Rosen Livingston & Cholst LLP to them seemed empty, and one of them became concerned. “Beverly wouldn’t go home and leave the Attorneys specializing lights burning,” he said. “Let’s go in cooperative and in and check.” It was a good thing condominium board that they did, too, says Keller, who representation since 1972 notes, “I lay there for five hours; nobody could hear me; and then The firm serves as litigation, general, corporate, and transactional I heard the key in the lock, and counsel to its clients. We pride ourselves on maintaining close thought I saw God. I yelled out, ‘It’s working relationships with our clients, and are committed to me, Beverly, come and get me!’ I delivering practical, cost-effective results. thought I would be there until 7:30 in the morning. Everyone used to 275 Madison Avenue Suite 500 look out for everyone else,” she New York, NY 10016 says. “It really was a community.” 212-687-7770 www.rosenlivingston.com WWW.HABITATMAG.COM JULY–AUGUST 2014 HABITAT 49 Secrets POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS of 230 EAST 71ST STReeT BUCHBINDER & WARREN ObeRT P.J. BOOHER, the board president of on the board,” says Booher. “Unfortunately, when we 230 East 71st Street, a 60-unit co-op off Third were new board members in a new co-op, we thought R Avenue in Manhattan, doesn’t like surprises. we knew quite a bit. But the reality of Manhattan co-ops “We want to pinpoint where our vulnerabilities are,” he back then was that it was a new frontier. At the time, says. “The roof is 10 years old. OK – how much more there was great trepidation as to whether the concepts time can we get out of it? What are we going to do? The of co-ops could work in this town. There were a lot of pointing is good, but it’s been 20 years since we last did problems.” it. When should we do it again?” But Booher and the board persevered, and they were Predictability is a good thing in running a property. assisted by Buchbinder & Warren, the management So is stability. Both words could be the governing company that had worked for the sponsor and stayed slogan of Booher, who became president in 1979 when on. The building, built in 1927, needed improvements – the rental went co-op. (He has lived in the building plumbing, electrical, exterior work, among other items since 1971; his mother-in-law had lived there since – and Norman Buchbinder, a principal in the firm, and 1943.) Rosemary Paparo, the site agent from 1977-84, were It hasn’t been easy. “I wish I had known how there to guide the newly minted shareholders. complicated New York real estate was when I first got It’s been relatively smooth sailing in recent years. 50 HABITAT JULY–AUGUST 2014 WWW.HABITATMAG.COM Academy Mail Box Co., Inc. “When something’s on a good track, Academy Intercom Co., Inc. you just keep it in line,” Paparo Academy Engravers, LLC says. “As a result, we don’t have crises in that building. We may Specializing in Apartment House Security Since 1948 have a broken pipe in the middle Ask how of the night, but nothing that’s Academy ▪ Custom / Standard Mail Boxes unmanageable. We never have can save you time ▪ Entry Security Intercoms financial crises because we try to and money! ▪ Access Control plan out everything with the board (718) 539-1000 ▪ Engravings as far in advance as possible. We try www.academymailbox.com www.academyintercom.com ▪ CCTV to strategize.” www.academyengravers.com “Anticipation rather than reaction 120-10 15th Ave., Queens, NY 11356 is our mantra,” says Booher, who AUTHORIZED adds that the attention to detail has paid off: “Apartments sold for DEALER Featuring the GT Series, an www.aiphone.com entry security intercom ideal $20,000, $30,000 at conversion. for apartment and office buildings. Mix and match If you look at today’s pricing, that modular components to was a pretty good investment all customize entrance panels or www.auth-florence.com choose ready-made options! around.” Academy Mailbox Ad_4.5 x 4.75.indd 1 12/15/2011 8:37:28 AM MANAGE SMART $AVE GREEN Rudd Realty Management is the only property management fi rm to offer RECSS OUR GREEN ENERGY INITIATIVE saving our cooperative and condominium properties tens of thousands of dollars. SMART MANAGEMENT AT WORK FOR YOUR BUILDING. RUDD REALTY MANAGEMENT 641 Lexington Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY10022 212.319.5000 • [email protected] • www. ruddrealty.com WWW.HABITATMAG.COM JULY–AUGUST 2014 HABITAT 51 Secrets POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS of 1107 FIFTH AVENUE MIDBORO MANAGemeNT T was MICHael Wolfe’s first I co-op. The 30-unit property at 1107 Fifth Avenue on East 92nd Street impressed the young manager. “I remember walking into