When someone mentions Trenton, most people probably just think of the city of just under half a million souls as the seat of New Jersey's state government—maybe as a former industrial hub of the Northeast, if they know their history—and …

Buy a motor home and travel the country. Pay for grandson Johnny's college education. Fix up that old kitchen you've been complaining about for decades. These are things you've been wanting to do for years and years, but, though you've w…

Unexpected repairs are part of owning a home. For owners of single-family houses, the process is simple: Something needs fixing or replacing, and you call a contractor and get the work done. You may not be happy about it, but you accept …

Mount Laurel is a populous rural community in Southern New Jersey and a township that covers approximately 22 square miles. But it is also the namesake of a series of precedent-setting legal decisions that govern how the state of New Jer…

A Budget planning is a key component of any association's operations and preparation, and usually falls on the property manager's shoulders. However, he or she does more than just what the title implies—the manager is a "jack of all trad…

Planning is the key to maintaining a balanced budget for co-op and condo associations. Knowing your budget, predicting expenses, even predicting the unpredictable are all vital components to having a sound bottom line and keeping your sh…

In a co-op or condo community, the responsibility of the homeowners association goes beyond setting house rules. The association also has a fiduciary responsibility to collect maintenance fees from its residents, create a budget to accou…

The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is an international organization of professional property managers who manage all types of real estate, including office buildings, multi-family and single-family residential properties, sho…

In theater, film and television, a set designer is a vital artistic component for a successful production. He or she designs a set that generates a specific mood or atmosphere and hopefully—if the job is done properly—the audience will e…

In the 1940s comedy, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,a wealthy ad executive played by Cary Grant hires a famous bridge and tunnel engineer to look over his new house in the country; as it turns out, the "dream house" is more trouble…