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…
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…
We hear about them all the time. Whole movies are made about them. Those nosey, controlling, downright hostile neighbors who can make your life miserable. Having one down the hall or next door is bad enough—imagine what happens when they e…
Buying into a residential community like a co-op, condominium, or HOA can be a bit like selecting the political system you’d like to live under. Governance styles can range from an Athenian democracy where every member of the community is i…
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…
Q. Our small condo association is having a difficult time getting enough volunteers to satisfy the leadership requirements of our Master Deed. I’ve heard from other condo owners that there seems to be a lack of interest in running for the…
Q. During COVID restrictions, the board meetings at our condominium were not held regularly, or were held virtually, and few people paid attention. Now that meetings have resumed in person, the meetings seem to be less “official” — for e…
In the beginning … there was light. And all this time later, we are finally harnessing light’s energy to power our cities, our buildings, and our everyday devices—mostly because all of the energy sources we’ve used until now emit incalculab…
Residents in condo and HOA communities are frequently quite busy. Boards generally consist of elected volunteers who nearly always have other jobs and lives outside their duties as trustees. So while a professional management company can ha…
Saving the planet from the effects of climate change is an urgent—and gargantuan—task. It’s such a huge, global issue that the actions of individuals and small entities like co-op and condominium communities to help can seem pitifully inade…