Page 17 - CooperatorNews NY January 2021

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We Offer: • A full spectrum of real estate services • Preventative approach to maintenance • Staff management • Comprehensive online reporting. At Vanderbilt Property Management, we’ve built our company on time-honored principles of hardwork, knowledge, and attention to detail. We’ve been providing real estate management services for over 30 years, developing best practices in reporting, project management, communication, and more. V The professionalism youve been seeking ’ Vanderbilt; Informed. Involved. Steven W. Birbach, President Vanderbilt Property Management LLC Tel: (212)736-0112 ext. 815 info@vanderbiltpm.com • www.vanderbiltpm.com New York City 212.688.2400 Westchester 914.476.0600 Long Island 516.207.7533 sbjlaw.com We build relationships. Co-op and condominium representation should be a relationship , not a transaction. strategic effective FROM FORMATION, THROUGH TRANSITION, AND AS ONGOING GENERAL COUNSEL. New York City 212.688.2400 Westchester 914.476.0600 Long Island 516.207.7533 sbjl We build relationships. Co-op and condominium representation should be a relationship , not a transaction. strategic effective FROM FORMATION, THROUGH TRANSITION, AND AS ONGOING GENERAL COUNSEL. sbjlaw.com Westchester 914.467.0600 New York City 212.688.2400 Long Island 516.207.7533 really congregate there anyway—usually just a few people, or the volunteer gardener.” At one point, they considered hiring a full- time manager as a result of the pandemic, but ultimately decided it was just too expensive. Also, the board was concerned that if people lost their jobs and couldn’t pay their monthly common charges, the association would have even less money to spare. So far, self-manage- ment has proven the right move for this par- ticular community. Shifting to Off-Site Management Not every community is ready—or able —to go it alone, however. Stuart Halper, vice president of New York-based Impact Man- agement, specializes in small to mid-sized co-op and condominium properties, and says he’s seen some self-managed properties shift to off-site management since the pan- demic began. “We actually have picked up a significant number of clients in the last seven months,” he says. “And many of them are small properties coming off of self-manage- ment. However—could I say that it’s because of COVID-19 that they’ve turned to \\\[profes- sional\\\] management? I don’t really know the answer to that.” However, Halper goes on to say that he be- lieves one particular reason they have seen an increase in new clients during the pandemic is that “We remained open throughout the pandemic. We never shut down, nor did we really work fully remotely. I do believe that has made a significant difference when we’ve interviewed with a lot of the smaller proper- ties. We’ve found that many companies—es- pecially the smaller ones—were working re- motely and continue to work remotely, and some of their clients have not been satisfied with their performance.” The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly wreaked havoc for properties large and small, professionally managed and self-managed alike. At the end of the day, the continued viability of your particular management ar- rangement lies more with the individuals in your community and their willingness to adjust to a frequently-changing landscape. If that adjustment is too difficult, professional management is just a phone call away. n AJ Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for Co- operatorNews, and a published novelist. have it delivered and join the class virtually via Zoom or Facebook Live. Movies outdoors on community lawns or in parking lots have been another popular event where everyone comes with their chairs, beverages, and food. Spaces are marked out six feet apart to be socially distant and watch the movies safely. They also offered a mixology happy hour in Arlington, Texas, recently, where residents purchased a drink-making kit from a local bar, which was delivered to their home. Participants then joined the scheduled Zoom meeting to watch the mixologist instructor live to learn how to make the craft cocktails. After the drinks were made, the residents logged into a private group for a resident-only happy hour to so- cialize with friends and neighbors and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The Unique Circumstances of Active Adult Communities According to Gallogly, “We have found that our populations are really split with their level of concern for COVID-19, which has made it very difficult to navigate our various lifestyle programming at each site. The sweet spot for 55+ sites seems to be having options for our residents that will complement their level of concern. For example, we may secure a local restaurant or food truck to come out on Thursday evenings. Instead of advertising a set timeframe for them to participate on a first-come, first-served basis, we may offer ten-minute windows that residents can pre- register for to accommodate those households that don’t want to be faced with the possibility of socializing. The second half of the time- frame would be open for walk-ups for those who may want to say hello to a neighbor and don’t mind waiting in line six feet apart.” Clearly, for the time being, social program- ming will remain a challenge for residents of co-op, condo, and HOA communities. With certainty, though, both social programming staff and the participating residents will con- tinue to seek out alternatives and adaptations to satisfy their need for interaction and to live in a socially rewarding environment. This vi- rus may be tough, but we’re tougher. n AJ Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for Co- operatorNews, and a published novelist. SOCIAL... continued from page 8 Cesarano & Khan, PC Certified Public Accountants PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO THE COOPERATIVE AND CONDOMINIUM COMMUNITY Reporting on Financial Statements • Tax Services Budgeting & Consulting • Election Tabulation Services For additional information, contact Carl M. Cesarano, CPA 199 JERICHO TURNPIKE, SUITE 400 • FLORAL PARK, NY 11001 (516) 437-8200 and 718-478-7400 • info@ck-cpas.com cesarano &khan1_8 use this_:cesarano &khan 4 7/22/15 4:59 PM Page 1