2015 April
Focus on... Landscape & Curb Appeal/Expo

Landscaping Going Green by Design
2015 April Going Green by Design

While it is common for buildings or associations of any size to have designated committees in place to help boards and management handle aesthetic, social, and other community concerns, “green” committees are a more recent trend…though, on…

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Landscaping Tree Planning and Care
2015 April Tree Planning and Care

They are the greenery that gives life to our cities, the leafy giants that give us shade and that unforgettable rustling sound just outside our windows late at night. Trees are the unsung heroes of the urban landscape—and with proper plann…

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You Can’t Plant that here!
2015 April You Can’t Plant that here!

Southerners find it cold here…Midwesterners consider the winters mild…and Europeans are shocked by the humidity of a New York summer. Not unlike the city itself, the weather of New York offers almost everything, which the residential…

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Real Estate Trends New Co-op and Condo Development
2015 April New Co-op and Condo Development

Thankfully, it’s been a long time since the Lehman Brothers fiasco and nationwide real estate market crash. The recession has since faded away and Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn are seeing a flurry of new buildings going up or breaki…

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Design Lobby and Hallway Improvements
2015 April Lobby and Hallway Improvements

There’s an old saying, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression,’ and that holds very true for multifamily buildings. Large or small, deluxe or modest, a building's lobby serves as a snapshot for the rest of the building. …

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Maintenance Seasonal Landscape Maintenance
2015 April Seasonal Landscape Maintenance

People aren’t the only life on your association's property; there are plants, trees, and other living landscaping elements, as well. More than just decoration, these features provide the community a vitality and serene pleasure only nature…

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Board Operations Managing Smaller Buildings
2015 April Managing Smaller Buildings

One of fastest growing segments in New York area real estate is the increased popularity of boutique condos and co-ops. According to Propertyshark.com data, there are about 5,000 condo or co-op buildings across the city that have between j…

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Management Tales From the Dark Side
2015 April Tales From the Dark Side

Most condo/HOA boards are made up of ordinary, well-meaning folks who volunteer for the relatively thankless job of running their association. They donate their time, expertise, and effort to make their community as functional, solvent, an…

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Maintenance For the Birds
2015 April For the Birds

There are a few classic story lines of Sesame Street that you never forget: Cookie Monster can’t control his appetite, Oscar the Grouch doesn’t like to socialize, and Bert loves two things: oatmeal and pigeons. Bert loved the bird so…

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Management Homesharing in Co-ops & Condos
2015 April Homesharing in Co-ops & Condos

The media and political buzz surrounding so-called 'homeshare' or 'short-term rental' websites (primarily Airbnb, but also other similar services like Homeaway.com and VRBO.com, just to name two) has been on the upswing over the last year …

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Real Estate Trends The Cooperative Model
2015 April The Cooperative Model

The idea of cooperative living began in the 19th century in central and northern European countries, and came to America late in that century, sprouting in various forms in parts of New York City. For some residents here, it was a way that…

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Neighborhoods Brooklyn’s Sunset Park
2015 April Brooklyn’s Sunset Park

Known for its Romanesque and Renaissance Revival architecture, Sunset Park, part of the western section of Brooklyn, also is known for another architectural first. The neighborhood is home to the city’s first Finnish cooperative. Bou…

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Maintenance Tag…You’re It!
2015 April Tag…You’re It!

While nowhere near as prevalent as it was in the 1980s (when it seemed as if one couldn’t find a clean wall in the city), graffiti has never completely disappeared from New York...or any metro area, for that matter. It seems to have become…

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Maintenance New Technology for Boards and Managers
2015 April New Technology for Boards and Managers

Most of us wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if we didn't have a smartphone or tablet to help us communicate, navigate, and otherwise organize our lives. Property managers throughout the country, whether they handle urban high-rises,…

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Management Management/Board Relations
2015 April Management/Board Relations

Normally, a co-op, condo, or HOA management team is well-equipped to handle a wide variety of day-to-day matters, like leaky roofs and faulty garbage disposals. There are other bigger issues—such as embezzlement and fraud—that require outs…

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Q&A Q&A: Dealing with Illegal Rentals
2015 April Q&A: Dealing with Illegal Rentals

Q I am the president of a 25-unit condominium association in Suffolk County, N.Y. Our offering plan, declaration and bylaws all stipulate that the community is for single-family occupancy only. In the past, all owners have complied. One o…

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