It’s that time of year again—trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and on Tuesday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cooperator’s Co-op & Condo Expo will set up shop at the Hilton New York at 53rd Street and Avenue of the Americas. …
Two seemingly opposite dynamics are both influencing today’s real estate market—and its impact on co-ops and condos. On one hand, people all over the United States, including the greater New York area, are becoming more frugal, and lear…
To buy or not to buy? That is the question.” Taking a cue from Hamlet, this question is on the minds of many contemplating moving to New York City these days. “Many are taking advantage of this slightly-down market by buying, w…
New York City began as a city of immigrants and has maintained a long and laudable history of welcoming foreign travelers and residents. In recent years, residential real estate sales have glowed even brighter for buyers from overseas.…
Anybody who has lived and worked in New York City for an extended period of time usually develops a sort of love-hate relationship with the city, rattling off a dozen reasons why Gotham is the only place they'd ever consider calling hom…
In the best of circumstances, qualifying an applicant for a co-op or condominium purchase can be a challenging process. Market conditions play a part in a board's consideration of applicants, and recent fluctuations have changed the wa…
For some New Yorkers planning their daily errands and activities can be as logistically difficult as mountain climbing. These New Yorkers are, of course, those with disabilities, the elderly or anyone whose mobility has been compromise…
It’s no secret that New Yorkers love their dogs. In 2011, there were more than 1.4 million dogs in New York City, according to www.nycoffleash.com. With a pack like that, it’s no wonder businesses and city dwellings are jumping on the d…
No one likes it when a neighbor has an ongoing renovation project that lasts for months on end, especially when the renovations may cause damage to your own apartment. Luckily, most buildings have a mechanism in place to fix this: the …
Congratulations, you’ve been elected to serve on your building’s board. You managed to convince the rest of the building that you know enough about building systems or law or economics or even people-pleasing to make them vote for you a…
As the winter months fade into spring, it’s easy to try and forget about heating and all the costs it incurs. For managers, board members and others with an eye on a co-op or condo building’s budgetary bottom line, now may be the perfect…
The leading factor responsible for the Great Recession—fraudulent mortgage lending—remains a thorn in the side of the nation’s fledgling economy. It started with the false promise of home ownership to many susceptible, under-financed peo…
Insurance is a relatively simple concept that any homeowner can understand. You purchase a policy paying a premium to an insurer, and when a claim gets filed, the insurer pays. So in theory, insuring your co-op or condo building should …
Williamsburg suffers from multiple personality disorder. Just one subway stop away from Manhattan in the Brooklyn neighborhood, you’ll find a large Hasidic Jewish community, a glut of ethnic enclaves, including Polish, Puerto-Rican, Dom…
When you speak of Hell’s Kitchen and the far west side of Manhattan, the stories that come to mind are of longshoremen, the notorious Westies and dark deserted urban streets, but now, thanks to a the 7 Subway Line extension, a massive p…
It’s not necessarily to the degree of the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, the famous mountain clan involved in a decades-long blood feud, but living side-by-side in a co-op or a condo can, needless to say, get pretty heated on occasion. …
The good news is, after a fallow period in the depths of the recession, the construction industry in New York City is starting to come back. However, with that activity comes the potential for disputes and property damage, especially w…
For years, the hospitality industry has been fighting a chemical war against bed bugs. Now, with the growing menace of pesticide-resistant bed bugs and increasing documentation of human injury from harsh chemicals, the question to consi…
Q A board member had dormers installed in his apartment which required a permit by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). As the project was ending, he told the architect he did not want to do what was necessary to have the DO…