We live in a world of add-ons. Ever since the term supersize was coined by the fast food industry back in 1994, the idea and its implications have spread to many aspects of the American lifestyle. We've become accustomed to 'value-added ele…

We know that running a co-op, condo or HOA isn’t easy. There are vendors to hire, budgets to balance and complaints to field. How do you find the right professional for each job that needs to be done? How do you keep the property looking sh…

Q. We have a small condo board and community. Do you think it’s necessary and legal to make our board members sign a confidentiality agreement even if it’s not required by our bylaws?”                    —Confidential in Clifton A. “T…

Q. I have some questions about what would constitute a conflict of interest. One of the managers of our community recently hired his brother-in-law to do work on the property, and I don’t think proper procedures for the hiring and contrac…

Whether one resides in a Hoboken high-rise or in a more spread-out HOA, security—for both property and physical safety—is an important issue. Who can come in, at what times, how long they can stay, and how freely they can move about the pro…

The contractors who helped dig out the region’s condo properties last winter agree on one thing: the associations that were ‘rescued’ first were the ones with solid vendor relationships.  It’s better to look earlier rather than later, says…

Whether you live in a suburb or in the heart of the city, life is expensive. Sometimes it can feel as though everybody from the barista at your favorite coffee shop to the kid who bags your groceries is trying to nickel-and-dime you half to…

The synopsis for the 2013 horror film The Purge is pretty extreme: in the future, society implements a 12-hour period called “the purge,” wherein any and all crime is legalized. Always wanted to vandalize your boss’s car? Thinking about sho…

New Jersey is home to more than 1.2 million seniors age 65 and older and about a third of them suffer from some kind of disability, according to the latest census. In a state like New Jersey, where anything can happen—from fire, to extreme …

From sprawling town home developments to high-rises to quaint four-unit residences, New Jersey is flush with condo communities. It's no surprise then that the state is also no stranger to tough guidelines for multi-family residences. The on…