if you do not have a co buyer yet, we help you find one.

Used in California for 40+ years Real broker, real closings Based in Pasadena, serving LA County

Get the free LA Co-Buying Playbook

The full playbook: how it works, the real math on LA homes, the lenders that finance it, and what happens if someone wants out. Sent to your inbox in seconds.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. We never sell your information.

Check your inbox 📬

Your LA Co-Buying Playbook is on its way. Want us to run the numbers on your situation? Book a free 30 minute strategy call.

The problem

Buying a home alone in LA has quietly become unrealistic.

The median home in neighborhoods like Silver Lake and Highland Park runs well over a million dollars. A one bedroom rents for close to $3,000. Most people in their 20s and 30s are paying $40,000 a year in rent and building zero equity, because the math on buying solo simply does not work anymore. There is a legal way to fix the math. You buy together.

How it works

Two roads to co-owning in LA

Most people picture something complicated. It is usually one of two clean, well established structures. We help you pick the right one for your situation.

Most common

Road 1: One home, together

You and one, two, or three others buy a single home on one shared mortgage. Everyone is on the loan and on the title as tenants in common, with ownership shares that can be equal or split to match what each person puts in. This is how the large majority of co-buyers do it.

  • One mortgage, up to four co-borrowers
  • Any mainstream lender can do it, no special product
  • Combined incomes mean you qualify for a real home
  • A co-ownership agreement sets the rules before you buy
For duplexes and small multifamily

Road 2: A duplex, each your own unit

Buy a two to four unit property together, and each owner takes their own unit with their own separate loan (a fractional or TIC loan). If one owner ever misses a payment, the others are not affected. This is the specialist path, ideal for LA's small multifamily stock.

  • Separate loan per owner, secured only by their share
  • Each owner has exclusive use of their own unit
  • Best for two to four unit buildings
  • Ties into ADU, SB9, and duplex conversion opportunities

We walk you through which road fits on a free strategy call. Road 1 needs no special lender. Road 2 uses the handful of California lenders who finance fractional TIC loans, and we already know them.

The math

What co-buying actually does to the numbers

A real example. Two buyers purchasing one home in Northeast LA on a shared mortgage, versus each trying to buy alone.

A $900,000 home in Northeast LA, two co-buyers
LineBuying aloneCoBuy (your half)
Down payment (10%)$90,000$45,000
Mortgage you carry$810,000$405,000
Approx. monthly payment$6,400$3,200
Income needed to qualify~$230,000~$115,000 each
Your share of the costout of reachroughly half

These numbers are illustrative and depend on rate, price, down payment, and credit. On a free 30 minute strategy call, we run the real math on your income and the neighborhoods you actually want.

What to buy

Homes made for co-buying

A feel for the kinds of LA homes that work well for two or more buyers. These are representative examples to show the idea, not active listings. When you are ready, we pull real homes that fit your budget, your co-buyer, and your neighborhoods.

Duplex · each your own unit

Highland Park duplex

~$1.05M

Two units under one roof. Each buyer takes their own unit and their own fractional loan, so neither one depends on the other's payments.

Two buyers~$52k down each
StructureTIC, separate loans
House + ADU · live separately

Eagle Rock home + ADU

~$900K

One lot, two places to live. Buy together on one shared mortgage, one owner takes the main house, the other the backyard ADU. A natural fit for our SB9 and ADU work.

Two buyers~$45k down each
StructureOne shared loan
Single home · one shared loan

El Sereno starter home

~$780K

Two friends or a couple buy one home together and split it. The most common path: one mortgage, both on title, ownership shares set to match what each puts in.

Two buyers~$39k down each
StructureOne shared loan
Triplex · three owners

Glassell Park triplex

~$1.25M

Three co-buyers, three units, three separate loans. A bigger version of the same idea for groups who want to own together but keep their own front door.

Three buyers~$42k down each
StructureTIC, separate loans

Representative examples only, not active listings, and not an offer to sell. Homes are matched to you on financial and practical fit alone: budget, financing, neighborhoods, and timeline. Figures are illustrative and vary with rate, price, down payment, and credit.

The part nobody else does

No co-buyer yet? We help you find one.

Plenty of people want to co-buy but do not have the right partner. We keep a pool of serious, pre approved LA buyers and introduce compatible ones, matched only on the things that actually make a partnership work.

We match on financial and practical fit only: budget, financing, neighborhoods, timeline, how you want to split equity, and how long you plan to hold. Never on any personal or protected characteristic. Every introduction is your choice, and a written co-ownership agreement protects everyone before a single offer goes out.

