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2007 Jan
Focus on... Management/Board Relations

Management Filling the Bill
2007 Jan Filling the Bill

For most boards, the fees charged by their management firms are just a fact of doing business. Aside from signing the initial contract, most board members probably do not give much thought to how those fees were initially determined, bey…

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Management Switching Management Companies
2007 Jan Switching Management Companies

In a perfect world, the relationship between a management company and the co-op or condo it serves would be harmonious, with few—if any—bumps in the road. But this is New York City, and if that vital relationship sours, your board could …

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Management I Can Manage
2007 Jan I Can Manage

Co-op and condo buildings don’t run themselves. Their owners and shareholders rely on board members to make important decisions about the buildings they live in, and board members count on their management companies to provide them with …

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Management A License to Build
2007 Jan A License to Build

One of the most important things that a co-op or condo must take into consideration when hiring a contractor for a maintenance or construction project is whether the service providers the building are bringing in to do the work are prope…

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Management Managing to Manage
2007 Jan Managing to Manage

Even the best-run buildings have their bad days, and minor (sometimes not-so-minor) emergencies.  In times like these, it’s vital to have a capable, experienced manager at the helm who can handle problems efficiently and minimize their d…

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Real Estate Trends Working the Door
2007 Jan Working the Door

Forget Barbie dolls and dress up clothes—when Janet Leon was a little girl, she probably would’ve preferred to have a mini tool belt and set of screwdrivers. Growing up, she says she fondly remembers shadowing her father, a machinist, ar…

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Law & Legislation Taxing Questions
2007 Jan Taxing Questions

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” And taxes aren’t just a certainty for co-op and condo buildings—they’re a complicated part of keeping a building co…

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Interior Melding Design with Comfort
2007 Jan Melding Design with Comfort

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the home—albeit in short intervals.  We all have our own vision of the ultimate bathroom, from natural light and optimal storage space, to telephones, Jacuzzi baths and flat screen TVs. But u…

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Law & Legislation Defending Against Discrimination Claims
2007 Jan Defending Against Discrimination Claims

In what may prove to be a significant victory for cooperative and condominium boards sued for housing discrimination, an appellate court recently applied the protection of the business judgment rule to a discrimination claim for disabili…

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Organizations Answering Westchester's Questions
2007 Jan Answering Westchester's Questions

Westchester County is known for, among other things, its grand, multi-million dollar mansions and historic homes found in its posh communities such as Scarsdale, Bronxville and Brewster. Many of these homes were built in the 1950s, when …

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Organizations Communication and Optimism
2007 Jan Communication and Optimism

There was a time when many of the city’s key resident management/superintendent associations didn’t communicate much. The Manhattan Resident Managers Club, Inc., the Metropolitan Building Managers of New York, the Scandinavian-American B…

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Organizations Retrofit and Reduce
2007 Jan Retrofit and Reduce

There is a tendency among many co-op boards, building managers and developers to consider “green” building technologies as extras—or as luxuries that have nothing to do with their need to reduce costs. That kind of thinking is so …

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Management Education is Key
2007 Jan Education is Key

One of the major initiatives which will soon benefit New York City’s co-op and condominium landscape is the ongoing effort to certify the resident managers and superintendents that live and work in city housing. It’s time to dust off A…

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Finance What Will 2007 Bring?
2007 Jan What Will 2007 Bring?

Mortgage financiers are gearing up for a different lending landscape in 2007. To succeed in the coming year, lenders will need to pay attention, look around and get in front of trends.  Here are a few trends we can already foresee: …

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Real Estate Trends Divine Profits
2007 Jan Divine Profits

It’s no secret—in fact, it’s been a problem for years: residential developers in Manhattan and other hot areas like Downtown Brooklyn are running out of space. Various solutions have been applied to the space issue over the years.…

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Q&A Q&A: Vendors Only Policy
2007 Jan Q&A: Vendors Only Policy

I currently run my family’s construction business and have been doing so since I left management business over four years ago. Recently, I was asked to renovate an apartment for a client in a luxurious East Side apartment building. The b…

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Q&A Q&A: Without Board Consent
2007 Jan Q&A: Without Board Consent

Q Three shareholders organized the development of 861 square feet of unused courtyard space behind their building, after having surveyed the building for interest (57 percent of shareholders responded—of which 70 percent were in favo…

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Q&A Q&A: Transfer on Inside Sales
2007 Jan Q&A: Transfer on Inside Sales

Q If a building decides to adopt a transfer tax, can they impose a tax when an apartment is sold to an outsider but exempt from the tax when selling to an insider? The apartments that have been combined with other apartments, (three …

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Q&A Q&A: Right to See Project Documents
2007 Jan Q&A: Right to See Project Documents

Q My co-op is about to engage in a multi-million dollar energy upgrade project.  The board president has decided to not allow me—a newly elected member of the board— and any shareholders access to review the documents on this project. How…

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