Take an architectural tour of just about any major U.S. city, and you’ll get a sense of how trends and tastes in building materials have changed over time.  Limestone, brownstone, brick, and terracotta were the earthy materials of choice du…

Can you imagine living in a co-op or condo that doesn’t have a laundry room? These days, having on-site laundry facilities for residents isn’t an amenity – it’s a necessity, and keeping yours functional and well-maintained is just as import…

Everyone loves the turning of the seasons, what with leaves changing, snow falling, pools opening, and the like. But Mother Nature has little concern for the comfort of humans, so fluctuating temperatures bring the need for residential heat…

Whether because of convenience, the desire for autonomy, or a tight budget, some condo and HOA communities opt not to retain an outside management company or an agent to handle their respective day-to-day administrative and maintenance need…

In smaller buildings and associations, it's tempting for boards to do business and make decisions based on goodwill and a handshake -- board members may have been serving for decades, and know each other like family. Tempting or not however…

Serving on your building or HOA's board isn't easy -- particularly if your background is short on administrative experience. In this clip, some industry pros who work with boards every day give us some insight into what they wish more board…

New York was a city of renters until the mid-1970’s, when the trend towards  co-op and condominium ownership began.  Prior to that, most residents chose to live here because it was the Big Apple and for the anonymity it afforded.  Unlike sm…

Throughout New York City's five boroughs there are myriad neighborhoods that attract a particular demographic due to history and culture. Astoria, Queens is as widely known for its Greek community as Greenpoint, Brooklyn is for its Polish o…

We all know that 'greener' energy is better; it's cleaner, more sustainable, and often cheaper than more traditional sources -- but it can cost a pretty penny to install new, greener equipment, or to retrofit existing equipment to upgrade i…

Conflicts between both unit owners and their co-op or condo, or between neighbors, can get ugly pretty quickly. Often due to many considerations--in particular the slow pace of anything in common-interest properties and the general reluctan…