Citizens over the age of 65 comprise nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population—just under 40 million seniors. By 2030, it is estimated that 72 million Americans will be over the age of 65, nearly doubling those numbers. Where this volume…
In today’s legislative world, housing is a big item. Rent-payers, condo owners, co-op shareholders, and developers all have their particular interests—and they don’t necessarily mesh. In the meantime, the ongoing recession threatens all …
Every co-op, condo and HOA community is different—each has its own distinctive character, attitude, and expectations. The same is obviously true for the individual people who manage these communities and help them run their day-to-day b…
With smart-phones dominating the cellular market, people now have Internet access anywhere and everywhere they go. While shopping and “googling” are leading reasons to use the Internet, the rise of social media has changed the way in wh…
A friend of a property manager of a New York co-op recently remarked that “Superman has finally met his match” when a task came in that seemed to have the effect of kryptonite and slowed him down—for a moment at least. With man…
Budgeting is never easy, not for a family of four and certainly not for a co-op or condo community of hundreds or thousands of residents. That fact is made all the more difficult by the lingering effects of the recession, which continue…
The holidays are behind us, and the long haul toward spring is underway. Along with the usual springtime showers and flowers, of course, comes The Cooperator’s annual Co-op & Condo Expo. The Expo is quietly taking shape as this spring’s …
Q I am a shareholder in a Lower East Side tenement co-op. The building was originally 6 floors with 4 apartments on each floor. In 1985, we formed a corporation and purchased the building from the landlord who had us purchase a money m…
Q At a general meeting of our condominium, a proposal for a flip tax/transfer fee on the sale of a unit failed to get enough votes. Subsequently, the board of managers decided to impose a transfer fee of five months maintenance charg…
Charged with managing their properties’ expenses, boards of co-ops and condo complexes place a high priority on controlling energy consumption. In some regions, multi-family properties are being aided by local utilities and incentive pr…