2014 February
Focus on... Board/Shareholder Relations

Board Operations Buildings Meet Services at the Expo
2014 February Buildings Meet Services at the Expo

The Expo, now in its 27th year of providing information and networking to board members, property managers and real estate professionals will return to the New York Hilton on April 8, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Not only is this on…

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Shareholder Relations Howdy, Neighbor
2014 February Howdy, Neighbor

The word community, like many words in the English language, has more than one interpretation. A community can be identified as a geographical location—a physical infrastructure of streets, parks and buildings, defined by tangible brick an…

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Shareholder Relations Making the Switch
2014 February Making the Switch

The goal of any property developer is to sell units, but until that objective is reached they have to assume all the day-to-day responsibilities to ensure smooth operations and continued sales. This requires wearing many hats—manager, boar…

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Shareholder Relations Board Owner Do’s and Don’ts
2014 February Board Owner Do’s and Don’ts

It only takes a few minutes of a web search to uncover the traits that make a successful person or business owner. For example, Entrepreneur magazine’s Steven Key wrote the article, “5 Qualities of Successful Persons,” which included such …

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Shareholder Relations Keeping Track of Paperwork
2014 February Keeping Track of Paperwork

Serving on the board is not all fun and games, glamor and glory. There’s also some paperwork involved. In fact, the flow of paperwork is the lifeblood of the community. The Articles of Incorporation, proprietary lease and bylaws in a…

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Finance Worst-Case Scenarios
2014 February Worst-Case Scenarios

You always want to feel safe in your home, but as the past few years have proven, you never know when a major calamity or weather disaster is going to strike. While most of New York City proper wasn’t hit as hard by Superstorm Sandy as som…

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Finance Dollars & Sense
2014 February Dollars & Sense

Even before the economic meltdown and the media storm swirling around the thievery of money men like Bernie Madoff, financial mismanagement and fraud have been destructive problems for many co-op and condo owners. A co-op or condo is…

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Board Operations Being Grilled
2014 February Being Grilled

Of all the stages of co-op life, the initial application and approval process, especially the interview, is certainly the most harrowing. Many people are in fear that just one wrong word will mean the difference between acceptance and reje…

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Management Spring is Just Around the Corner
2014 February Spring is Just Around the Corner

With a light sprinkling of freshly fallen snow blanketing your building's landscape, it’s easy to be lulled into thinking your property really is "pretty as a picture.” Sure, the occasional snowfall New York City experiences transform the …

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Board Operations Writing the Rules
2014 February Writing the Rules

Community living' in the context of a co-op or condo building means abiding by a set of rules and regulations designed to serve the community’s best interests and maintain property values. The building board makes the rules, and the reside…

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Q&A Q&A: Non-Owner Residential Status
2014 February Q&A: Non-Owner Residential Status

Q Can a non-owner's spouse remain in a co-op apartment when the shareholder spouse vacates the marital residence but the parties remain husband and wife? —In Name Only A “The short answer to this inquiry is that it depends upon …

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Q&A Q&A: When Someone Is Refused Ownership
2014 February Q&A: When Someone Is Refused Ownership

My son-in-law inherited his father's co-op in Manhattan. For two years he's been paying the upkeep charges without being able to live there, yet has been refused "ownership" by the co-op board. He has a considerable amount of cash available…

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Q&A Q&A: No Election, No Quorum?
2014 February Q&A: No Election, No Quorum?

What happens when there is no quorum at a shareholders meeting and therefore there is no election for new board members? The same board has remained in my co-op for many, many years without a chance for us to vote them out. Isn't there a la…

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