While the majority of condo buildings and HOA communities choose to partner with professional management firms to provide guidance and counseling and oversee their day-to-day operations, other boards take the reins themselves and choose se…
It’s only logical that if something goes wrong and needs fixing at a condo or HOA, it's the board or manager’s job to do some due diligence and choose the contractor that makes the most sense for the community's needs and budget. Thi…
It was January 1977 when the Center for Disease Control (CDC) first identified and isolated a previously unknown strain of bacteria found breeding in the cooling tower of a hotel air conditioning system. The bacteria, subsequently named Le…
The “Dream Team” label is often used to describe a perfect combination of highly-skilled people drawn together for a particular purpose. The 1992 U.S. mens' Olympic basketball team is probably the most famous example, but 'dream teams' hav…
Many if not most boards get along famously. There are boards that have had the same members for decades and run their communities without a hitch. We frequently get calls from readers who are troubled when they find that their board …
The owners of Museum Park Place Condominium in Chicago’s South Loop area are fortunate; their 23-story, 194-unit building overlooks Soldier Field. “We sit on the rooftop terrace, listen to concerts, and watch the Bears play football on the…
When electing board members to serve on behalf of your community, you expect them to be on their best behavior and think of the needs of the building and the people who live there when making their decisions. Regardless of the type of comm…
Q I live in a condo in which the majority of the residents are older or active adult age. However, it seems that there are several families with children with which we are having problems related to noise complaints. For the past year or …
You'll have to search far and wide to find a town named for an exclusive polo club. In Chicagoland, though, you have to look no further than Oak Brook, Illinois. Back in 1922, Paul Butler organized a polo club and the village became …
If someone offered free advice and equipment to help you use less of his product, would you say it’s too good to be true? A lot of people do. That’s a challenge as Chicagoland’s electric and natural-gas utilities try to promote energy-savi…