Like so many other sectors of the economy, residential real estate management has changed and evolved since the turn of the millennium. And also like in those other sectors, much of that evolution is related to the development and adaption …
Home Sweet Home can become un-sweet very quickly when the physical environment you’ve worked hard to create becomes a source of environmental toxicity. Chemicals, smoke, pet dander, and mold—along with other allergens and irritants—can make…
Life in a co-op or condo is in many respects a microcosm of the larger world outside. It can suffer from the same factionalism and power struggles as any political entity, only on a much smaller and more intimate—and thus potentially more d…
Q. Our board president said that her husband was qualified to perform gutter and minor roof repair at our community, and would do the work for free. He is not licensed or insured, yet the other board members agreed to use her husband to a…
Removing a disruptive, abusive, non-paying, or otherwise problematic tenant from a rental building is relatively easy. Doing the same thing in a co-op is also possible, though substantially harder. But removing a condo owner from the premis…
No matter how well constructed and carefully maintained, no mechanical system lasts forever—and that goes for elevator cabs and equipment just as much as it applies to roofs or boilers. At some point, your building’s vertical transportation…
Some lucky Chicagoland residents can come home from work on a bitter winter’s night and warm their feet by a roaring fire while drinking a hot toddy. A working fireplace is a coveted amenity for many, adding a dash of vintage charm to prewa…
In markets throughout the nation, 2019 was a year of uncertainty, reflecting change in the basic mechanisms of how we view, buy, and sell real estate. That uncertainty extended to all markets, from traditional single-family homes to co-ops …
Q. Our super was hired six months ago. He’s a hard worker and all the tenants like him. But the president of the board fired him three days before his six-month probation period was up. The tenants requested a special meeting to find out …
Q. Ours is a 96-unit multi-unit building with 12 tiers of eight condominium units per tier. There are two units on each floor in each tier. Each tier has an elevator that serves the second, third and fourth floor units and there is an ele…