If Manhattan is the black-Amex-carrying Wall Streeter of the New York City real estate scene and Brooklyn is the too-hip-to-care rock star, then Queens is the hardworking third sibling, eschewing the spotlight while slowly-but-surely a…
Where we are, firmly in the 21st century, and technology is everywhere. Who would have imagined half of the gadgets and computer programs that we take for granted today 20 or 30 years ago? From the Internet to hands-free cell phones to p…
Few experiences can rattle the collective confidence of a co-op or condo community as much as charges of fraud. Trusts are broken and faiths betrayed, all in the name of personal gain. Boards and residents can protect themselves, thoug…
Safety first” is good advice on any job, but it is especially appropriate for the varied and dynamic tasks assigned to co-op and condo building staff. Whether checking furnace valves, sealing minor plumbing leaks, keeping the lobby flo…
Plumbing is one of those things we take for granted yet without it, we might as well be back in the Stone Age. With dozens, hundreds and sometimes thousands of people living in individual co-op and condo complexes, the importance of we…
With upkeep and mortgage payments, even the occasional renovation, owning your own co-op or condo can be work enough on its own. Now imagine being responsible for 10 units, or 50, even 200. That daunting task is up to each building’s boa…
It’s your twice-a-year, floor-to-rafters marathon house-cleaning session. You’ve recycled all your newspapers, taken your soda bottles back to the market and disposed of that fern that’s been gone for a few weeks now. Cleaning is nearl…
When it comes to insuring a co-op or condominium community, a belt-and-suspenders philosophy could prove the safest – and perhaps, most advantageous – choice. Getting that extra coverage means going beyond the basics of property and li…
The breakneck pace and cutthroat economics of residential real estate in New York City are legendary. For every new building that goes up, it seems like there's a battle to be fought, either with city agencies, community groups, preservati…