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2009 Oct
Focus on... Board Operations

Board Operations The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2009 Oct The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Here’s the scenario: the sponsor of your co-op, who owns enough units to throw his weight around, hires a managing agent who plays fast and loose with the municipal tax codes. So much so in fact, that he winds up in jail—and your buildi…

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Board Operations Cultivating an Owner's Mentality
2009 Oct Cultivating an Owner's Mentality

Talk to enough property managers and board members, and eventually you’ll hear the phrase “owner’s mentality” mentioned in reference to co-op and condo dwellers. Usually the phrase is uttered by way of a complaint, as in, “Our residents …

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Board Operations Ultra-small Co-op & Condo Communities
2009 Oct Ultra-small Co-op & Condo Communities

Sometimes, living in one of those enormous, labyrinthine co-op or condo buildings can make a resident feel like one among the many, indistinguishable from any other. While many people prefer the anonymity of a large building, others se…

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Board Operations Scaling Back on Budgets and Plans
2009 Oct Scaling Back on Budgets and Plans

 It’s no secret that in this economic climate, everyone is trying to find a way to  save money. For the city’s co-op and condo communities, this has meant a great deal of scaling back on  budgets, cutting some projects and reshuffling plan…

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Board Operations Knowledge is Power
2009 Oct Knowledge is Power

 When you’re a superintendent or a member of a building’s support staff, your educational background is not always that important when  you’re hired, as long as your experience is enough to impress those doing the  hiring. But once you do …

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Board Operations Resolving Disputes with Shareholders
2009 Oct Resolving Disputes with Shareholders

 Shareholders often find themselves “butting heads” with the board of directors at the co-op buildings in which they live. Often  the disputes, which arise are disagreements over a shareholder’s personal agenda, and a board not allowing th…

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Board Operations A Look at the South Bronx
2009 Oct A Look at the South Bronx

 “So you think hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge?”         According to seminal rap artist and South Bronx native KRS-One, you are  mistaken. In fact, according to his aptly titled 1986 track, “If you popped that junk up in t…

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Board Operations Property Values, Loans at Risk
2009 Oct Property Values, Loans at Risk

 As of November 2, new lending guidelines from HUD mean that FHA loan  requirements will be significantly tightened for condominium sales.    The new requirements could have a profoundly negative effect on the ability to  sell or bu…

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Board Operations Preventing Damage from Ice and Snow
2009 Oct Preventing Damage from Ice and Snow

At first glance, concrete obviously seems like a very dense material. In reality however, it absorbs water, behaving more like a sponge. This can easily be observed on a summer day. Pour water on a sidewalk, and you can actually watch th…

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Board Operations A Look at What Lies Beneath
2009 Oct A Look at What Lies Beneath

New York is often called a “vertical” city because its finite borders impose strict limits on expansion. In Manhattan particularly, the only way to build is up. This verticality goes both ways, however—for all the towering skyscrapers a…

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Q&A Q&A: Irresponsible Board President
2009 Oct Q&A: Irresponsible Board President

Q The board of our HDFC co-op is not fulfilling the needs of the building or maintaining its upkeep. The building structure is deteriorating, and the intercom system has not been working for over a year. Since the death of our last …

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Q&A Q&A: Management Company Negligent
2009 Oct Q&A: Management Company Negligent

Q Our management company just changed hands. The building records were shipped to the co-op, placed in a room across from the laundry and the rumor is that only the superintendent has the key. The other night when the new manager cam…

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