Drawing up a contract for management services looks at first glance like a simple task. Such contracts usually follow a particular format and outline similar services for both co-ops and condos, regardless of size. But what about contr…
Job losses. Bankruptcies. Foreclosures. These are tough times for everyone, but when homeowners fall on hard times, they are often late paying their condo or co-op fees. Some can’t even afford to pay them at all. Add in contractors and …
These are hardly the best of times for those who manage co-op and condo buildings, charged as they are with overseeing financial well-being, maintenance goals, legal issues and an almost unpredictable kaleidoscope of other daily concer…
Security systems are not just for homeowners in a suburban setting. With advances in wireless technology, security and life safety systems, the features found in the newest systems are a great appliance add-on to condo or co-op apartme…
A proposal to ban federal lenders from purchasing loans in co-ops that use flip tax fees or condos with deed-based transfer fees has housing community leaders worried the ruling would lead to diminished operating budgets and severely d…
These days SoHo is populated by fancy eateries, high-end boutiques, the Apple store, and of course, the art galleries. On the weekends, the streets are packed with shoppers and tourists. This neighborhood is characteristic of several a…
New legislation and a push by the city fathers to make New York City buildings more energy-efficient has thrown the gauntlet down for New Yorkers to also become more energy-conscious. Wouldn’t it be great if residents decided to take th…
Security is a big issue no matter where you live, but in a sprawling urban environment like New York City, it's toward the top of residents' list of concerns. For co-ops and condos, addressing this means not only providing residents a …
Just this past September, a tornado hit Park Slope, Central Brooklyn and parts of Queens, doing substantial damage in a few short minutes. It left people in other parts of the city wondering, “Could it happen here?” But the tornado—and …
There are some eight million people living in the five boroughs of New York. A sample size that big is bound to yield some bad apples. Most every New Yorker knows how to avoid the garden-variety, shady-looking miscreant on the street—th…