Despite well-intended laws and protocols enacted in respective states, co-op and  condo homeowners, organizations and associations are often faced with  complicated, sometimes confusing issues related to building codes, zoning  ordinances…

In today’s tough real estate market, people are searching for every advantage they can find when it comes time to sell their property. They’ll search out the best agent they can find. Or place ads in the highest circulation magazines. T…

Nothing can take the fun out of a design project faster than missed deadlines and cost overruns—and naturally, both problems usually go hand in hand. Even if a project is certain to increase a property’s value and/or curb appeal, the uph…

Good communication is key to making any relationship work—married or dating couple, parent and child, sibling to sibling, and best friend forever friendships. In the co-op and condo world, boards also have relationships—with vendors, des…

It's time to face the facts. The teal-and-salmon sofa that was purchased for your foyer may not exactly be in  style any more. The window treatments that were chosen in the early 1990s no  longer grace the pages of every design magazine so…

Q We live in a medium-sized co-op in Chelsea with seven apartments per floor. It is clear to me that a woman who lives on our floor is using one or two of her bedrooms as a bed and breakfast (B&B). She must advertise on something lik…

Q In a previous issue of The Cooperator, attorney C. Jaye Berger discusses the matter of allocation of costs by shares for services such as electricity and water, as opposed to person adjusted usage. I do not take issue with her com…

Q My offer on a co-op was accepted and the co-op sent some of the financials to my attorney. I’m told that the building’s financials are “OK,” not terrific and not terrible. My attorney said that the reserves are $140,000 or approxima…

Q We are a small co-op building of 28 units in Jackson Heights, Queens. We would like to know if during an interview of the prospective buyer a seller is allowed to be present, where he/she might intervene during the process favoring…

 As a neighborhood, the South Bronx has struggled for nearly three decades under  the negative connotations of its name as a flash point for violent crime,  drugs, and unchecked urban decay. For many of those who live there, life is  bound…