Returned quicker than a phone call and, lately, more powerful than a postal letter, e-mail has become the superman of communication for all facets of life. Today, not only are e-mails used in everyday business and for personal communicatio…
Property managers have a lot to keep track of - board and shareholder meetings, maintenance issues, and a host of other concerns that go along with managing a building - or in some cases several buildings - in a metropolitan area like New …
Every co-op or condo community in New York City has its own personality and character, from the tiny 20-unit brownstone co-ops of the West Village to the towering modern high-rises of the Upper East Side. The wide range of sizes, demograph…
Mistakes happen - they're part of everybody's learning curve. There are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes in the course of running a residential building; in nearly three decades in the building operations field, I've both made and …
There's a lot of paperwork that's involved in running a co-op or condo building - everything from financial records to legal documents, shareholder correspondence and management statements from board meetings - and it's important that the …
Six years ago, a scandal rocked the New York State real estate management industry for the second time in a decade. Thirty management company owners, agents and contractors were indicted for taking kickbacks for contract work at many New Y…
Just as the world is populated with both good and bad people, New York City is populated by some excellently run and well-organized co-op and condo boards, and some not so efficient. Making unpopular decisions doesn't necessarily mean a bo…
There are a lot of things people consider when they look into buying a condo or co-op in New York City. Location is important, safety is an issue, and the size of the space is always a factor. But one thing that may get overlooked is the i…
Since my column in June of this year, there have been some significant cooperative and condominium cases that have been given little publicity. The most interesting case, may be the West Gate House case which brings the infamous Jennifer R…
Most of the time, "communication" and "openness" are watchwords for boards and management. Clear, transparent communication between boards, managing agents, and shareholder/owners should be right up there with "location, location, location"…