Category: Board Operations

There’s nothing worse than being a unit owner in a building and seeing someone breaking a rule and seemingly getting away with it. It's even worse if that person happens to be on the building's board. Some board members believe that …

According to some condominium and homeowners association managers, it’s getting hot out there. “People have become more litigious, more angry and more surly,” according to Angela Falzone, co-founder of Association Advocates, Inc. and…

Every year the cycle repeats itself in co-ops and condo communities in Chicago: as temperatures drop and snow begins to swirl, flocks of empty nesters and others fortunate enough to own a second home in a warmer climate pack up and head so…

The annual election is probably the biggest event in the administrative life of the condominium, homeowners or cooperative community. For board members and residents alike, it's their most important performance. The board member…

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…

 As the old saw goes, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. The same idea  often holds true for residents who choose to ignore bylaws or house rules, even  if they are well-intended and in place to serve the greater good of the  communi…

 Everybody sometimes disagrees with the decisions of their condo or HOA board.  Maybe the choice to rearrange the garbage receptacles out front seems  ridiculous, or the ongoing clattering of machinery on the roof is driving the  top-floor…

 Disorganized and poorly-run board meetings are time-wasters that can make even  the most ardent board member cringe at the thought of an upcoming session. On  the flip side, a well-run board meeting can be a productive hour or two or  thr…

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…

 Most people assume that as soon as they buy their first home, they will finally  have the freedom to paint their decks purple, to hang fluorescent window  treatments and colorful sconces, or to litter their lawns with political or  yard s…