Matched on what matters

Budget range Financing readiness Target neighborhoods Purchase timeline Equity split How long you will hold Live in or invest Exit expectations
Who it is for

If this sounds like you, co-buying probably fits

You are a renter ready to own

You have steady income and decent credit, but a solo down payment and mortgage in LA just do not add up. Together, they do.

You already have someone in mind

A friend, a sibling, a partner, anyone you trust and want to build equity with. We structure it so it holds up, on paper, before you buy.

You want in, but solo

You are serious and pre approved, you just need the right co buyer. That is exactly who our matching pool is for.

Free download

Inside the LA Co-Buying Playbook

A straight, no hype guide to buying a home in LA with someone. Free, delivered to your inbox.

  • The full step by step co-buying process, both roads
  • The real math on actual LA neighborhoods
  • Which lenders finance co-buys and TIC loans in 2026
  • The co-ownership agreement and what it covers
  • What happens if one person wants out (the exit plan)
  • What happens if someone loses their job, or you disagree
  • How to add a third owner later
  • The exact next steps to see if co-buying fits you

Add James's photo here

Why us

Built for this, not bolted on

James McDonnell is the broker behind Conscious Communities Real Estate in Pasadena. It is one of the only LA brokerages built specifically around alternative ownership: co-buying, Tenancy in Common, ADUs, SB9 lot splits, and small multifamily conversions.

  • 1Construction background. James walks every property with you and gives a frank read on what it would really cost to make it work.
  • 2Real lender relationships. We work directly with the lenders financing co-buys and TIC deals in LA today, so you do not waste weeks hearing no from banks that do not understand it.
  • 3Co-buyer matching. Serious but solo? We introduce you to compatible, pre approved buyers looking for the same thing.
  • 4Honest assessment. If co-buying does not fit your situation, we tell you. No square pegs into round holes.
Questions

The things everyone asks first

Is co-buying actually legal in California? +
Yes. Buying together on a joint mortgage is ordinary, and Tenancy in Common is a recognized form of ownership under California law, used for decades. The rules between owners are set out in a co-ownership agreement drafted by an attorney before you buy.
What if one of us wants to sell or move on? +
This is the single most important thing to plan up front, and we do. The co-ownership agreement defines the exit: usually the remaining owners buy out the departing owner at an appraised value and refinance, or the home is sold and proceeds split by ownership share. You agree to the mechanics before you ever make an offer.
Can we get separate mortgages? +
On the duplex path, yes. Each owner takes their own fractional loan secured only by their unit share, so one owner's trouble does not touch the others. On the mainstream single home path, it is one shared mortgage that everyone is on together. We help you choose which fits.
What if we have different incomes or credit? +
That is normal. Ownership can be split unequally (60/40, 70/30) to reflect what each person contributes. One thing to know on a shared mortgage: lenders qualify the loan on the lowest credit score in the group, and the full payment counts in each person's debt to income. We walk through exactly what that means for you.
What does co-buying cost extra versus a normal purchase? +
On the single home path, effectively nothing beyond a normal purchase plus a co-ownership agreement. On the duplex TIC path, the main added item is the TIC agreement drafted by a specialist attorney, often around a couple thousand dollars flat. No HOA dues, no condo conversion.
Where in LA does this work best? +
Anywhere with homes in a co-buyable range, and especially the small multifamily belt: Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, El Sereno, Mount Washington, Atwater, Mid City, West Adams, Mar Vista, and the Pasadena and Altadena edge.
I do not have a co-buyer yet. Can you still help? +
Yes. We keep a pool of serious, pre approved buyers and introduce compatible ones, matched only on budget, financing, neighborhoods, timeline, and how you want to structure the deal. Every introduction is your call.
Free live workshop

Three Ways to Own in LA for Less

Once a month we host a free 90 minute workshop covering co-buying, the duplex path, and the Split House strategy for solo buyers. Real math, real LA properties, your questions answered. Seats are limited.

See the next workshop date
Start here

Stop renting. Start owning. With less than you think.

Step one is the free Playbook. Step two, if it makes sense, is a free 30 minute strategy call where we run the numbers on your exact situation. No obligation, no pressure, no upsell.

Free Playbook, sent instantly Free strategy call

Get the free Playbook

Everything you need to decide if co-buying is right for you.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Check your inbox 📬

Your LA Co-Buying Playbook is on its way.

Get the free Playbook