2017 April
Focus on... Landscaping & Lawn Care/Expo

Landscaping Seasonal Maintenance
2017 April Seasonal Maintenance

Building maintenance follows a schedule based on the seasons, each of which presents a unique set of challenges to a co-op or condo. At certain times of the year, it just makes sense to do certain regular maintenance projects: weatherizing,…

Read More
Landscaping Caring For Trees
2017 April Caring For Trees

Trees may seem like the ultimate in low-maintenance landscaping; they’re naturally occurring, live for decades (sometimes centuries), don’t really require much in the way of watering, and sometimes don’t even need pruning.  But while all t…

Read More
Landscaping Working With Architectural Committees
2017 April Working With Architectural Committees

Property maintenance is a major responsibility of ownership.  In many unique ways, maintenance programs in a co-op or condo buildings – especially in older properties having architectural or design features with important artistic histories…

Read More
Landscaping 2017 Market Review & Forecast
2017 April 2017 Market Review & Forecast

By all accounts, the New York City co-op and condo market is continuing its healthy, active trend of the past few years (although the frantic activity of the immediate post-Recession years seems to have eased somewhat—particularly at the up…

Read More
Law & Legislation Superstorm Sandy
2017 April Superstorm Sandy

Almost five years have passed since Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast and caused major havoc and destruction, reportedly resulting in 117 deaths and an estimated $65 billion in damages. For many affected people in New York and New Jer…

Read More
Management Aesthetic Rules in Co-ops, Condos & HOAs
2017 April Aesthetic Rules in Co-ops, Condos & HOAs

For many people, one of the most attractive aspects of co-op or condo living is the fact that everything, from the windows to the elevators to the numbers on the apartment doors, looks great; clean, bright, elegant and well-maintained. For …

Read More
Board Operations Spring Cleaning
2017 April Spring Cleaning

Thank goodness spring is just around the corner. Even if winter isn’t the same brutal, icy season it used to be, it’s still a welcome relief when the clouds part, temperatures rise, and leaves and buds begin to appear outdoors. Nice as the …

Read More
Real Estate Trends The New York Minute
2017 April The New York Minute

Not only does New York never sleep, it doesn’t even pause for long, especially when it comes to the construction of residential real estate. While the rate at which new buildings are developed ebbs and flows depending on the strength of the…

Read More
Real Estate Trends Handling Conflict Between Neighbors
2017 April Handling Conflict Between Neighbors

For as long as people have been living in close proximity, the issue of maintaining relations has been an important one. A good neighbor is a lot of things: sensible, reliable, understanding. But humans can be touchy beings, and when we’re …

Read More
Finance The Lending Landscape
2017 April The Lending Landscape

Today, some eight years after the Great Recession, financing for co-op and condominium buildings and individual unit purchases is widely available.  The market is overall quite healthy, and though there have been some systemic changes to th…

Read More
Board Operations Alteration Agreements
2017 April Alteration Agreements

Peter and Sarah have three boys, all under the age of six. While that fact sinks in, consider this: all three boys shared a single bedroom in the family’s modest, two-bedroom condo.  When the tots were small, this set-up worked well, and Pe…

Read More
Law & Legislation Court in Session
2017 April Court in Session

Tenants and landlords don’t always see eye to eye. Disputes arise because one party isn’t living up to their agreement, and not everything can be solved with a phone call or cordial email. That’s where the Housing Part of the Civil Court of…

Read More
Management Managing Parking Facilities
2017 April Managing Parking Facilities

In any large city, parking is a big deal—it’s often hard to find, and when you do find a spot, it can be very expensive. Parking spaces not only provide urban drivers with freedom and mobility in the crowded cityscape, but they can be a ser…

Read More
Real Estate Trends The Best – and Worst – of New York
2017 April The Best – and Worst – of New York

The city that never sleeps: That’s New York, and it turns out it’s one of the things that its residents adore most about it. It’s also one of the things they hate. Along with the convenience, access and availability to just about everything…

Read More
Management Home-sharing from the Board’s Perspective
2017 April Home-sharing from the Board’s Perspective

In recent years, “home-sharing” or “short-term” rental sites have been experiencing increasing popularity as well as political and media attention in many so-called destination cities. At the time of this article, the most popular of these …

Read More
Real Estate Trends Apartment Auctions
2017 April Apartment Auctions

Once upon a time, real estate auctions were solely for troubled properties.  While the conventional stereotype of an auction is that of a vehicle to move distressed properties, the old scenario no longer strictly holds true.  Today, real es…

Read More
Real Estate Trends From the Court to the Board
2017 April From the Court to the Board

Over the past few months there have been several interesting and insightful court decisions. Here are a few legal cases that provide some helpful lessons for boards and managers alike. 19 Pond, Inc., et al. v. Goldens Bridge Community Asso…

Read More
Real Estate Trends The 2nd Avenue Subway
2017 April The 2nd Avenue Subway

In movie industry parlance, New York City’s Second Avenue subway line was in ‘development hell’ for almost 100 years—as many Upper East Siders who ride the very crowded Lexington Avenue lines daily know first-hand. Plans for a new line were…

Read More
Finance Financing Investor-Held Condominium Units
2017 April Financing Investor-Held Condominium Units

Like single-family homes, condominium units tend to be owner-occupied. Financing for these units therefore tends to follow traditional guidelines and requirements centered on owner occupancy. But what happens when a condo unit is held as an…

Read More
1 2 Next