Sometimes condominium units become “home” to people who really don’t belong there. With the proliferation of “over-55” communities in recent years, aging baby boomers and an economy marked by unemployment and foreclosures, there may be r…
Management of any property requires a varying degree of resources and skills. Materials, capital, and personnel are required for everything from ordering supplies to the complete overseeing of a multi-unit, high rise condominium. Above…
Serving on a condo board has its challenges—mostly of a relatively mundane, everyday sort, like how to pay for new carpet in the clubhouse, or what kind of flowers to put in the new beds out front. Occasionally however, a much more sens…
Stores and other commercial businesses on the ground floor of an apartment building are a tradition in big cities. By contrast, when one looks at the typical suburban condo development, one must go to another location to shop—maybe to t…
In the 1960s, people would laugh at the notion that someone could make money by going to people’s houses and asking to mow their lawn. This was something that everyone did themselves and the thought of paying someone else to do it seeme…
It’s Murphy’s Law that when a homeowner is on vacation or away for the day, the unexpected happens. A pipe bursts and water starts dripping through the ceiling of the unit below. It’s essential that the management firm gets into the uni…
As the economy continues its slow recovery from the struggles of the recession, companies are faced with the all-important task of reexamining services and respective best practices. One reason for this exercise is the fierce competiti…
How can you tell whether the on-site property manager at a condominium or homeowners association community is doing a good job? And what is “a good job”? Whether a manager is well-liked and whether he or she manages well may not be the …
For most people, there simply are not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done. We rush to pick the kids up from school, make it to that impromptu work meeting that just got called or even find the time to grab som…
Small and medium size community associations have many choices when they consider how to manage the day-to-day operations of their properties. Do they keep fees as low as possible and save money by being self-managed? Or find a way to …