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…
Q. I am president of a master association with 16 homeowner associations. Recently, our new attorney recommended creating charters for our master association and the advisory committees. What are the advantages of this over just creating …
Architecture and design have changed a lot over the years. Considerations for ‘what-goes-where’ are very different now than, say, back in the Roaring Twenties, when so much of New York’s housing stock – and hence a large proportion of today…
Amid moments of economic uncertainty, a condominium, cooperative, or homeowner’s association may instinctively want to pinch pennies when it can, especially in regard to maintenance projects. Should an association have a full-time, in-house…
There is a natural inclination in business to work with those whom you know and trust. Relying on relationships that have developed over time is just a commonsense way to ensure that you’re getting a fair deal from a competent vendor who wi…
The days of homogenized, antiseptic dwellings are behind us. Whether city or suburb, people are looking to live in alluring spaces within dynamically-designed residential properties. The last few years have seen aesthetic trends come and go…