Q. I was a member of our three-person association condo board for approximately one year. I resigned after I realized the other two people were having secret meetings and making decisions without my input, and bringing their 2-to-1 vote t…

While the pandemic may have turbocharged the use of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other virtual platforms for multifamily residential boards, the shift toward digital meeting tools has outlasted the crisis itself. For condominium and community…

Investing in real estate is one of the best ways to increase net worth. That's why it’s so important for board members to keep in mind the best ways to increase the resale value of the homes within their community. All too often, board memb…

The CooperatorEvents Chicagoland Expo is returning to the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont on Wednesday, May 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., offering a full day of workshops, seminars, networking, and more. And, as always, r…

Community living comes with lots of rules and regulations—many of which are codified in largely static, hard-to-amend governing documents like proprietary leases and condominium declarations. Others are laid out in the more flexible context…

“You only get one chance to make a great first impression,” goes the old adage.  That’s the essence of curb appeal. When someone arrives at your property, they can be pleasantly surprised, or disappointed. Much of that reaction will depend …

Maintaining your community’s public spaces is critical to the image your community puts forward to residents, visitors and potential buyers. Frequent updating and polishing of common areas—particularly high-visibility, high-traffic areas li…

One of the perpetual challenges of multifamily, shared interest living is the relatively small number of community members who are willing to volunteer their time to govern and run the community. It’s not uncommon for any building or associ…

Even with new home sales rising thanks to builder incentives and a shift toward lower-priced homes, sky-high prices and economic instability continue to suppress overall housing market activity, according to a recent report in The Wal…

Q. We have a board member who has been locked out of meetings. According to that board member, the board has formed an executive committee that has, for all intents and purposes, shut them out. The board member is no longer able to view b…