How To Run Your Building! For Co-ops and Condos

A condo with fewer than forty units and a nine-member board spent years trying to pass two amendments: reducing the board and a building-wide smoking ban. Most residents supported both. Not enough of them voted. Stephen Wilson, vice president at Blue Woods Management, explains how that building finally crossed the supermajority threshold, and why a silent owner is effectively a no vote. He shares tactics you can use now, from lobby canvassing nights to simplified proxies and extended proxies that stay open for nearly a year. Wilson also explains why these changes rarely take less than twelve months. If your governing documents are outdated, listen to this episode before your next annual meeting. Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

When a Jackson Heights co-op’s FISP deadline landed just before its mortgage came due, Evangelos Fantakos, managing member and CEO of Highrise Property Management, helped the board map a way through. He walks through how the board tackled an $8 million facade project across six buildings and the financing decision that shaped everything else. Fantakos shares why delaying the work was tempting, and how town halls kept residents informed as the numbers got uncomfortable. Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview. How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

Imagine paying the same $300 maintenance today that your building charged decades ago. For some shareholders in New York's HDFC co-ops, that's reality, and it sounds like a dream — until you see what it costs everyone else. Aaron Weber, owner of Weber Realty Management, takes us inside a 22-unit Upper East Side building that has stayed afloat through a red-tagged elevator and a water bill that mysteriously kept climbing. Then he heads to the Bronx, where a young co-op inherited a loan it never chose. Weber also explains a city program that quietly rescues shareholders in trouble, and how your shareholders can access it. Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

A Brooklyn condo has been fighting sponsor-related leaks for years, seeping through facades and terraces into the units below. The fix seemed straightforward until one resident stopped granting access, leaving water damage to spread and the board stuck without a clear path forward. Adam Reisman, president of client services at MD Squared Property Group, walks through how his team handled the standoff, from documenting every outreach attempt to deciding when legal escalation becomes unavoidable. He also shares the proactive move that changed how residents responded before problems like this even started. Habitat's Carol Ott conducts the interview. How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

Local Law 97 promises a greener city, but for many boards the math simply doesn't add up. Dan Wollman, CEO of Gumley Haft Management, unpacks the tension between environmental goals and the financial reality of running a building. Using a fifty-story condominium his firm manages, Wollman breaks down a multimillion-dollar window replacement against modest projected energy savings. He digs into who can afford to comply, who can't, and what that could mean for the future of buildings across the city. Habitat's Carol Ott conducts the interview. How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

What do you do when a building is completely gutted by fire and insurance doesn't cover the full rebuild? Or when a sponsor-managed property leaves residents without gas and a new board drowning in hidden compliance violations? Adam Reisman, president of client services at MD Squared Property Group, and Josh Koppel, president at HSC Management, walk listeners through two extraordinary management transitions with lessons for every co-op and condo board. Koppel's account of a vacant Yonkers building with a $20 million rehabilitation spiraling beyond budget offers a masterclass in what gets overlooked during crises. Reisman's East Village takeover exposes how long boards wait before making the tough call to switch management. These are cautionary tales about transparency, red flags, and knowing when to act before small problems become expensive disasters. Habitat’s Emily Myers conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

The property management industry has transformed dramatically, and three leading executives reveal what it takes to keep NYC buildings ahead of the curve. AJ Rexhepi, CEO of Century Management, Mitchell Slavuter, partner at Delkap Management and Keith Werny, president of FirstService Residential's City Line Management Division, discuss the shift from reactive maintenance to strategic planning. They share concrete examples of buildings that turned compliance nightmares into opportunities, slashed insurance premiums through unexpected methods, and discovered hidden revenue streams. The conversation gets real about manager burnout, the evolving role of superintendents, and why some board-management relationships simply don't work. If you've ever wondered what actually happens behind the scenes when buildings face violations, outdated systems, or tight budgets, this roundtable delivers the insider perspective. Habitat’s Emily Myers conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

When a condominium's facade project ballooned to over two million dollars, the board was facing a crisis. The solution involved unconventional contractor negotiations and a prepayment strategy that surprised everyone with its success. In this episode, three veteran property management executives reveal the insider strategies that separate struggling buildings from thriving ones. Steven Greenbaum, executive vice president at The Lovett Group, Alvin Wasserman, senior director of asset management at Fairfield Properties, and Melissa Cafiero, president of Halstead Management, share real stories of creative financing solutions, like portfolio analytics that uncover hidden savings, and why some of the smartest financial moves require boards to stick their necks out when everyone else is playing it safe. Habitat’s Carol Ott conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

Behind many co-op and condo property management switches are stories of broken trust, hidden problems, and boards desperate for answers. Andre Kaplan, CFO at Orsid New York, and Scott Soifer, Senior VP at Maxwell-Kates, reveal some of the uncomfortable conversations that need to happen and why boards sometimes hide critical information during the hiring process. One Jackson Heights co-op cycled through three firms in five years before anyone delivered the truth about their finances. Another building discovered over $100,000 in unpaid bills after hiring a new management company. Learn how to spot institutional dysfunction, and the art of rebuilding trust when everyone's patience has run out. Habitat’s Carol Ott conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos

You probably think your board is managing your building’s finances responsibly. But are you certain? In this episode, three of New York City's leading property management CEOs discuss case studies that expose how buildings can easily spiral into crisis. Peter von Simpson of New Bedford Management, Michael Feldman of Choice Management, and Dan Wollman of Gumley Haft Management share stories about inheriting buildings with conspiracy theories running wild and boards in denial about their financial reality. The conversation reveals why some buildings operate for years with maintenance charges that don't cover actual costs, and what it really takes to rebuild trust when a community is fractured. Through these real-world scenarios, the managers reveal patterns that repeat across buildings, and what your board can do to course-correct before it’s too late. Habitat's Carol Ott conducts the interview.How To Run Your Building: For Co-ops and Condos