Rachel recently bought a condo in Chicago’s bustling Lakeview neighborhood—and from the outset, she didn’t take the process of purchasing a home lightly. “I’m a first time homebuyer,” says Rachel, “and I was pretty specific abou…
While essential to the successful operation of all cooperatives or condominiums, governing documents are often only glossed over by otherwise well-intentioned board members, residents and property managers leading to potential pitfalls.…
The catastrophic and tragic effects of the tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma this past May resulted in 23 deaths and nearly $2 billion in damage. Natural disasters like these are on the rise, and serve to underscore the importance…
Property management, in the broadest of terms, is defined as the operation, control and oversight of real estate. Most property managers would agree that definition is just a starting point. There are many facets to the demand…
When you decide to run for a board, you’re usually thinking about all the great changes you’re going to make to your building, along with all the time and effort that you’re prepared to sacrifice for the good of your home. Of th…
The Chicagoland Cooperator is returning to the area to host the Chicagoland Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo. This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, October 22nd from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Navy Pier Convention Center in Chicago. …
Q With the proliferation of media such as Skype, OoVoo and FaceTime for online audio and video conferencing, I was thinking that community association and board of directors’ meetings probably could be conducted remotely. Can associatio…
It’s a sad fact that the artisans and craftspeople who created some of the most beautiful, distinctive interior and exterior architectural elements for residential buildings are an endangered species. The proliferation of sleek, glass-…
Serving on a condo board has its challenges—mostly of a relatively mundane, everyday sort, like how to pay for new carpet in the clubhouse, or what kind of flowers to put in the new beds out front. Occasionally however, a much more sens…
When you were a child, you probably tuned into the PBS show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, where a homespun sweater-clad Fred Rogers often sang “Won’t you be my neighbor?” Mr. Rogers might be singing a different tune today if he w…