Page 14 - New England Condominium January 2019

14 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM - JANUARY 2019 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Located Throughout New England Servicing the Northeast, Free Estimates Fully Insured, Certified by NADCA 1-800-442-8368 customerservice@ductandvent.com www.ductandvent.com Duct & Vent Cleaning of America, Inc. CONDOMINIUM MARKETPLACE “ e Directory to Everything You Need” MARCUS ERRICO EMMER & BROOKS, P.C. Representing Over 4,000 Condominium Associations... One Association at a Time 45 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 107 Braintree, MA 02184 (781) 843-5000/Braintree (508) 791-2120/Worcester (401) 351-2221/Rhode Island www.meeb.com | law@meeb.com MEEB_NEC_June14.qxp:Layout 1 5/19/14 12 See Our Display Ad on Back Cover ACCOUNTANTS Goodman, Shapiro & Lombardi, LLC Concentrating in condominium and real estate law in MA & RI www.goshlaw.com (877)-241-1600 NECondoClassifiedAd7-7-17woNH.indd 1 7/7/2017 1:09:16 PM Flynn Law Group 185 Devonshire St., Suite 401 • Boston, MA 02110 617-988-0633 “Quality Representation at Reasonable Rates - $150/Hr.” Contact Attorney Frank Flynn Frank@fl ynnlaw-ne.com www.fl ynnlaw-ne.com ATTORNEYS ATTORNEYS Accounting • Auditing • Taxes • Consulting Worcester 67 Millbrook Street 508-797-5200 Grafton 80 Worcester Street 508-839-0020 Holden 795 Main Street 508-829-5544 M Love Associates, & LLC Certified Public Accountants Serving Condominium Associations mlove 2.25 x 2.5 condo association color 9.19.2017.indd 1 9/19/17 12:59 PM Merrill & McGeary 100 State Street, Suite 200 Boston, MA 02109 617-523-1760 • Fax 617-523-4893 Contact: Mike Merrill, Esq. mmerrill@merrillmcgeary.com DUCT/DRYER VENT CLEANING BANKING/LENDERS INDOOR AIR QUALITY • VENTILATION • DUCT CLEANING AIR DUCT & DRYER VENT CLEANING 800-893-1117 www.continentalcleanair.com Property Managers • Multi Units • Associations • Condos Continental clean:Layout 1 12/22/09 David A. Levy, CPA, P.C. Certified Public Accountants 20 Freeman Place Needham, MA 02492 Tel: (617) 566-3645 (866) 842-0108 Fax: (866) 681-2377 www.DALCPAPC.net DAL CPA See Our Display Ad on Page 13 BetterVent is a NEW kind of Indoor Dryer Vent. www.adr-products.com 1-888-609-5512 Condominium and Real Estate Law Phone: (781) 817-4900 Direct: (781) 817-4603 Fax: (781) 817-4910 We may be dressed up, but we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty. www.lawmtm.com See Our Display Ad on Page 9 Solving your problems today & strengthening your association for tomorrow. 6 Lyberty Way, Suite 201 Westford, MA 01886 (978)496-2000 www.perkinslawpc.com and that makes things more worthwhile for us, because one agent can handle a number of buildings at the same time.” À la Carte Services Rosenberg explains that for some small associations, the cost of full-time manage- ment is just too high on a per-unit basis, so they off er an alternative: à la carte services. “Recently, we began off ering bookkeeping services,” he says. “We collect the monthly charges and pay the bills. Everything is done online. If it works well, we will expand the program.” Th e cost of keeping an attorney on retain- er is far too high for most small associations, so in most cases legal services are procured on an as-needed basis. Professional services such as lawyers, accountants, and architects are treated similarly to contract services such as lawn work, snow removal, building clean- ing, and minor maintenance. Th e association seeks those services only when they’re need- ed. Potential Legal Issues Jeff rey Turk, a Partner in the Braintree, Massachusetts-based law fi rm of Turk & Qui- jano, says: “People buy a condo so they don’t have the headaches of a home. Someone else mows the lawn and shovels the snow. But in a small condo, you don’t have that. Who is going to do those tasks? You. Th ere are no economies of scale.” Financial considerations can be even more pressing. “If someone doesn’t pay their condo fees in a 100-unit condominium asso- ciation,” Turk continues, “there is likely still enough money to keep operating. In a four- unit condo, that might not be the case. Th e problem is that condominium associations are true democracies. Everyone has an opin- ion and a vote. Who wants to spend money and who doesn’t? Th ere may be three mem- bers; two want to pay for lawn maintenance, the third does not. What then? Sometimes documents in small associations require a unanimous vote, and one member can hold up the whole process. You need a good set of condo documents specifying that the associ- ation must hire professionals to do the neces- sary tasks. Th ese people are your neighbors. It’s just easier to put it in the docs so there’s no other choice.” Turk describes one situation where there was a two-unit condominium association. “One owner was completely irrational. He wouldn’t pay for anything to get done, and wouldn’t do it himself. Th is ended up in liti- gation, which was prohibitively expensive.” Ultimately, one owner sold to someone else. “Th ey were lucky to fi nd a buyer,” says Turk. “If the buyer had looked at public re- cords and seen the lawsuit, they might not have bought. Th at brings up another consid- eration. You never know who your neighbors may be in the future.” While that’s true in any multifamily environment, one unhinged neighbor in a 100-unit property may be less impactful than in a fi ve-unit property. Words of Advice Abel has lived in a small condo associa- tion in Boston and says the experience was a positive one. But as a property manager, he off ers the following observation about micro- associations: “Lack of professional guidance is the biggest problem. Owners tend to make things up as they go along, since they don’t have guidance on how to enforce rules, hire properly insured contractors, etc.” Rules need to be put in place, respected, and enforced. Fox adds: “One of the challenges of small buildings is that the entire building may be on the board. In a small building that can be challenging, as oft en the members are inex- perienced with respect to the ownership and management of real estate. On the fl ip side, it can be very gratifying because when you as a manager do something well, everyone knows about it and recognizes it.” Small association living may not be for everyone. McIntyre cautions potential own- ers. “Th e buyer oft en isn’t thinking about this when they’re looking for a place,” he says, “and oft en doesn’t realize the responsibilities they’ll have until they’re in and have to par- ticipate.” So, if you’re thinking about living in a small association, go in with your eyes open. When it snows, someone has to shovel – and that may be you. n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter with New England Condominium, and a published novelist. RUNNING SMALL... continued from page 8 capital projects are being considered. Th eir knowledge and insight is critical as to which project must be addressed and which can be held until the subsequent year. “Having an experienced and capable super can save a building thousands of dol- lars in repair costs. If repairs can be handled in-house, that will benefi t the owners. For example, if a super can replace a shower body and install bath tiles, the association can avoid hiring a plumber and contractor. Similarly, a super who can make boiler or burner repairs is in high demand.” Marian Servidio, Owner of the Park Place Management Company in South Burlington, Vermont: “We actually don’t have a support staff per se. But for new owners, we send out a welcome letter and a list of information on how to operate their thermostat, who to call for what particular service, and that type of thing. Th en, we have Community Associa- tions Institute (CAI) information about the various offi cers’ positions which we circulate to board members, and off er to host an ori- entation meeting for any new or incoming board members that require guidance.” n Mike Odenthal is a staff writer/reporter with New England Condominium. WELCOME... continued from page 11 See Our Display Ad on Page 13 See Our Display Ad on Page 10 See Our Display Ad on Page 11 See Our Display Ad on Page 12