It’s a fact that the goal of condo landscaping is to increase owners’ enjoyment of their property and enhance the value of the investment in their home. Typically, condo complexes have a landscaper in house and/or under contract to care fo…
A century ago, Joyce Kilmer penned, “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.” Today, arborists tell us that how lovely the tree depends on the variety of tree and how and where trees are planted. According to these licensed…
Depending upon whom you ask, the uniformity of condominium exteriors seen in New England (and elsewhere) is a matter of developers playing it safe and/or saving money. Visitors to a condominium community expect to see a light, monochromati…
The past several years have been an unsettling ride for residential real estate across the nation, with a stomach-lurching slide from 2006 to 2012—but if the past two years mark a trend, the market may be on an upswing in New England. …
Looking across landscapes buried under record snow levels in February, New England condominium residents might have wondered if they’d ever see their neatly-trimmed lawns and manicured flowerbeds again. With plows running out of room…
When it comes to managing buildings, sometimes bigger is better. Larger properties with more units typically have a full property management team to run the place, a bigger budget and a much bigger reserve to tap into for unexpected repair…
While budget balancing or planning capital improvements may seem to be the most important skills within property management firms, managers will tell you their main focus is on human relations. David J. Levy, president of Sterling Se…
You think it can’t happen in your community but it does. And, all too often, I’m afraid. -A Chicago woman, beaten and robbed near the entry to her condominium building, files a negligence suit against the association in January 2015,…
The media and political buzz surrounding so-called 'homeshare' or 'short-term rental' websites (primarily Airbnb, but also other similar services like Homeaway.com and VRBO.com, just to name two) has been on the upswing over the last year …
Boston, Massachusetts, which was first incorporated as a town in 1630, and as a city in 1822, is one of America's oldest cities blessed with not only a rich economic history but a social and cultural history worthy of many of its New Engla…
Q Our association recently had to replace a pool safety cover. It was 14 years old and just could not be patched anymore. We got quotes for the cover and selected a vendor. Thinking this replacement would be funded from the reserve funds,…