When the author of this story bought her home, she sat in disbelief when the lawyers handed her the last paper to sign—the one that confirmed she signed all the other papers! The confusion wasn’t surprising; the home-buying process …

Boston, Massachusetts may seem worlds away from New York City, but the story of one embattled condo building there represents a dire cautionary tale for boards and managers everywhere. A couple of years ago, the residents of Boston’s H…

Whether you own your own home or not, you can’t help but know about the subprime mortgage crisis that is sweeping across America as foreclosures are claiming people’s homes everywhere we look. Well, almost everywhere. Even in light …

Co-op boards are notorious for scrutinizing potential shareholders. Condos, on the other hand, are often thought of as more lenient—and thus more desirable—by buyers because condo boards lack the power to probe too deeply into a buyer’s per…

As many readers are by now aware, a rule that proved a hindrance to the operations of many co-ops in New York was drastically altered in December of last year--and the changes are having far-reaching effects on the city's co-op communities.…

In most cities, traditionally, the choicest pieces of real estate are owned by native sons and daughters, people who are from the area. Money comes in from everywhere, but the entrepreneurs making that money are homegrown. Heinz and Carn…

Q I live in a co-op where some fellow owners and their children are very disruptive in the common areas and are damaging the building and my personal belongings. What are our rights? Some owners think that because we are all connected th…

Q I am on the board of a cooperative that is over forty-years-old. We wish to replace steps in the lobby with ramps to accommodate wheelchairs. We want to know if we can receive any public financing since we are helping the disabled. …

Q Do you have any information on what to do about a neighbor who admittedly has roaches and occasionally mice? Doesn’t management have the right to go into an apartment for sanitary reasons? What about the health and cleanliness of the…

Q I am a rent-stabilized tenant in a non-eviction plan Queens co-op. (It was converted in 1986.) A shareholder gave me a ballot proxy so that I could attend the annual meeting of the co-op. Am I allowed to ask questions at this meeting…