the building. I had always lived in a private home, and I couldn’t believe that apartments could be so big. There was a grand lobby, with a doorman and staff. It even had manned elevators. I thought they gave it that classy hotel, classy building feel.” Classy it may have been, but the building wasn’t happy with its posh management firm, and it was suggested that the board Orsid Realty Corp. is a full-service real estate management firm that has been one of the most respected residential management companies in New York City for more than 60 years. Orsid is large enough to manage more than 13,000 residential units, yet small enough to ensure that our team can provide customized service to your building. Our approach has led to an outstanding client retention rate. Our areas of expertise include Comprehensive Residential Property Management, Back Office Accounting Services, Risk Management, Commercial Leasing, Residential Brokerage and Sales and Project Management Consulting. For more information call: Named “Management Company Neil Davidowitz 212-484-3726 of the Year” for 2010 Visit us on the web at by NYARM (New York Association of Realty Managers) www.orsidr.com 52 HABITAT JULY–AUGUST 2014 WWW.HABITATMAG.COM “Michael is an exceptionally competent, responsible, diplomatic manager now,” Werwaiss notes. “He is very direct and straightforward. Every building has prima donnas, and Michael handles those well.” Lessons for other boards about a long-term management relationship? “You’ve got to have confidence in each other,” Werwaiss concludes. “He’s got to have the confidence that you’ll back him up, and you’ve got to have confidence that he’ll execute the tasks you’ve given him.” n try something different: a small West Side company. “It was my strong recommendation that we Helping Co-Ops & Condos give Midboro a try,” says John Grow A Little Greener. Werwaiss, a current board member and former board president of 1107 Fifth, who had worked with Midboro at another building and was serving on the board at the time. One stipulation was that Wolfe be the principal person running the property. That was in the 1970s, and both Wolfe and the seven-member board grew up together. “I learned With one of the largest biodiesel production facilities in North America and how to interact with boards and our clean, B20 biofuel heating oil, we help co-ops and condos go green. Plus they earn up to 20 cents on the gallon in tax credits — no equipment deal with different personalities upgrades or retrofits required. Go green and save green by calling us today. and different agendas,” says Wolfe. “You learn that your job is to be proactive but not obnoxious. At the end of the day, it’s the 1-888-BIO-HEAT UnitedMetroEnergy.com board’s building, not yours.” BIOFUEL • HEATING OIL • INSTALLATIONS • MAINTENANCE WWW.HABITATMAG.COM JULY–AUGUST 2014 HABITAT 53 The Dangers of the Buildingnet By STUART SAFT O YOU WANT TO PUT in unit-owners by signing up for one of these systems, that cool new building-wide installing it in the building, and allowing unit-owners communications system? Your to use the system by posting information to their co- feeling is that anything that owners. improves communication with the It seemed like a great idea until the site became owners is beneficial. a source of not only useful information but also of Well, yes. But be warned: there derogatory statements by several of the owners. It is also a serious issue involving is important to note that anything appearing on an such systems, an issue that could open communications network that the cooperative or come back and bite you. We’re condominium supports and that is distributed to the talking liability. Big time. residents could be libelous and place the property in This concern arose earlier this year, when the jeopardy. board of a large condominium that I have represented Libel is a written defamatory statement, while slander Sfor years decided to improve its connection to the is spoken. Something is defamatory if it is a false 54 HABITAT JULY–AUGUST 2014 WWW.HABITATMAG.COM statement that places the person in a negative light and the person who said it or wrote it made no reasonable attempt to learn if the information were true or false. Possibly libelous material may have been distributed by unit-owners before the new communications system was introduced, but if it was distributed by the author and not through the auspices of the co-op or condo, then the cooperative or the condominium would not be involved and would not be subject to damages for libel. However, the introduction of a building-wide communications system, which is seemingly under the control of the condominium, changes the risk.