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A recent study found that 75% of greenhouse gasses in New York City are generated by buildings, primarily multifamily residential buildings. As part of a city-wide effort to incentivize buildings to develop programs to curb emissions, FirstService Residential held its Third Annual Green Expo & Symposium on May 15 in New York. The event featured a panel of industry experts, including FirstService Residential President Dan Wurtzel, who described the benefits of participating in city programs, as well as the opportunities to save money, help the environment and enhance property values.

Swimming pools are one of the most common, and most desirable, amenities in communities. Making sure to have proper community pool insurance coverage.

Maintaining your buildings’ assets is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The common areas require a broad range of routine maintenance and repairs to keep them looking good and operating smoothly.

With a growing focus on proper environmental stewardship, many associations are working toward implementing green initiatives. But getting there can be daunting. With so many programs and opportunities available for all of us to reduce, re-use and recycle, it’s hard to know where to begin.

It’s a term that gets tossed around quite a lot. But “conflict of interest” is a real and genuine threat to your association and its proper stewardship. Understanding what the term means – as well as how to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest– can go a long way toward ensuring the strength and stability of your community and eliminating many concerns.

While exclusive communities like the Hamptons or Malibu will always be attractive locations for affluent vacation home buyers, several new trends are emerging in the growing second home market.

Many HOAs and community associations would like to save energy and energy spending, but they think that putting an energy management plan into place for their multifamily property is difficult to accomplish. FS Energy's Chris Normandeau explains some basic, easy-to-do steps that can make a real impact on an association's energy usage and budget.

In our guide to capital improvements , reserve studies and their relationship to capital improvements and preventive maintenance were discussed at length.

Your reserve fund is what helps your association anticipate its future– and budget for it, too. This fund gives you the power to maintain the quality of your community by allowing for projects that are both necessary and expensive (like a future roofing or paving project, for instance).

In this article, we delve into the significance of energy conservation within community associations, exploring its benefits and strategies for effective implementation.

So what can condo boards or community associations do to mitigate or even reduce costs this winter? Let’s start with what you can do in the summer and fall, before winter actually begins. This includes cleaning, tuning and performing any necessary repairs to heating systems, furnaces and boilers to make sure they won’t be working longer, harder or less efficiently than they should. Other pre-winter tasks include cleaning gutters to remove leaves and debris to ensure water can flow freely. Otherwise, water can become trapped and freeze, which can not only damage your property’s gutters, but also cause ice dams and possible roof leaks.

No longer the products of science fiction fantasy, electric cars are now a reality of everyday life. While the reduced emissions of personal electric vehicles, or PEVs, are good news for the environment, their charging requirements may create challenges for condo associations trying to navigate their infrastructure requirements, legal implications, management concerns and even aesthetic considerations.

It’s that time of year again – budget season is upon us. You know the steps to creating your budget, but what drives your process?

Neighborhood Watch programs can provide significant benefits to communities – after all, they boost community awareness, communication and involvement, while reducing opportunities for neighborhood crimes to occur. But if you’re interested in getting started, there are many important factors to consider. Here’s an overview.

If you’re on the board of a condo, co-op, high-rise or HOA, you know that managing your community’s budget is a major priority. You’ve likely explored many ways to save money and get the best deals, while still maintaining a high level of service.

Many multifamily properties and high-rises want to implement “green” living practices and create eco-friendly communities, but not everyone knows where nor how to get started. Here are some effective and easy tips to help you be proactive and successful in achieving your sustainability goals. Read on for a list of programs and services that can be put in place in your community at little to no cost.

We’ve got the scoop on how to get a mortgage loan, so read on for our top six tips to increase your chances.

Is your homeowners association considering starting a recycling program for your community? If so, bravo! Take a look at some of the benefits: conserving energy, saving water, preserving resources, reducing air pollution and saving landfill space. And did you know that in addition to helping the environment, recycling can also provide economic benefits as well? To get you started, here are some tips and considerations to help your association plan and implement a successful recycling program for your community.

Improving your building’s energy efficiency is good for your budget and for your property values. Getting a professional energy audit is a crucial step on the road toward energy efficiency. It can tell you which upgrades make the most sense for your property and show you potential energy and cost savings.

No matter where your high-rise building is located, rising energy costs can have a drastic impact on your community association’s budget. Implementing methods to conserve energy can help your association reduce energy costs and optimize your high-rise’s annual budget.

Congratulations! You just bought a new home and it’s perfect for your family – just the right size, condition, location and neighborhood to meet your needs. Your new home is part of a homeowners’ association (HOA), which means you will pay HOA fees. What is an HOA fee? What do they pay for?

The chief responsibility of a community association board member is to preserve, protect and enhance the community. That includes, above all else, its financial health. But you can’t affect the financial health of your community if you don’t understand where it is when you join the board. Balance sheets are the best tool for gaining that basic understanding.

Read on for more about how to best complete your next annual association budget, a budget that will enhance your property values and improve your residents’ lives.