The age-old adage about real estate is that there are three major factors in determining its value: “location, location, location.” While that may or may not be true, and location aside, a smart seller has to price an apartment right to se…
Serving on your building or association's board isn't easy - especially when you don't have a managing company guiding you. There's a lot to remember, a lot to take in, and high-stakes decisions to make. These legal pros offer some advice o…
Home cooks often dream of large rambling kitchens filled with restaurant-quality equipment; six burner stoves; double ovens; industrial strength dishwashers that scrape the crud right off the pots; and sub-zero refrigerator freezers with hy…
Sometimes it can be all-too-tempting to throw around the 'r'-word, whether for the sake of cynical sensationalism or genuine enthusiasm. (The word being, or course, 'renaissance.') But it's often better to tread more lightly; to just acknow…
The world of real estate, especially condos and co-ops, has its share of unique characters and universal conflict. In a way, it's not that different from a William Shakespeare play. So it's not too surprising that a new production at Man…
Q. Litigation has been brought against our co-op, its board of directors, and individual board members, accusing one or several members of the 2015/16 board of directors of malfeasance. If the allegations are substantiated in court, it co…
Q. My Manhattan co-op has a liberal sublet allowance of four out of six years, and a five percent sublet fee. The person who purchased the apartment above me has been permitted to sublet for 7 1/2 years now. I have had a lot of problems d…
Q. My question is about an irrevocable trust I have set up. I would like to put my co-op into the trust. I have paid the co-op’s attorney $700 and submitted appropriate papers. Now the management says first I need to pay them $625 to comp…
Q. When the board of a New York City Mitchell-Lama co-op requires the shareholders to purchase homeowners’ insurance, does the resolution, if passed, becomes part of the building’s house rules? If there are no city-approved house rules, …
Jack and his wife Rachel live in Chicago, happy in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a parking spot. Assessments are criminally low, the building is dog friendly and it is literally a half block from a Chicago train stop. While they have a…