Hector and Hedy Johnson bought a new condominium just off Lakeshore Drive in 1995 and lived there for 19 years. In 2014 they sold the apartment to Leonard and Lena Smith. A year later, the condominium association’s board of directors voted …
Q. I am a resident who is wheelchair-bound at a condo building built before 1991. I had a temporary plywood ramp made specifically for access to enter and exit the common entrance. The HOA has since informed me the ramp is unacceptable du…
We often urge readers facing all manner of issues in dealing with the day-to-day operation of their condominium, cooperative or homeowner’s association to consult with a trusted, professional property manager. The best and brightest of thes…
Every co-op, condo, and HOA must elect a board of directors to oversee the community’s finances, physical maintenance, and other day-to- day operations. While board elections don't rise quite to the level of a state or even local election i…
Despite living in association, sometimes disputes erupt. Some residents just can’t be reasoned with. They’ll bother the board or other residents in various ways: noise at all hours, smells, maybe even just being a pest. No matter what it is…
Amenities come and go. In some places like New York and Miami though they can make or break a condo’s marketability, but in Chicago at least, it’s still a matter of the three cardinal rules of real estate, “location, location, location,” a…
Dana Greco, a therapist specializing in marriage counseling and divorce mediation lived in a comfortable two bedroom co-op on New York’s Upper West Side near Columbia University. Divorced herself and with grown children, her apartment was …
Although it may sometimes feel as if our pets have the run of the land, humans are still the masters of their own domains. In order to maintain this status quo—especially in a communal environment such as a condominium, cooperative or homeo…
It’s often tough to get co-op, condo, and HOA residents interested in joining their building or association’s board. No one wants to work a second job if they don’t have to—especially one that doesn’t pay—but regardless, there’s important w…
Q. Some time ago, my condo building undertook a major renovation project, and residents were assessed a significant amount, about $20,000. After two years, the project was completed and came in under budget. The board is now grappling wit…