Jack and his wife Rachel live in Boston, happy in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a parking spot. Assessments are criminally low, the building is dog-friendly, and it is literally a half block from public transit. While they have a small…
Tastes and styles change with the decades—and sometimes with just the seasons—and what is considered fashionable now may seem hopelessly dated in just a few years. (Just look at bell bottoms.) That said, innovations and re-imaginings in res…
When a few million people take up residence in a small geographic area, it should be no surprise that the most valuable commodity in any major city is real estate. When new spaces become available for building, few hurdles are too high to j…
Oftentimes co-op, condo and HOA boards are faced with difficult choices when it comes to enforcing their community’s rules and regulations. Board service isn’t an easy thing, and while board members want to be understanding of their fellow …
Like people, buildings age. Even under the best of atmospheric conditions, dust, dirt and grime accumulate, changing a building’s appearance over time. Often it’s not until a building’s façade is cleaned that one notices how it was dirty to…
Once upon a time, when someone purchased a condo or co-op, their ownership came with the privilege of using the building’s amenities. Those who lived in a building with a fitness room equipped with treadmills and weights considered themselv…
With the end of winter comes relief. No more snow or sleet or slush or sludge; it’s sunshine and windbreaker season, baby! But the board of a condo, cooperative or homeowners association cannot be content with simply waiting for April showe…
Most kids these days have never had more options when it comes to fun: video games and electronic entertainment of every kind are ubiquitous, and all sorts of mobile toys, too. But amid a national childhood obesity epidemic, the need for ch…
Q. For the annual meeting, there are seven people running for five positions. The management company sent a proxy to all owners and requested that it either be mailed to them or dropped in the mailbox in the building lobby. This mailbox i…
Q. With the arrival of nice weather, we would like to save energy and practice a “greener” lifestyle by hanging our laundry outside. There is no formal line-drying area at our townhome community, so we asked about installing a line on our…