As the housing market in many parts of the country has foundered, many developers have taken creative approaches to stanch the outward flow of cash. In many markets, this means opting to convert portions of developments originally inte…
Though they may live close to each other, people can feel isolated in an urban or suburban environment. While high-rise residential buildings put families near one another, living close doesn’t turn a group of neighbors into a community…
Every co-op and condo association has its own house rules—rules and regulations (hopefully) based on common sense and aimed at protecting residents' safety and quality of life without undue disruption or inconvenience. Most un…
Are you looking for a new management company or financial advisor? Does your landscaping need an expert green thumb? Is your roof looking a little worn from the ravages of the New Jersey winter? Help is available at The New Je…
Q I Our rules and regulations state that owners may not have more than 2 pets, one of which may be a dog. One of the unit owners—who also happens to be a board member— keeps 4 dogs in her unit as pets. Since she is a board member, the bo…
Q I belong to a small self-managed condo of six units. However, there are 2 serious concerns: 1) Recently, I discovered that two of the board members used fund money to repair their boilers so they could pass inspection. They led us to…
For most people, few things are as stressful—or exciting—as buying a new home. That can be especially true for buyers and shareholders who sign up to be among the first residents in a newly renovated or constructed condo or co-op comple…
One of the biggest issues in the real estate industry over the past year has been the speculation that government-sponsored mortgage programs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be ending. For the past 70 years, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac …
Citizens over the age of 65 comprise nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population—just under 40 million seniors. By 2030, it is estimated that 72 million Americans will be over the age of 65, nearly doubling those numbers. Where this volume…
The economy cratered—to use a term in popular parlance at that time—in September, 2008, with the collapse of too-big-to-fail Lehman Brothers. While the measures undertaken by the federal government and the Federal Reserve averted complet…