Purchasing a co-op in New York City can be a real odyssey. Even with thousands of options on the market, securing a place that fits your lifestyle and budget can leave you with only a handful of viable choices. Factor in each building’s…
While essential to the successful operation of all cooperatives or condominiums, the contents of governing documents are often only glossed over by otherwise well-intentioned boards members and managing agents leading to potential pitf…
On July 1st, about 10,000 New York City buildings must start phasing out their use of high-polluting fuel oil. Under the city's “Clean Heat” mandate (a part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan New York initiat…
Whether indoors or out, few design elements are as dramatic and arresting as a waterfall or fountain. According to the blog The Bowery Boys, the very first decorative fountain in New York City was the City Hall fountain, unveiled on Oc…
The signs “Post No Bills,” “Active Driveway” and “Alternate Side Parking” are all fairly common and relatively self-explanatory in urban settings. Other equally common signs we see in suburban communities throughout the U.S. related to p…
Whether you live in a towering mid-block high-rise or a sprawling suburban development, landscaping not only helps a co-op, condo or HOA increase and retain property values, but has a positive impact on residents themselves—beautiful, f…
New York City is not generally known for its biodiversity. Surprising pockets of nature like the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge give a glimpse of the incredible ecology that once existed in the area, but the development of a massive metropoli…
New York City is not exactly known for year round sunshine and palm trees. At first glance greenery, lawns and lawn care, may seem a non–issue for many New Yorkers, but like most Americans, New Yorkers have a long-running love affair wi…
The words “housing crisis” still have the power to send shivers down the spines of homeowners who are still feeling the effects of the collapse of the market in 2008. That collapse was itself triggered for the most part by the writing o…
Little by little, the world seems to be getting greener, and the Bloomberg administration has made greening the city one of its priorities in helping to reduce New York City’s carbon footprint. As part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Gr…