Building a successful enterprise from the ground up requires dedication and commitment from dozens, if not hundreds, of people. That’s certainly the case with the creation of a new co-op or condo community, entities that are just as much…
Conventional wisdom holds that if you have to have neighbors, you’re better off living next door to owners than renters. By definition, owners have a stake in their building, and are supposedly better neighbors. They are cleaner, quiete…
Q We have a situation at our condo association regarding the likely possibility of changing our maintenance from a contractor to a direct hire. It has been widely speculated that our board president would be the candidate for the position…
Although the position generally offers zero compensation aside from the satisfaction of a job well done, association board members are still in charge of running a business—a business with revenues, expenses, and assets that, depending on t…
Thousands upon thousands of people in New Jersey live in condos, HOAs or co-op buildings. Although it naturally varies from one development to another, many, possibly the majority, of association members pay very little if any attention …
The homeowners association is, in theory if not always in practice, democracy in action. Once elected via popular vote by the members of the association, the board members—again, in theory, if not always in practice—represent the organiz…
To those who don't know much about the subject, insurance for condos and HOAs can seem like a fairly simple thing—like car insurance, or life insurance. It's tempting to just trust their broker or agent, and leave it at that. There'…
Instances of out-and-out fraud are rare in the world of condos and homeowners associations, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't look out for them and know how to spot signs of trouble. Consider this—most board members are volunteers…
We've all heard stories—harrowing tales of crazy lawsuits, mishandled misunderstandings, shady dealings, outright fraud. From loony shareholders or unit owners, corrupt staffers or belligerent neighbors, the legal imbroglios residential …
Governor Jon Corzine has finished his first year as governor of New Jersey—he won 54 percent of the vote over Republican nominee Doug Forrester in 2004—and has now begun his second year. It's been an extremely eventful year for the gover…