According to a new report from Construction Coverage, a website that compares construction software and insurance, the current housing shortage—which is now estimated to be between 4 million and 7 million homes—can trace its beginnings …
After the devastating gas explosion in Harlem in 2014 that leveled a building, leaving eight people dead, and a second explosion in the East Village in 2015 that killed two and injured twenty, New York City passed Local Law 157 (LL157). Whi…
Have you ever wondered about those charming street-level unit entrances you see in many prewar apartment buildings? The ones often surrounded by flowering shrubbery, or with a decorative portico? They’re called maisonettes - French for ‘lit…
‘John’ (not his real name, in consideration of his and his neighbors’ privacy) has lived in co-op buildings for over 40 years, and in his particular co-op - a well-tended, 100% sold, mid-size building in Manhattan - for over two decades. Th…
Bill McBride notes in his CalculatedRisk newsletter that U.S. Census Bureau data that privately-owned housing starts reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,360,000 in April, a 5.7% increase from March’s revised estimate of 1,28…
One of the most widely felt effects of New York City’s multiple efforts to fight climate change is the shift away from oil- and gas-fired heating plants to electric. These efforts have been, and continue to be, largely successful. One of th…
Whether you’re a manager or a board member, running a co-op, condo, or HOA has never been an easy job. There’s always a capital project to fund, a contractor to hire, a dispute to resolve, a leak to repair … the list can feel endless. Tha…
Local Law 97 (LL97), part of New York City’s drive to achieve a zero carbon footprint by 2050, looms large for both the city’s landlords and the boards of shared-interest communities. The cost of compliance is high, and the process complica…
Over the years, multifamily co-op and condominium buildings have been notorious for the plethora of restrictions many impose upon residents, from smoking bans to strict quiet hours to forbidding holiday displays. While many of these restric…
For most households, housing is itself the largest regular expenditure - so the failure of wages to keep up with housing prices can make housing costs even more expensive in real dollars. And since the onset of the pandemic in spring of 202…