The real estate market in New York City isn’t what it was in the recent past—a fact that troubled many brokers, but which for buyers was a good thing. Across the market, prices are still well below their height of a few years ago, and s…
Building owners spend billions of dollars a year to construct and refurbish their properties, yet many are unaware of the hidden costs some contractors charge improperly. Building owners are often vulnerable to this kind of corruption …
As the snow and ice melts away and the city readies for signs of spring, it’s time to turn our attention to The Cooperator’s 2011 Co-op & Condo Expo, a must-attend event for the tri-state area’s property managers, board members, real esta…
As the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke have become more widely publicized and acknowledged, anti-smoking campaigns have gained traction across the country. Cigarette commercials have been banned from TV and ra…
For years, people talked about how the housing market in New York City was “recession-proof;” how buyers' desire to live in New York City would always trump any housing problems the rest of the country was experiencing. But as the calend…
In early 2009, at the urging of President Barack Obama, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) with a view toward easing the blow dealt to the economy by what some are calling the Great Recession. The ARRA ha…
Q “If a unit owner is deceased, what are the inheritance rights of a relative, for example, let's say, siblings, to moving in and taking possession of an apartment?” —Legal Legacy A “There are several iss…
Q “When I purchased my apartment in Brooklyn, noise was a concern of mine. I was told by the sales team and the builders that noise was not a problem. But now with people moving in, I hear closet and kitchen doors closing, people wal…
Q I am a member on the board of directors of a co-op in Nassau County, New York. We are experiencing a problem with a shareholder, who we believe regularly smokes “pot” and also entertains fellow smokers in his apartment. The odor pe…
Q My question concerns the various forms of compensation our building’s super receives and the shareholders’ right to know the exact sum of his monthly income, as an exact cost to the building. Our super has a fixed salary, which is di…