Category: Association Operations

Another year is behind us, and what a year it was! While 2017 and beyond promise to be eventful in myriad ways, it probably makes sense to focus solely on what’s ahead in the world of condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners’ associations …

Secure.  The word has many meanings.  According to Google definitions, it can mean “to fix or attach something to something else.  It can mean to protect against threats or make safe.  Or it can mean to feel free from fear or anxiety.”  Per…

Some days it rains, some days it pours – and some days, there’s a Category 4 hurricane. And while the latter is relatively rare, it can be a true disaster, and any condominium, co-op or homeowner’s association worth its salt should be prepa…

Everyone is right to be concerned with the safety of their communities, whether they live in an area highly susceptible to crime or a sleepy Mayberry-esque hamlet. Condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners’ associations are no exception; i…

Metallic green in color and measuring just a half-inch long and an eighth-of-an-inch wide, the emerald ash borer, a beetle native to Asia and first discovered in Michigan in 2002, has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions …

Like single family homes, condominium units tend to be owner-occupied. Financing for these units therefore tends to follow traditional guidelines and requirements centered on owner occupancy. But what happens when a condo unit is held as an…

The lobby of your building is the first thing residents see when they come home, and the first part of the building any guest (or prospective buyer) sees when they visit your condo or HOA. In light of that, it's important for your lobby, wh…

Jeff and Cindy were on the hunt for a condo in the Wicker Park section of Chicago. They came upon a duplex three-bedroom unit that was perfect for their growing family.  The building even had a common garden, which Jeff and Cindy loved—but …

Neither condominium/cooperative property nor homeowners’ association runs itself. The day-to-day business therein is carried out by either a board or a property manager of the board’s hire, the unit owners/shareholders themselves contribute…

Whether interior or exterior, well-built, properly-maintained woodwork can last for centuries but if wood-boring pests like beetles, termites, and carpenter ants find their way into the wood, they can wreak all kinds of havoc. Wood-destroyi…