Hector and Hedy Johnson bought a new condominium just off Lakeshore Drive in 1995 and lived there for 19 years. In 2014 they sold the apartment to Leonard and Lena Smith. A year later, the condominium association’s board of directors voted …
There are a lot of moving parts that contribute toward the functionality of a residential complex, whether said property is a condominium, cooperative, or a homeowner’s association. And these parts vary in complexity, to the extent that no …
Plumbing. It’s one of those things for which we all should be grateful, but about which we rarely ever give a thought—at least not until we see water seeping out from under the bathroom door. Fortunately, if and when things go wrong, there …
Whether interior or exterior, well-built, properly-maintained woodwork can last for centuries but if wood-boring pests like beetles, termites, and carpenter ants find their way into the wood, they can wreak all kinds of havoc. Wood-destroyi…
Whether you live in a suburb or in the heart of the city, life is expensive. Sometimes it can feel as though everybody from the barista at your favorite coffee shop to the kid who bags your groceries is trying to nickel-and-dime you half to…
Neither condominium/cooperative property nor homeowners’ association runs itself. The day-to-day business therein is carried out by either a board or a property manager of the board’s hire, the unit owners/shareholders themselves contribute…
Since before recorded history, people have celebrated events, often decorating homes and public spaces to mark this or that special day or event. We still love to adorn our doors, windows, and other areas with festive décor at different tim…
Jeff and Cindy were on the hunt for a condo in the Wicker Park section of Chicago. They came upon a duplex three-bedroom unit that was perfect for their growing family. The building even had a common garden, which Jeff and Cindy loved—but …
No one likes a lawsuit. Whether filing one or finding yourself on the receiving end of one, they can cause stress, anxiety and an upending of daily life. They can be expensive, take months—even years—to resolve, and often result in hurt fee…
According to the Washington, DC-based online database, the Gun Violence Archive, a mass shooting is an incident in which four or more individuals are wounded or killed. In 2015 alone, the U.S. faced 372 such incidents, leaving 475 people de…
The lobby of your building is the first thing residents see when they come home, and the first part of the building any guest (or prospective buyer) sees when they visit your condo or HOA. In light of that, it's important for your lobby, wh…
In 1974, Peter Drucker, a well-known management consultant and author of more than three dozen books said, “There is one thing most boards have in common; they do not function.” While Drucker’s blunt assessment was aimed primarily at corpo…
Like single family homes, condominium units tend to be owner-occupied. Financing for these units therefore tends to follow traditional guidelines and requirements centered on owner occupancy. But what happens when a condo unit is held as an…
Metallic green in color and measuring just a half-inch long and an eighth-of-an-inch wide, the emerald ash borer, a beetle native to Asia and first discovered in Michigan in 2002, has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions …
Home to former Secretary of State and now presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton, Park Ridge, Illinois is an affluent Chicago suburb located 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Other famous Park Ridgers include actor Harrison Ford …
Q. I am a condo unit owner with 54 units in our building. My unit is on the 2nd floor facing south. My neighbor’s 2nd floor unit faces west. We are cornered from each other. She is a smoker and sits on her balcony quite often. I enjoy hav…
Q. Can a condominium association change the unit owner’s right to lease his or her unit? —Last but Not Leased A. “A unit owner enjoys an inherent right to lease his or her unit—subject to recorded covenants t…