Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Hammond.
Hi Jordan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My vision was to create an affordable housing and creative coliving community built on a shared ownership model. I’d worked on two community living spaces before, one in San Francisco and the other in Austin, Texas. The one in SF was great, but got shut down due to an aggressive landlord. In Texas, the people bought the place and I provided the renovation capital to create a thriving community with an affordable housing model. Austin was successful, but I was curious to see what I could do next.
While I was working in corporate sustainability up in Oakland and launching my own e-waste recycling company, I was casually researching properties to see what was out there.
By chance, I came across a 4 acre historic property for sale just outside of San Diego. It was 2020, and the price tag was too good to pass on. I had lived in San Diego between the age of 15-30, and felt significant ties to this vibrant city. In the midst of the pandemic, I bought the space and moved down from Oakland, inviting friends, creatives, and community builders to come help me make the space awesome. I tried a few names, but the one that stuck was Wild Seeds Ranch.
Determined to make this happen through community investment, I developed a way to offer equity to the early builders. In the traditional real estate world, there are few options between homeownership and renting. I wanted to create a third path. I put together an offer that allowed them to invest money and take it out in rounds over time, tied to the financial growth of the project.
I named my ownership and management entity “Lizzie Maggie Deconsolidation Company” – a nod to Lizzie Maggie, the original creator of the Monopoly game, who designed it to reveal the harms of land hoarding and the rigged nature of the real estate industry. I wanted Wild Seeds Ranch to stand as a living counter-narrative, an example that is more just, equitable, and life-giving.
Here we really lean into the fact that life is more affordable and meaningful when you organize as a group to meet your needs.
Of course, sustainability has always been a core pillar of this project. From the beginning, we incorporated solar energy systems, planted edible gardens, and focused on regenerating the land. The idea was to root a modern community of creative professionals into a system that is ecological by design.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The ride hasn’t been easy.
We inherited a quirky old property with buildings from the 1890s through the early 2000s. That means the usual suspects: weird plumbing, systems that break, and even fire season power shutoffs.
Tenants have been extremely understanding with these challenges, though, because they love and believe in everything that the project stands for.
Running a community that is also a business comes with its own flavor of challenges. Being the homeowner and a community member, I have had to juggle personality conflicts, maintenance expenses, community programs, event planning, and being the final decision maker as the leaseholder for the property.
The biggest challenge has been architecting a truly distributed sense of ownership and responsibility. That’s a massive shift from how most people are used to renting. But we’ve created a model that compensates stewards—residents who take on key roles in maintenance, community programming, and property operations—with rent reductions or financial returns. That’s been a game-changer. It allows me to step back from juggling and lets people step up in the ways they’re best suited to contribute.
There are always a million projects and renovations to work on, but thankfully I can say that at the 4 year mark, we’ve reached a major milestone where all of the main spaces are now fully renovated and functional, and as a business we have healthy cash flow.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
What really fills me up is knowing that Wild Seeds is a systems-level alternative to the isolating, extractive housing models most of us are trapped in.
One of our biggest wins was using our own model of community investment to take the banks out of the equation.This was through multiple methods on this property, but at this point have set it up so the capital stays in our extended community rather than extracted through traditional banking. That move made the project possible without a traditional mortgage, and it created real wealth-building opportunities for people involved.
Beyond the financials, there’s something magical about seeing people thrive here—creatives, activists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who find stability, support, and inspiration in this container. We host regular events and gatherings that weave people together and give shape to a shared life. These moments are just as important as the spreadsheets and renovation schedules.
Now that Wild Seeds is stable and self-sustaining, I’ve begun applying this model to a new venture: a creative wellness community in Italy. There, we’re designing a space where Americans feeling politically uncertain can gain legal residency, competitive returns and access affordable European healthcare, while also investing in something deeply meaningful. We’re attracting both mission-aligned community builders and those looking for ethical real estate investments that support their retirement goals.
Through it all, I plan to remain connected to Wild Seeds and to San Diego. This land, this experiment, and this community are proof that alternative models can work. I like to frame my actions in the context of building the early history I want to live. I believe building stronger communities, unique collaborations, and developing our own resources is the best way to face an uncertain future. So that’s why I’ve chosen commitment to building as many of these spaces as possible. Check out our presences online, we have various ways people can come out and visit or stay. Art residencies, vanlife/camping spots, as well as mid-term/long term guest space. We are really excited to meet people with like minded values, and want to use our space and resources towards their success. I hope that Wild Seeds can over time become a more and more valuable hub to the broader community.
Pricing:
- $20/night camping
- $75/night glamping
- $700/month vanlife and RV spots
- $1200/month artist residency or guest stay
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildseedsranch.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildseedsranch
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhammchand/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wildseedsranchvideo
