Living in a condominium community means working together. Cooperation and a spirit of volunteerism are visible every day in community gatherings, board meetings, even in the scheduling of time on the tennis courts. The men and women wh…
The key to achieving savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it's…
While most people might catch the flu in the winter or suffer from allergies in the spring, a building’s immune system is continually being tested. An environment that appears “healthy” on the surface could be plagued by invisible, odorl…
Jena Ball couldn't sleep—the noise was deafening and keeping her awake night after night. The racket wasn't coming from the next door neighbors, but instead was emanating from inside her condo wall. "It was bizarre," says Ball. …
As awareness of the environmental impact of consumerism has been increasingly accepted, recycling has grown in popularity throughout the country. Municipalities have approached the issue in varying ways with policies affecting homeowne…
Soon Chicagoland area's condo and HOA communities will be battening down the hatches for another brutal Midwest winter and thankfully there are some networking and educational resources that can be of help. This November, HOA …
Q We have a new unit owner in our building who is a young, very smart man. He had a party of about 15 people, which flowed out from his unit into the lobby and in front of the building where his guests were drinking champagne right out …
Q I live in a condo complex that has four buildings. Our election for board members is based on the highest number of votes from the four buildings. The problem is that the number of units in each building are not equal. For example on…
You may not know the name of your local alderman, or even your state representative—plenty of polls have shown that many people don't. Politicians are one thing, but when it comes to the people running your condo building or homeowners …
Co-op and condo board members usually are volunteers who live in the building and contribute their time and expertise to help their community. Ideally, they ensure that the building runs well and efficiently, and that residents’ investm…