These days, just about everyone is cutting back on spending, either to make ends meet, saving for something special or a rainy day, paying off debt or funding their retirement. Consumers are cutting coupons, looking for deals and keepin…
Any building in New York City taller than, say, five stories usually has an elevator—and often, new buildings of even three stories have one. If you live in a New York-area co-op or condo apartment building, chances are that you use an …
Property management, in the broadest of terms, is defined as the operation, control and oversight of real estate. Most property managers would agree that definition is just a starting point. There are many facets to the demandin…
Suddenly, the room was shaking and the plants around Ron Tepperman’s desk were moving—it took a second for him to register what was happening. Until a real live earthquake shook the city and created panic along the East Coast, that grou…
In pretty much all states except New York, if someone doing construction work is injured on the job, workers’ compensation insurance will take effect and cover all medical expenses and lost wages. Here, according to a spokesp…
When you decide to run for a board, you’re usually thinking about all the great changes you’re going to make to your building, along with all the time and effort that you’re prepared to sacrifice for the good of your home. Of th…
When you were a child, you probably tuned into the PBS show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, where a homespun sweater-clad Fred Rogers often sang “Won’t you be my neighbor?” Mr. Rogers might be singing a different tune today if he wer…
After nearly twelve years in office Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is poised to leave office on December 31st of this year. One of his last acts as mayor of immediate and possible long-term impact is adoption of a final budget for the upco…
It's a sad fact that the artisans and craftspeople who created some of the most beautiful, distinctive interior and exterior architectural elements for New York's residential buildings are an endangered species. The proliferation of sl…
Out of nowhere, someone is regularly using the parking space you have had for years. And strangers are appearing regularly in your building’s hallways, though you’re not sure where they belong or if they should even be there. Strangely, …