Change is a part of life; and that’s especially true if you’re talking about living in an urban condo community, where no building ever stays the same for too long. Renovations are done, capital improvements are required and even upgrades …
When you lived alone, designing your space was easy. You went to the paint store, selected your favorite colors, came home and did the deed. But then you got married, and decorating got a little trickier. Every design decision had to get a…
Winter in Chicago can be brutal—piles of slushy gray snow to wade through and frigid winds that keep you inside. So you curl up with a good book, sip a cup of tea, and watch the flurries through the window. As the flakes fall, you might fi…
When buyers purchase condo units, they purchase access to the condo's shared amenities, as well. Depending on the scale and financial demographics of the building, those amenities could be substantial. For instance, during the real e…
When it comes to offering social programs and amenities, respective requests, needs, and preferences can run the gamut. For board members and managers, having programs in place that cater to collective populations—toddlers to octogenarians…
These days, buying a new condominium might mean access not only to your dream home but also to the kind of high-end amenities that can transform a beautiful home into a spectacular one. At least that is the goal of developers and boards se…
Chicagoland is known for its cold and windy winter weather, which often lasts from late October all the way through March and makes “The Windy City” a well-earned moniker. Between the cold prairie winds, and gales from Lake Michigan …
Condos, co-ops and HOAs draw prospective residents with a wide variety of appealing features, from proximity to an office or family member to amazing views, to the concept of having someone else mow the lawn, fix the roof, and maintain the…
Our condo association has a surplus of parking spaces. We used to rent the excess spots to people who do not reside in the building, but our management company advised us to discontinue this practice because it created a problem. They said …
Q I am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on our board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absen…