The Co-Op Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos; Getting in, Staying in, Surviving, Thriving [Paperback]

Sylvia Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

A user-friendly guide to the art of living in a co-op and condo

Sylvia Shapiro, a lawyer and board president of a major Manhattan apartment building, has written what will become required reading for anyone buying or selling an apartment, or curious about entering the fray of the co-op and condo market. Shapiro answers all the questions apartment dwellers are afraid of asking the board, broker, lawyer, or accountant-and she does so without talking down or a steep hourly fee. Included are such topics as: Is the building right for you? How can you make the approval process go as smoothly as possible? What should you do if the board rejects you? And what if you get in? Can you keep your dog? How much power does the board really have?

Having lived in her building for more than a decade in blissful ignorance of how it was run, Shapiro awoke one morning to discover that her building was going co-op, and she intended to buy. Intent on protecting her investment, she took on the mantle of board president and set about figuring out how the system worked. Seven years and many trials by fire later, Shapiro presents her hard-earned knowledge in this neat little tome. Apartment dwellers will come to swear by it.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The author knows about what she speaks. She is a lawyer and president of her Manhattan co-op building. She had no prior knowledge of co-op and condo conversion before her residence went that way, and she had to learn and learn fast. Now she shares the expertise she's accrued, and she presents it in a well-ordered format. Guiding readers into a co-op or condo situation and ensuring their future of comfortable and productive living are the purposes of Shapiro's handbook; and to that end she supplies a complete codification of all the rules and necessary procedures. Dealing with the board is, of course, the major concern of a co-op or condo owner, and Shapiro is encouraging and explicit as she draws up the appropriate behavior to guarantee a successful board relationship. A book for all public libraries. Brad Hooper

Review

"Sylvia Shapiro has written a practical guide to cooperative housing and condominiums. The book is a highly useful source of information on a subject for which there is a virtual dearth of material in book form....Her breezy, informal, frequently humorous style consistently provides a concise and accurate summary of a wide variety of topics in this field....The book not only provides the uninitiated a good introduction to the world of co-op and condominium living, but should also become a repeat reference source for those facing specific co-op or condominium owners....Shapiro's legal training is apparent throughout....Shapiro manages to cover virtually each topic of co-op and condominium living that has been featured in cases reported in the Law Journal, The New York Times, or trade publications such as Habitat during the past 20 years....The author's style and coverage is admirable." -- The New York Law Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312194471
• ISBN-13: 978-0312194475
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,383,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to deal with Worst Possible Scenarios, July 29, 2002

By 

Stephen McLeod (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Co-Op Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos; Getting in, Staying in, Surviving, Thriving (Paperback)

First, you should know that this book is entirely focused on the customs, rules, experiences and laws associated with the purchase of residential real estate in New York City. If you are looking elsewhere, this book may not be helpful because the byzantine nature of the process in our town is - reportedly - unique. So if you live in the provinces, get another primer.

That said, if you are interested in buying an apartment in New York City, this book is indispensible. It covers every step of the process from the abstract decision to purchase (condo, coop, or "condop") to issues that arise after you're already in your New York City dream home, with sage advice, humor, and insider tips (the author is/was an attorney and coop board president in Manhattan). Also the book is easy to read, easy to skip around in to find the information you need, and full of detailed advice on securing your dream home.

The only caution I have is that, if you are buying, this book may cause you unnecessary worry. Ms. Shapiro lays out all the possible snags and offers solutions. My experience - I bought a coop in Manhattan recently - is that the process was not as dotted with landmines I had feared (the board didn't interview my cat, for instance, although evidently some boards make an attempt). My guess is that if you're in the market for a multi-million dollar home, if you are planning buying several apartments and knocking out walls to create a jumbo pallazo, etc., you should definitely take every page and study it thoroughly. If you are middle-class (by NYC standards) and are perhaps more in the market for Murray Hill than Park Avenue, it's likely that your experience will be easier than many described in this book, so you can reasonably hope that most of these things won't happen to you. But knowing the worst that can happen and marshalling all your potential remedies before it does is extremely stress-relieving (you heard me right), and this book will help anyone with that.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessity if you want to buy in Manhattan..., March 23, 2000

By 

"jmspiegel" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Co-Op Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos; Getting in, Staying in, Surviving, Thriving (Paperback)

Sylvia Shapiro does a great job outlining the basics of Co-Ops, how they are structured, and how they differ from Condos. As someone looking to buy a Co-Op in Manhattan, I found this book a necessary resource before going to a broker. Shapiro does a great job of detailing the inside goings on of a Co-Op board and how they relate to every facet of a building, including the board approval process. The Co-Op Bible is very thorough, and I recommend it for anyone considering buying into a NYC Co-Op.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for New Yorkers!, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Co-Op Bible: Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos; Getting in, Staying in, Surviving, Thriving (Paperback)

This was an incredible read & is very helpful in my search for a new home. Much of the book is based on her experience in New York, so I am not sure how applicable this will be for people who don't live in New York. Even the list of important numbers at the end of the book were all NYC numbers.

It does contain a lot of practical advice & finally explained to me how Co-op boards work in a clear, understandable (& honest!) way.