Building maintenance follows a schedule based on the seasons, each of which presents a unique set of challenges to a co-op or condo. At certain times of the year, it just makes sense to do certain regular maintenance projects: weatherizing,…
Trees may seem like the ultimate in low-maintenance landscaping; they’re naturally occurring, live for decades (sometimes centuries), don’t really require much in the way of watering, and sometimes don’t even need pruning. But while all t…
After nearly a decade of slow but steady progress back from the depths of the Great Recession, New Jersey is showing signs of real growth and prosperity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Jersey added 61,000 jobs last y…
California has its landslides, the Midwest its tornadoes, Florida its hurricanes, and New Jersey has...sinkholes. They’re sort of like your own personal earthquake. There are many famous sinkholes, both large and small. The largest in the w…
Almost five years have passed since Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast and caused major havoc and destruction, reportedly resulting in 117 deaths and an estimated $65 billion in damages. For many affected people in New York and New Jer…
Thank goodness spring is just around the corner – even if winter isn’t the same brutal, icy season it used to be, it’s still a welcome relief when the clouds part, temperatures rise, and leaves and buds begin to appear outdoors. Nice as the…
For many people, one of the most attractive aspects of co-op or condo living is the fact that everything, from the windows to the elevators to the numbers on the apartment doors, looks great; clean, bright, elegant and well-maintained. For …
For as long as people have been living in close proximity, the issue of maintaining relations has been an important one. A good neighbor is a lot of things: sensible, reliable, understanding. But humans can be touchy beings, and when we’re …
Today, some eight years after the Great Recession, financing for co-op and condominium buildings and individual unit purchases is widely available. The market is overall quite healthy, and though there have been some systemic changes to th…
In any large city, parking is a big deal—it’s often hard to find, and when you do find a spot, it can be very expensive. Parking spaces not only provide urban drivers with freedom and mobility in the crowded cityscape, but they can be a ser…
The Garden State is home to Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli, and a large and colorful cast of reality TV personalities. Are residents called New Jerseyites...or New Jerseyans? Whatever you call them, residents take great pri…
When a building, HOA or an individual apartment owner starts a big project, coordinating phases of work, construction schedules, and other logistics can seem like an extremely daunting task. It’s a lot to orchestrate and keep track of – so …
Q. “I was recently made aware that a sex offender moved into my building. He moved into his girlfriend’s apartment. I made the board aware of this and even gave them a printout from criminal justice. We have a lot of children living in o…
Q. A unit owner is using really foul language at some other owners continually. He goes as far as telling them they should fall down the stairs and die. The association has been notified many times and says they can’t do anything. The rul…
Q. I am a condo board member and often hear my fellow members say at our meetings, “What goes on in here stays in here.” How can that be fair to our unit owners? Shouldn’t everything go in the minutes except for names and amounts owed and…