Members of the insurance industry do not agree on much, but if they agree on one thing it's that insurance can seem like a very complex subject. For board members, there is one clear objective regarding insurance: to secure the lowest pos…

In the first cold day of the season, a group of res- idents and politicians stood in front of the Griffin, a 199-unit co-op in Brooklyn, trying to stay warm. You're not cold are you? exclaimed Jeannette Gadson, deputy borough president of…

As issues such as global warming, shrinking rain forests and overflowing landfills move to the top of our national agenda, environmental considerations have taken a higher priority among interior designers as well. These days, a kitchen ren…

If you thought asbestos was a problem, wait until you hear about lead. Found in 57 million private homes in the United States (two million in New York City), lead-based paint poisons young children, reduces IQs, and causes learning disabili…

It has been compared to a trip to the dentist and a police interrogation. The very mention of it makes potential buyers' knees tremble and sets brokers' eyes rolling heavenward. What could strike such apprehension in even the most jaded New…

One of the most difficult decisions boards of co-ops and condos have to make is who should manage their buildings. While boards are obviously looking for management that has both the qualifications and experience to handle a building such…

Anyone who has spent time serving on the board of his or her co-op or condo knows that it is a job that no one can do alone. Even if you have the most conscientious group of board members, the job is too time-consuming for a group of volunt…

While real estate brokers live by the old adage, Location, Location, Location, accountants define their relationships with the real estate community with another phrase: Communication, Communi-cation, Communication. While cooperatives and c…

Times change and your building's house rules should change along with them. A decade may have passed since your house rules were first written or last updated. In that time, the City has passed stringent new anti-smoking and recycling law…

Unlike most places in America, Manhattan does not have a multiple listing service, a directory that outlines all the properties currently for sale in a given region. Instead, New Yorkers rely on real estate brokers to get the word out that …