As the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression—which is why the façade of your building should always look clean and in top shape, for both aesthetic and commercial reasons. Important as appearances are, however,…
Conflict comes hand-in-hand with living in close quarters—and condominium and cooperative living is a prime example. Most dust-ups between neighbors involve run-of-the-mill issues like noise or hallway clutter, and can be settled with a cor…
It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. It can take nearly that much to run a multifamily building as well, even a small one. Residential communities require the services of a wide array of employees and professionals, rang…
In many ways condo, co-op, and HOA living represents the most basic form of representative democracy. Like the ancient Athenians, we gather periodically to elect a small group from among us to represent our joint interests and to oversee th…
Mark your calendar and get ready - The Cooperator Expo Chicagoland returns to Navy Pier on Thursday, October 13th from 10am to 4:30pm! Register for free at https://ilexpo.com/ If you’ve attended the show, you know what a rich resource i…
Even before the pandemic and social unrest of the last few years, interpersonal conflict and even outright hostility were challenges that every board and manager in a co-op or condo would eventually have to deal with. Whether the result o…
In our current environment of steeply rising costs, it’s more important than ever to safeguard your reserves to ensure that your association has sufficient funds available for immediate and future capital projects. Unfortunately, many assoc…
Where there are people, there is detritus. It’s an age-old reality—so much so that even the remains of our ancient trash are often the basis upon which archeologists develop theories about vanished civilizations. While we can’t say what fut…
With the focus on climate change and how to fight it constantly sharpening, residential communities are seeking ways to reduce their contribution to the problem, commonly known as their carbon footprint. Carbon reduction is necessary both t…
In early 2020, our firm was hired to prepare a reserve study for an unremarkable 136-unit, 12-story condominium in south Florida. It was the kind of association you could drive right by without noticing, not much different from all the othe…