As housing markets in many parts of the country—including Chicago—have foundered, many developers have opted to convert portions of communities originally intended to be condominiums into rental properties. When a development with no ow…
Convenience and saving money are just a couple reasons why an association would choose to self-manage a property. Though, outside managing firms and property managers are hired and employed for good reason. The job requires collecting …
How can you tell whether the on-site property manager at a condominium or homeowners association community is doing a good job? And what is “a good job”? Whether a manager is well-liked and whether he or she manages well may not be the …
The winds were a bit chilly but the sun was shining brightly on the Navy Pier as more than two thousand enthusiastic attendees packed The Chicagoland Cooperator’s 2nd Annual Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo to meet with nearly 250 exhibitors, att…
Most people assume that as soon as they buy their first home, they will finally have the freedom to paint their decks purple, to hang fluorescent window treatments and colorful sconces, or to litter their lawns with political or yard s…
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…
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 …
Money is a topic people are often skittish about discussing—especially when the discussion involves rising fees, or having to pay more money for something. When you’re a board member or the property manager of a condo building or residen…
For a crystal-clear picture of how an association is doing, there are few better lenses than the community's budgets and financial reports. From an investment perspective, they show the shareholders, managers, tenants, owners, and board…
At any given time, there are dozens of housing-related bills—both major and not-so-major—being debated by lawmakers in Chicago, Springfield, and Washington, DC. This legislation can have a huge impact condo residents, boards, and those wh…