2012 July
Focus on... Budget & Finance

Money is a topic people are often skittish about discussing—especially when the discussion involves rising fees, or having to pay more money for something. When you’re a board member or the property manager of a condo building or residen…

 In the tough economic environment we've been struggling through over the past  few years, many condo owners have faced job loss, pay cuts, or just financial  uncertainty. Unfortunately, the sign of the times sometimes leads to an owner  n…

 For a crystal-clear picture of how an association is doing, there are few better  lenses than the community's budgets and financial reports. From an investment  perspective, they show the shareholders, managers, tenants, owners, and board…

 Stores and other commercial businesses on the ground floor of a condo building  used to be a rarity but now they are becoming a hot new amenity, even a  standard for newer buildings. Restaurants, food markets, drugstores, clothing  stores…

 Chicago is known for having some of the very best urban opportunities in the  world—among the best colleges and schools, museums and libraries, as well as some of  the finest parks, the most interesting architecture, the most intriguing m…

 Once a Rogers Parker, always a Rogers Parker, it seems. Whether a current or  long-removed resident, folks seem to take pride in their links to the community  bordered by the lake, Western Avenue, Evanston and Devon Avenue.    It m…

 With the possible exception of fire, nothing is more damaging to residential  buildings and the property of their occupants as leaks. Whether it’s a torrential deluge from the upstairs neighbor’s overflowing bathtub or a slow, seeping lea…

 For nearly 20 years, the Community Associations Institute (CAI) has recognized  excellence in the practice of community law through the Falls Church,  Virginia-based College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). Of the tens of  thousan…

Q For the annual meeting, there are 7 people running for 5 positions. The management company sent a proxy to all owners and requested that it either be mailed to them or dropped in the mailbox in the building lobby. This mailbox is acc…

Q What options are available for amending our condominium documents? Our  condominium association often has recommended and even voted in favor of making  amendments to the declaration but there has been no follow-up based on such  action…