Mark your calendars! The date for The Chicagoland Cooperator’s second annual Chicagoland Condo, HOA, & Co-op Expo, is fast approaching. This year’s event will be held from on Wednesday, November 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the N…
It's almost a mantra: the more you know, the better off you are—certainly when it comes to doing the job of a condominium or HOA board member. No matter how enthused and engaged a new board appointee may be, they don't come to the job k…
Wires and drywall were all that remained in a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath Wrigleyville condominium unit that its owner abandoned in 2009. The owner wasn’t paying on his mortgage or his monthly condo association assessments, prompt…
Many condo owners want to get involved in their community but they soon find out that being on the board is no picnic. Soon neighbors are pestering them asking for feuds to be settled, decisions that affect all resident’s lives have to …
Whether they serve a co-op, condo, or HOA community, board members have a responsibility to govern and make decisions on behalf of that community—a charge that is often referred to as the board's 'fiduciary duty.' Decisions made on beha…
It’s time for the big election. And no, we’re not talking about Washington. We’re talking about the one that takes place annually in every co-op, condo building and homeowners association. It’s the election where unit owners have to appo…
In your own household, you have money coming in and money going out. You have things you want to save up for—say, a new cool high-def, flat screen television or the latest iPad. Yet you owe your car company and your creditors. To keep i…
One of the most rewarding aspects of living in an urban area is the opportunity for people from a broad array of ethnic and sociological backgrounds to get to know each other as neighbors. That doesn't mean that managing a building or …
Q In December 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the United States was in a recession that had started back in December 2007. The official announcement was old news for most Americans. Most financially-savvy …
“Location...Location...Location,” is the age old adage of real estate and Jefferson Park's location, affordability, safety and access to transportation are the primary factors that lure people to this lovely corner of the Northwest Side…
Q I am the secretary of a recently formed condo association board in a mid-sized building (93 units) on the South Side. Due to circumstances I'm sure are common, what money we have is barely sufficient to manage the status quo, includi…
Q Are there any restrictions or rules in Illinois that would permit videotaping of condo board meetings? Is it legal? If taping is permissible, do the parties in the room being taped have to be told of it beforehand? —Camera-Shy …