For most people, nothing is more important than knowing that they and their families are safe and secure in the place they call home. Boards, management and security firms all must work together seamlessly and cohesively to create that…
The discovery of fire is considered a major turning point in man's evolution from cave dweller to outer space explorer. Control of fire allowed early man warmth for his habitat, a way to cook his meals, and light for his surroundings. …
The winds were a bit chilly but the sun was shining brightly on the Navy Pier as more than two thousand enthusiastic attendees packed The Chicagoland Cooperator’s 2nd Annual Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo to meet with nearly 250 exhibitors, att…
Q We have a small condo association and it is difficult, as I assume it is for most, to get people to serve on our board. The idea we came up with is to have one person serve as the treasurer/secretary. In Illinois, is this legal? Is it…
Q Our upstairs neighbors always have loud noises coming from their unit: TV, music, video games, etc. Our condo building is older and everything can be heard from above. Our bylaws don’t really specify any rules about noise except that …
In a community association or HOA meeting, without procedural rules and organization, it’s amazing how quickly a room full of adults can devolve into a room full of toddlers—everyone talking over one another and no one listening, insuri…
The Streeterville neighborhood in Chicago’s Near North Side is home to tens of thousands of Chicagoans, important cultural, educational and medical institutions, some of the area’s greatest retail and dining, and a destination for countl…
Aurora is known as the City of Light, a homage to the fact that the city was the first city in the nation to install electric streetlights. Though overshadowed by its big brother Chicago, Aurora can easily stand toe-to-toe with the Wind…
With the price of gasoline rising, daily traffic snarls, a desire to live a healthier life and the responsibility to lessen the effect of one's carbon footprint, there are many reasons to own a bike. Buying the bike is just the beginnin…
You may not realize it, but your building may be hemorrhaging money. Not in the form of disastrous lawsuits or maintenance crises like a collapsed roof or exploded boiler, but in a steady trickle coming from your method of ordering sup…