It’s time to turn our attention to The New Jersey Cooperator’s 2011 Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo, a must-attend event for the Garden State’s property managers, board members, real estate professionals, shareholders and unit owners. …
The “greening” of condominium living is expanding to the landscape, where shared fruit and vegetable gardens get residents involved and add beauty to the property. They’re not the Garden of Eden, but from small to large, they provide a b…
Forget about things that go 'bump!' in the night; anxiety over pest insects plague any green thumb and can frustrate the newer gardener. Not only can ants, grubs, and termites give you the willies, but they can also destroy property, l…
When most people think of landscaping, they think of shrubs, trees, meticulously laid-out and maintained flowerbeds, and artful plantings scattered around a building or development. Landscaping doesn’t end with growing things, however; …
Meet George Shelfliner, the fictitious owner of the fictitious Shelfliner Remodeling, a company that (hasn’t really) been around for two decades. Shelfliner is working on a remodel of a fictitious common room at the fictitious Friendly …
Since its founding in 1972, on the centennial anniversary of the very first Arbor Day, the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) has been steadfast in its mission to "plant, nurture, and celebrate trees." The organization, with founder J…
Almost a century ago, if you lived in The Ansonia, a residential hotel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, you would have had access to a variety of very interesting amenities that make the screening rooms and tennis courts of today's condo…
There’s nothing worse than dealing with someone who has let power go to their head. Just because someone is on the board of their building or HOA does not give them the right to operate under a different set of rules from the rest of th…
From attorneys to contractors, every building and HOA has a list of various professionals to work with to keep things running smoothly. One of the most important of these professionals is the building’s accountant. One wrong calculation…
On February 17, 2011, the New Jersey Legislature introduced a new bill to help ensure fairness and accuracy in homeowners’ association elections. New Jersey Assembly Bill (A3802)—or its companion bill in the Senate (S1293)—sponsored in t…
Bedbugs are a fact of urban, and these days, even suburban life, and a growing problem for residents in communal environments. As the bedbug epidemic mushrooms, the likelihood of having bedbug encounters grows significantly each year. …
Camden, New Jersey is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. About 77,344 reside in the city as of the 2010 U.S. Census. At its peak, its population swelled to nearly 125,000 in the 1950s. Over the years, Camden has been …
It's springtime, and the annual budget process for associations is quickly approaching. To avoid financial surprises, budgets should be as realistic as possible. With that in mind, one of the main goals of the budget process should be …
Q Owners who don't have dryer vents cleaned every two years are fined but they still refuse to hire a vent cleaner. In one case, an owner on the second floor had it done inside but the outside lint screen is clogged because some ven…
Q I live in a co-op building in New Jersey with a seemingly tyrannical board that displays arrogance and disregards shareholders’ concerns. For example, the board appointed a shareholder of their choosing, to the vacant seat, stating to…