As gasoline prices rise with increasing summer demand, building administrators' attention has turned sharply to the cost of energy, and ways to trim fat from their overall energy budgets. Yet for the nation’s nearly 60 million…
Condo, HOA, and co-op boards are generally made up of volunteers—and they're frequently a pretty diverse group. There’s the stay-at-home mom who’s looking to get involved with something beyond homework and housework. Maybe there’s also t…
As housing sales in the Chicagoland area remain stagnant, legislation both nationally and locally relating to property ownership and management continue to remain active. The majority of the legislation introduced recently has sought t…
Remember that thick stack of documents you received when you bought your condo or co-op? If you're like most people, they're probably sitting in a drawer or in the back of your filing cabinet, communing with the dust bunnies, largely f…
The business of running a condo building or homeowners association—regardless of the size of the community—can often be complex. From interacting with vendors and service providers to handling conflicts between neighbors, managers and bo…
Though the benefits of condominium and cooperative living are numerous, it’s human nature that where there are people, there will be conflict. Running to a lawyer every time a problem arises is hardly sensible. The legal process is slow…
Every co-op, condominium, and homeowners association has rules and regulations that residents and their guests must abide by. For the most part, they’re usually pretty straightforward and have minimal impact: no 200-pound dogs, no smoki…
So the votes are counted, and the new board members are officially chosen. Now what? Many people join their co-op or condo board because they hope to jump right in and make major changes to their building or association. Lower…
It’s an oft-repeated refrain that condo and HOA boards are groups of unique individuals with their own perspective and opinions, so no two boards are ever the same. That being said, there are certain overall organizational characterist…