A short distance away from this writer’s “regular,” non-Cooperator job in Downtown Brooklyn is a large, empty edifice, a former industrial building. A year or so ago, the conversion of this building to condos was a big deal—a sales offi…
Almost any veteran property manager can tell tales of buildings that have fallen on rough times thanks to the economic meltdown of the last few years. Some have been beset by multiple unit foreclosures, others are dealing with defaultin…
While the majority of co-op and condo communities in New York hire professional management firms to handle their day-to-day operations, many others choose to go the self-managed route, which can include hiring on-site staff or having r…
At one point or another, we’ve all felt like this: I gotta go to the dry cleaners, get the computer fixed, pick up groceries after the ballet recital, wait, a client meeting just popped up, oh, and I have to make reservations …
Managing a portfolio of co-ops and condos can be an adventure, no matter how small the buildings or how civil and well-mannered the shareholders and owners. Problems inevitably arise, and when they do, the managing agent can often wind …
The Cooperator magazine and Yale Robbins, Inc. are pleased to invite all property managers, board members, shareholders and unit owners to the 23rd annual Co-op & Condo Expo, a one-day trade show event on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 from 9 …
For pretty much every business sector you can think of, 2009 was a roller coaster of a year—and real estate was particularly hard-hit. Some industry professionals have weathered the storm, while others have packed up and moved on from t…
The Federation of New York Housing Cooperatives & Condominiums recently held a roundtable seminar for board presidents and board members at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. The October 24th event attracted around 50 people and pa…
Our homes are our sanctuaries—the places we go to feel safe. Sometimes, though, problems arise that can threaten that sense of security. We worry about fire, or intruders or other common fears, but rarely do we consider environmental co…
Microchip technology and innovations like biometrics and voice recognition devices have revolutionized the residential security industry. Once purely in the realm of science fiction, computers can now perform retinal scans and hand pri…