2004 Jun
2004 Jun Vol. 24, No. 6
Focus on...Law & Legislation
Transferring Power from Developer to Board
Transitions are subjective; a prospective homeowner puts a bid on a condo unit or townhouse, navigates the normal channels, and upon receiving approval looks forward to settling into his or her new home. There's a lot to do before that can happen, though: packing, moving, changing addresses, getting used to the new commute, meeting the new neighbors, and finally becoming a link in an association's chain. Read More
General Legal Counsel
Every community association has a legal advisor. Next to the managing agent, this person is perhaps the most important professional that the board of directors and members interact with. Apart from going over day-to-day documents, forms, and authorizations for any number of actions and projects, the attorney also has the job of advising the board and management team on policy and helps them avoid—or survive—litigation. Read More
Talking Points in Trenton
Bills about pets, lead paint abatement and property tax reform are among the items currently being debated by the New Jersey Legislature that could affect the operations of condo boards and homeowner associations throughout the Garden State. The legislative arm of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) has been monitoring several pieces of legislation that would impact homeowners and community associations in various ways, according to Audrey Wisotsky of the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, and the chair of CAI's Legislative Action Committee. Read More
Building Bylaws
Laying down the law in your building or association doesn't have to be a painful process. When it comes to creating house or community rules, careful planning and a healthy dose of common sense can make the process smooth, leading to happier homeowners and a stress-free executive board. Read More
Home Inspectors and Home Inspections
In the 1940s comedy, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,a wealthy ad executive played by Cary Grant hires a famous bridge and tunnel engineer to look over his new house in the country; as it turns out, the "dream house" is more trouble than it was worth—but that's just Hollywood. To buy a condo or townhome, you might not have to go to the extreme of a Hollywood movie, but it's become de rigueur to get a professional's advice before the papers are signed and the sale finalized, to make sure the property is structurally sound and free of unseen problems that would likely cause you headaches after the ink dries. Read More
How Home Staging Can Help Sell Your Home
In theater, film and television, a set designer is a vital artistic component for a successful production. He or she designs a set that generates a specific mood or atmosphere and hopefully—if the job is done properly—the audience will experience the same emotions. When you are selling your home, you may also want to do to your home what a designer does to a set; transform it to create an atmosphere that a potential buyer—your audience—can picture themselves living in. This transformation, called "home staging," goes beyond the simple designed-to-sell techniques that realtors ask homebuyers to carry out, such as organizing, cleaning and changing wall colors. Read More
IREM-NJ
The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) is an international organization of professional property managers who manage all types of real estate, including office buildings, multi-family and single-family residential properties, shopping centers and industrial properties. Read More
