If a service company’s number one asset is its people, there is no more important topic than “How to Attract and Keep Staff.” The challenges of finding, hiring and keeping the best staff—at a cost that still fits within the overall finan…
Conflict among neighbors is something every property manager must face. As long as people have different viewpoints and varied lifestyles, they will argue and bicker and call each other names. Add to that the close living quarters of som…
Whether it’s a neighbor’s barking dog or a backed-up toilet, the problems of condominium owners and residents are always personal. Their homes are a haven–and an investment–so at times, even an easily-solved issue can feel like a catastr…
No two condos are the same, and neither are the needs of the buildings. A brownstone in Cambridge, a hotel-like complex in Boston’s Back Bay, a row of townhouses in Nashua—each requires specific services from its management company. …
The Climate of the real estate market across the country has shifted, and the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis has been felt in cities and towns throughout the country. The co-op and condo market in New England is no exception, …
There’s always something to do around a condominium or co-op building. There’s landscaping to be done in the spring, summer and fall. A swimming pool adds to summer’s workload, and snow removal is one of winter’s most important chores. M…
If they haven't left already, the remaining "snowbirds" will shortly depart for their warm and snug Sunbelt condominiums. Left behind will be scowling residents scraping ice off their windshields and shorthanded association boards — many…
Where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Not always. Smoke and soot damage are the obvious aftereffects of a fire, but they are also the by-products of many other domestic mishaps, including residue build-up in a furnace or chimney…
Insidious is not a word that usually comes to mind when think of community association living. But then again, we don't generally think of any insidious phenomena around us as being insidious. Need an example? While majority of Americans…
One of the most important elements in the operation of a community association is the meeting process. The success of an association is often reflected in the quality and tenor of its meetings. Surprisingly, the meeting process is often …