2012 April
Focus on... Real Estate Market/Expo

The Cooperator's 25th Annual Co-op & Condo Expo
2012 April The Cooperator's 25th Annual Co-op & Condo Expo

 It’s that time of year again—trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and on Tuesday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to  5 p.m. The Cooperator’s Co-op & Condo Expo will set up shop at the Hilton New York at 53rd Street and Avenue of  the Americas. …

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Real Estate Trends Better Days Ahead
2012 April Better Days Ahead

Two seemingly opposite dynamics are both influencing today’s real estate market—and its impact on co-ops and condos. On one hand, people all over the United States, including the greater New York area, are becoming more frugal, and lear…

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Real Estate Trends To  Rent or Buy?
2012 April To Rent or Buy?

To buy or not to buy? That is the question.” Taking a cue from Hamlet, this question is on the minds of many contemplating moving to New York City these days. “Many are taking advantage of this slightly-down market by buying, w…

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Real Estate Trends Slicing the Apple
2012 April Slicing the Apple

New York City began as a city of immigrants and has maintained a long and laudable history of welcoming foreign travelers and residents. In recent years, residential real estate sales have glowed even brighter for buyers from overseas.…

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Real Estate Trends It's a Heckuva Town...
2012 April It's a Heckuva Town...

Anybody who has lived and worked in New York City for an extended period of time usually develops a sort of love-hate relationship with the city, rattling off a dozen reasons why Gotham is the only place they'd ever consider calling hom…

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Board Operations The Total Package
2012 April The Total Package

 In the best of circumstances, qualifying an applicant for a co-op or condominium  purchase can be a challenging process. Market conditions play a part in a  board's consideration of applicants, and recent fluctuations have changed the  wa…

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Law & Legislation Equal Access Under the Law
2012 April Equal Access Under the Law

For some New Yorkers planning their daily errands and activities can be as logistically difficult as mountain climbing. These New Yorkers are, of course, those with disabilities, the elderly or anyone whose mobility has been compromise…

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Real Estate Trends Catering to Man's Best Friend
2012 April Catering to Man's Best Friend

It’s no secret that New Yorkers love their dogs. In 2011, there were more than 1.4 million dogs in New York City, according to www.nycoffleash.com. With a pack like that, it’s no wonder businesses and city dwellings are jumping on the d…

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Board Operations Alteration Agreements
2012 April Alteration Agreements

No one likes it when a neighbor has an ongoing renovation project that lasts for months on end, especially when the renovations may cause damage to your own apartment. Luckily, most buildings have a mechanism in place to fix this: the …

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Real Estate Trends Green Day
2012 April Green Day

When someone says 'landscaping,' the first thought that comes to mind probably isn't the front entrance of a New York City co-op or condo building, but greenery and other design elements definitely add to a building's 'curb appeal' and…

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Board Operations Minding the Store
2012 April Minding the Store

Congratulations, you’ve been elected to serve on your building’s board. You managed to convince the rest of the building that you know enough about building systems or law or economics or even people-pleasing to make them vote for you a…

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Maintenance Examining Your Energy Costs
2012 April Examining Your Energy Costs

 As the winter months fade into spring, it’s easy to try and forget about heating and all the costs it incurs. For  managers, board members and others with an eye on a co-op or condo building’s budgetary bottom line, now may be the perfect…

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Finance Home Ownership and Mortgage Woes
2012 April Home Ownership and Mortgage Woes

 The leading factor responsible for the Great Recession—fraudulent mortgage lending—remains a thorn in the side of the nation’s fledgling economy. It started with the false promise of home ownership to many  susceptible, under-financed peo…

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Insurance The Insurance Puzzle
2012 April The Insurance Puzzle

Insurance is a relatively simple concept that any homeowner can understand. You purchase a policy paying a premium to an insurer, and when a claim gets filed, the insurer pays. So in theory, insuring your co-op or condo building should …

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Neighborhoods Multi-Cultural Williamsburg
2012 April Multi-Cultural Williamsburg

 Williamsburg suffers from multiple personality disorder. Just one subway stop  away from Manhattan in the Brooklyn neighborhood, you’ll find a large Hasidic Jewish community, a glut of ethnic enclaves, including  Polish, Puerto-Rican, Dom…

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Real Estate Trends A New Life for Midtown West
2012 April A New Life for Midtown West

 When you speak of Hell’s Kitchen and the far west side of Manhattan, the stories that come to mind are  of longshoremen, the notorious Westies and dark deserted urban streets, but  now, thanks to a the 7 Subway Line extension, a massive p…

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Board Operations Living with a Difficult Neighbor
2012 April Living with a Difficult Neighbor

It’s not necessarily to the degree of the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, the famous mountain clan involved in a decades-long blood feud, but living side-by-side in a co-op or a condo can, needless to say, get pretty heated on occasion. …

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Board Operations Keeping Cool Under Fire
2012 April Keeping Cool Under Fire

 The good news is, after a fallow period in the depths of the recession, the  construction industry in New York City is starting to come back. However, with  that activity comes the potential for disputes and property damage, especially  w…

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Maintenance The War Against Bed Bugs
2012 April The War Against Bed Bugs

For years, the hospitality industry has been fighting a chemical war against bed bugs. Now, with the growing menace of pesticide-resistant bed bugs and increasing documentation of human injury from harsh chemicals, the question to consi…

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Q&A Q&A: Problems with DOB Permit
2012 April Q&A: Problems with DOB Permit

Q A board member had dormers installed in his apartment which required a permit by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). As the project was ending, he told the architect he did not want to do what was necessary to have the DO…

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