The legislative season is upon us, and in many states, bills specifically dealing with co-ops, condos and HOAs are wending their way through the legislative process. Even when bills aren't aimed directly at those forms of home ownership, ma…
Taste is subjective. Luckily your board’s design rules and guidelines aren’t. From gaudy exterior paint colors, to improperly mounted flagpoles, to Clark Griswold-esque holiday light displays, the exterior design choices of individual unit …
Though the real estate crisis didn't rattle the tri-state area to nearly the degree that it did other markets around the country, construction still stalled on many new developments during the recent recession. It’s not only location or the…
The only constant in life is change—as they say—and that’s especially true for those living in New Jersey, where no community stays the same for long. Indeed, here in the Garden State, renovations are taking place, new capital improvements …
Many people believe in the ethos of 'reduce, reuse, and recycle'—they buy vintage clothing, pre-owned cars, or refurbished electronic equipment. But most of us also like brand new things, including homes. And with markets across the country…
Running the day-to-day business of a co-op, condo or HOA of any size—be it a self-contained high-rise in Fort Lee or Jersey City or a sprawling, multi-building community in Sparta—requires not just a functional board, but a team of competen…
It’s no secret that residents in co-ops or condos can be a fickle bunch, and many times decide to undertake a repair or remodeling project themselves, without going through the proper channels. Maybe it’s a new owner who wants to make maj…
It’s cheaper for two families to pool resources and share a house than for the same two families to buy two houses. This underlying concept has been around since people starting building houses. As a report by the National Cooperative Law C…
One of the biggest political buzzwords of the past 10 years or so is 'transparency.' Transparency in meetings of elected bodies in local and state governments, transparency in the proceedings of both public and private organizations, such a…
Your co-op, condo or HOA building may be your home, but to many others, it's a workplace. Whether they’re managing a small, tight-knit walk-up building in Jersey City or a sprawling condo development in Fort Lee, property managers handle a …