Preparing the annual budget is by no means an easy task. Those charged with preparing condominium or HOA budgets will soon begin reviewing costs, gathering data and projecting expenses for the coming year. Communities, businesses, individu…
As the 2012 federal legislative fiasco over the debt ceiling—as well as any number of other spending bills proposed since then—demonstrated, balancing a budget can be like pulling teeth. Balancing a condo or HOA community's budget can some…
One of the biggest problems that can cause the downfall of any condo or co-op is a lack of funds, or more specifically, not enough money to keep operations running smoothly and to make the necessary repairs to keep everything up to par. …
The Chicagoland Cooperator's 2013 Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo was a huge success as the event attracted thousands of attendees from all across the region for a full day of education and networking. The day was also a windfall for Donna H…
There’s a reason why all the law drama shows do so well on TV. There’s so much material revolving around lawyers and the people who need to call one—even if those people are ordinary people doing ordinary things, like buying and selling pr…
Running the day-to-day business of a condo development or an HOA of any size—be it a sprawling, multi-building community, or a single self-contained building—requires not just a functional board but a team of competent outside professional…
As fuel prices continue to climb, consumers—including real estate developers and building administrators—are looking for alternative ways to power their buildings while saving money. Solar power is one possible option for such consumers, b…
The Village of Tinley Park, about 35 minutes from downtown Chicago, was honored in 2009 by BusinessWeek“as the best place to raise a family in America,” and today is known as one of the fastest growing suburbs in the country. Home to some …
Q I seem to be in the minority on the board upon which I am a director and chair of the finance committee, because I think that since shareholders are lessees/renters and the corporation is the lessor/landlord, that the corporation should…
I live above a daily cigar smoker, and particularly in the warmer months I like to leave my windows and balcony door open. I’ve complained several times to the board and management that the smoke is getting into my unit, my rug, my bed shee…