As annual and quarterly budgets come up for review, associations are looking to cut additional costs anywhere and everywhere they can. But how much more “fat” can be trimmed from budgets? Surprisingly, there are a few unsung cost saving …
Worn-out or damaged common areas in community associations can hurt overall property values and send the wrong message. Of course, a newly-refurbished grand entrance and beautiful common areas that give owners bragging rights are univer…
Few things can be as upsetting as discovering that the dollars and cents that fuel a community association have been mishandled or worse yet, stolen. For residents, fraud undermines their sense of trust in the men and women who…
In today’s difficult economy, more and more homeowner associations are facing the prospect of dealing with some form of distress. Whether it’s physical distress from lack of funding for repairs or financial distress from foreclosures an…
It’s been a roller-coaster ride wild enough to churn even the sturdiest of stomachs: Unemployment is up, property values down, bankruptcies rising, sales dipping and then lurching upward again. For many community associations,…
If something’s broken, you fix it. If it's worn out, you replace it. It sounds like a simple equation, but when it comes to construction in cash-strapped times, it can be a case of easier said than done. As many condominiums’ f…
Chris D’Errico has handled about 1,000 residential rentals in the Boston area since 2003. These days, more and more of his calls are from condominium owners. Unable to find buyers for their homes, they’re turning to renting them. “It’s up…
While only a few states guarantee a “right-to-dry,” at the time of this writing, proposed legislation aimed to remove bans on clotheslines within condominium associations appears on several statehouse docket lists in New England. Arguments…
Skyrocketing energy costs have become the unfortunate norm. So it’s probably a good time to revisit a relatively obscure section of Massachusetts’ condominium statute that empowers condominium boards to become energy conservationists. …
"We see a wide range of reactions" when association board members and owners are presented with the cost of repairs, Fernandes says. "Most associations don't have the money on hand," says Stephen DiNocco, CMCA, AMS, principal …