Last summer, a financially beleaguered 47-unit cooperative at 30 West 90th Street in Manhattan made news when it converted to condominium status. That was not the first time a co-op converted to condo. A Teaneck, New Jersey co-op underwent …

After 20 years in an English Tudor in Westchester's Pelham, Bobbi and Warner Burke decided it was time to "wake up in the heart of Manhattan. We wanted chaos, color and vibrancy where we lived," says Bobbi. Without any leads for brokers,…

Your co-op or condo is your home but it's also a business with vendors, contractors and a board of directors that sets guidelines affecting everyone. As in any business, there exists the potential for theft and fraud. While there are no …

The best-run co-ops and condos regularly update their house rules document, providing essential information to residents, the board and the professionals who work with the building, on everything from payment of arrears to installation of w…

Cost of living increases can be felt everywhere, from the theatre to the supermarket to the gas station. So it may come as a surprise to many co-op and condo residents that one place you don't have to expect an increase is in your monthly m…

You've planned carefully so that you'll be ready to close on the apartment you're selling just as you take possession of the apartment you're buying. Even though the new place isn't yours yet, you've already begun renovating and decorating …

Since it's a common belief that the best way to get something done is to give it to a busy person, it's often the busiest shareholders and unit owners that are elected to serve on the board. How do they find the time to add yet another resp…

When cable television became widespread in New York City around 1980, it revolutionized the way we watch TV by bringing a dizzying selection of programming to our living rooms. With seemingly endless choices, the terms "couch potato" and "c…

Thinking about your co-op or condo as a financial entity doesn't produce the same warm feeling as thinking about it as a home; but the fact remains that it is a financial entity in which you and your fellow shareholders or unit owners hav…

It seems as though everyone is talking about refinancing these days. With interest rates at an all-time low, more and more homeowners are taking advantage of the opportunity to reduce their monthly mortgage payments and/or take more equit…