New Jersey is the famous Garden State—that population-dense East Coast treasure known for its natural splendor above all else. Who knows more about beautiful flora than green-thumbed denizens of Parsippany, Secaucus, or Ho-Ho-Kus? Nobody, p…
When most people think of landscaping, especially in the Garden State, they think of shrubs, trees, meticulously laid-out and maintained flowerbeds, and artful plantings scattered around a building or development. However, landscaping doesn…
Winter in New Jersey can be brutal—piles of slushy gray snow to wade through and frigid winds that keep you inside. So you curl up with a good book, sip a cup of tea and watch the flurries through the window. As the flakes fall, you might f…
It’s no secret that residents in co-ops or condos can be a fickle bunch, and many times decide to undertake a repair or remodeling project themselves, without going through the proper channels. Maybe it’s a new owner who wants to make maj…
In this challenging economy, many condo and HOA communities are struggling to pay their bills while planning for future needs. Still, most boards are loathe to raise maintenance fees or levy special assessments on their residents until ther…
If it's like a ghost town in your building and summer hasn’t hit yet—where is everybody? Maybe they’re on a winter hiatus and are inhabiting their second home in Florida—and that possibly means a season-long absence from their co-op or co…
Running the day-to-day business of a co-op, condo or HOA of any size—be it a self-contained high-rise in Fort Lee or Jersey City or a sprawling, multi-building community in Sparta—requires not just a functional board, but a team of competen…
Here in the Garden State, the uniformity of condo exteriors is mind-numbing, with the vast majority seemingly identical. Typically, they feature tedious, monochromatic curb appeal, void of color or creative material elements. Within these b…
Many people believe in the ethos of 'reduce, reuse, and recycle'—they buy vintage clothing, pre-owned cars, or refurbished electronic equipment. But most of us also like brand new things, including homes. And with markets across the country…
The only constant in life is change—as they say—and that’s especially true for those living in New Jersey, where no community stays the same for long. Indeed, here in the Garden State, renovations are taking place, new capital improvements …
Though the real estate crisis didn't rattle the tri-state area to nearly the degree that it did other markets around the country, construction still stalled on many new developments during the recent recession. It’s not only location or the…
Long Beach Island, commonly known to residents as LBI, is a beach resort on the Jersey Shore, located just 25 miles north of Atlantic City. The island, 75 miles south of New York City, is about 18 miles long, and includes three miles of a…
After a mild winter but cold spring that New Jerseyans are now experiencing, summer can’t come soon enough for many Garden State’s residents. But don’t be surprised when people start forgetting about the cold and start complaining about the…
The lobby of a resident’s building is the first thing a shareholder, unit owner, guest or prospective buyer notices when they come through the front door. That said, it stands to reason that comfortable, appropriate lobby furnishings are a …
Many times I have looked at a repair bill or troubleshooting project and said to myself, “there had to have been a more effective and less expensive way to have found this out or to have accomplished the same results.” Look for Ways to Sav…
Q. I am a newly elected member of the board of a very small, 32-unit, self-managed cooperative in Fort Lee, where traditionally there has been little transparency between the board and its resident shareholders. In my mind, however, the b…