Condo, HOA, and co-op boards are generally made up of volunteers—and they're frequently a pretty diverse group. There’s the stay-at-home mom who’s looking to get involved with something beyond homework and housework. Maybe there’s also t…
As housing sales in the Chicagoland area remain stagnant, legislation both nationally and locally relating to property ownership and management continue to remain active. The majority of the legislation introduced recently has sought t…
Remember that thick stack of documents you received when you bought your condo or co-op? If you're like most people, they're probably sitting in a drawer or in the back of your filing cabinet, communing with the dust bunnies, largely f…
Q I am three months behind in my association payments. Can the condominium foreclose on my unit? My mortgage payments are up to date, and I called my lender who said no, they cannot foreclose. I wrote a letter to the board asking f…
Q With respect to the exterior of a condominium, who has basic ownership rights and responsibilities for maintenance and repairs—the unit owner or the association? Can a unit owner have an air conditioner installed through a licensed…
Q Does the secretary and treasurer position have to be a board member or can it be delegated/hired? —Curious in Chicago A “Most condominium association bylaws,” says attorney and managing partner Ebony Lucas of Chicag…
Hyde Park, located on the South Side in Cook County is approximately seven miles south of the Chicago Loop and one of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods and community areas. As a neighborhood, Hyde Park's definition has shrunk to a cor…
Choosing the right property management company is a tedious but important task for any Board of Directors. The use of a Request For Proposal (RFP) process by a cooperative board will greatly enhance the selection of the most a…
There's no denying it: the housing bubble has definitely burst. And while there is still some speculation on how, when and why, most financial experts agree that the correction and balancing process has begun—though it will likely be lo…
Chicago has a long tradition of being culturally diverse, and that tradition continues to evolve today. The Metro Chicago Immigration Fact Book reports that the Chicagoland area added 1.4 million immigrants in the past decade,…