The relationship between boards and management is, by its very nature, a deep and complex one. The two sides rely upon one another to ensure the smooth oversight of their co-op and condo communities. Both are dedicated to doing everyth…
If the board of directors is the Barnum & Bailey of the cooperative or condominium, the manager is the ringmaster. The board finances the show and books the talent, but all eyes are on the manager. “Everything falls on you,” sa…
Board members find themselves acting as referees so often, some may feel like they're wearing black-and-white striped shirts. Maybe they're mired in the middle of a conflict between homeowners because one group of gardening enthusiasts…
Co-op and condo board members are generally volunteers who live in their building and give of their time and expertise to help make sure their home is well-run, and their investment protected. In a perfect world, new board members are a…
As the legislature in Albany and the New York City Council are in full swing, legislation of every type is being proposed, debated, and considered. As one might expect, the budget is front and center in these recessionary times, but ho…
If you lived in New York in the summer of 2003, chances are you know exactly what you were doing on Thursday, August 14th, at 4:15 in the afternoon. That’s when the ripple effects of the failure of an Ohio power plant caused most of the…
Home may be where the heart is, but these days, it’s also the source of enormous anxiety and concern for a great many co-op and condo owners. With the economy mired in recession and unemployment still hovering near the 10 percent mark, …
Few things can be as upsetting as discovering that the funds that fuel a co-op or condo have been mishandled—or worse yet, stolen. For residents, fraud undermines their sense of trust in the men and women who oversee and manage the plac…
For pretty much every business sector you can think of, 2009 was a roller coaster of a year—and real estate was particularly hard-hit. Some industry professionals have weathered the storm, while others have packed up and moved on from t…
When you’re a superintendent or a member of a building’s support staff, your educational background is not always that important when you’re hired, as long as your experience is enough to impress those doing the hiring. But once you do …