In today’s turbulent economic times as so many of us try to regain our financial footing, the question of how to balance the bottom line and still take care of all that needs to be done in a co-op and condo building remains a difficult …
Organizing and keeping a co-op or condo’s books and other records is, on the surface, not that different than keeping a budget for one’s home. But there are many important differences—filing deadlines, tax requirements, reports…
It’s been a long time since cable modems were the gold standard in Internet connectivity—or at least it seems like it’s been a long time. Telecommunications as a field has been developing at a dizzying pace, and multifamily buildings—bo…
While the economy sputters along and unemployment rates remain steady at more than nine percent, there doesn't seem to be much call for celebration—but all is not gloom and doom. The real estate market has been one of the most notable c…
Typically the sources of terror in horror movies come from ghouls and zombies. Victims in these films find themselves trapped in an abandoned warehouse or haunted mansion with no chance of escape or survival. These films leave the audi…
The days when an apartment building's 'security system' consisted of a tricky front door lock and the landlord's ill-tempered dog are long past. Today, security measures range from old-style deadbolts to high-tech biometric screening e…
Your co-op or condo unit houses more than your material possessions. The management office also typically contains detailed information about you—including your social security number, credit card number, emergency information, phone nu…
Recent nationwide crime statistics show that New York City and its outlying suburbs has become one of the safest cities of its size in the past 15 years. Nevertheless, in a sprawling metropolitan area encompassing New York and New Jers…
A few years ago, when I lived in the East Village—in a one-bedroom, fifth-floor walk-up—I had a creepy experience when the cable guy came to hook up our service. He arrived in a beat-up windowless van that looked like it had been boosted …
Managing a cooperative or condominium apartment building in New York would be a piece of cake… if weren’t for all those people. “The bricks and mortar is easy,” says Margie Russell, managing director of the New York Association…