Sydney Strata is Going Greener

The City of Sydney is launching its Smart Green Apartments program on 20 September 2011.

Smart Green Apartments is about getting a more sustainable apartment building sector by inspiring, driving and supporting cost-effective and efficient buildings, minimising environmental impacts and improving liveability in strata communities.

The launch will be at the Barnet Long Room Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay between 6:30pm - 8:30pm on 20 September 2011.  And, you can register here.

You can find out more about the Smart Green Apartment program by Melinda Cook (Sustainability Engagement Coordinator) on 02 9246 7826 or smartapartments@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

So, why not join the green strata movement and come along to the launch.

Francesco …

Learn About Strata via the World Wide Web

I constantly hear people tell me that it’s hard to find information about strata and know what to do.  And, it puzzles me because there’s  lot of information out there and it’s pretty accessible.

Leaving aside the website of strata associations, government bodies, strata corporations, managers, lawyers, consultants, and  others, you could simply try Wikipedia.

I searched “apartments” and “strata title” and found more accurate information about strata in Australa (and the rest of the world than more than half the people in strata know). 

I know people criticize Wikipedia but (at least in this case) they’re wrong.

So, next time you’re looking for strata information try Wikipedia … and if you’re minded why not add to it too?

Francesco …

Strata Management Software Smorgasboard

No part of the world is unaffected by technology ... including strata.  


And these days what makes the most difference are the software tools that are available to do things that used to be impossible or just very hard to do.

So, what software is there that’s being used (and could be used) for strata management?

I’m no expert so I looked at the Community Management Group on Linkedin to see what the members suggested.  And, here’s the list (it’s long) and I know some it’s pretty conventional,  but it's all in one place now so you can see what you could use. 

• E-mail software (of all kinds)
• Adobe Document Reader & Distiller
• QuickBooks
• AssociationVoice
• Mint.com
• Yahoo Groups
• Google Apps
• Microsoft Suite (including Excel/Word/Powerpoint/Access)
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• TweetDeck
• Buildium
• TOPS
• CondoManager
• Yardi
• Jenark
• AtHomeNet
• MyHOAHelper (aka Teamr)
• Wild Apricot
• PayPal
• Drupal
• Joomla
• AssociationREADY
• eFax
• faxZERO
• Basecamp
• HOATalk
• Community123
• DavisSterling.com
• GoDaddy
• LessAccounting
• Beth Grimm's site
• YouTube.
• CondoCerts
• HOA Document Review
• HomeWiseDocs
• EverNote
• HootSuite
• Rockend
• Maxsoft
• MyStrata

And, here’s the link to the Linkedin group discussion

No doubt there’s more (so let me know what) and there’ll be even more in the near future.   I’m especially interested in iPhone and Andriod Apps.

Francesco …

NSW Strata Disputes go Online

Despite all the criticisms of the NSW Consumer Trader & Tenancy Tribunal they have now entered the web era by going on line.

Since early 2011 parties to some disputes in the CTTT can lodge applications and documents relating to applications online by using the new portal site.

Forms can be completed at PDF documents, attachments uploaded and payments made by Mastercard, Visa, Bankcard, American Express and Diners Club.

The CTTT says that "CTTT Online allows you to lodge an application to commence proceedings at the CTTT. Where possible, an automatic hearing notice will be generated informing you of the hearing date, time and venue". 

But, don't get too excited because applications for Strata & Community Schemes, Commercial and Retirement Village applications cannot be lodged online and you have to use the old fashioned ways.

That's a real shame and rather inexplicable since it would be far better (and about time) strata owners, executives, managers and others (like retirees) can do things at the CTTT without standing in a queue.

Welcome to the future present.

Francesco …

Arrr … What Makes a Neighbourhood?

Neighbourhoods are communities where people interact and share things in close proximity that enrich each others’ lives.

But, as the world get’s busier and we become more disconnected this happens less (and less).

However, social media is filling the gaps fast.  I’m not talking about Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Mozilla or that kind of application.  There are all sorts of even more edgy and far more local facilities like Neighbourhoodr.

Neighborhoodr is a local neighborhood blog network where anyone can quickly and easily post about what's happening in their neighborhood without having to log in or register. It’s already available in the following cities in the USA and around the world.

Some of the US cities where it's operating include Austin
, Baltimore, 
Boston, 
Charlotte,
 Chicago
, Columbus
, Dallas, 
Denver
, Detroit, 
El Paso, 
Fort Worth, 
Houston, 
Indianapolis
, Jacksonville, 
Los Angeles, 
Memphis, 
Nashville, 
New York
, Philadelphia, 
Phoenix, 
San Antonio
, San Diego
, San Francisco
, San Jose
, and Seattle.  And, internationally it's operating in Barcelona, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Toronto and Vancouver

Neighborhoodr says that over time, cities will have their individual neighborhoods represented, as the demand for that neighborhood presents itself.  And, that if they receive or see enough content from any particular neighborhood, they’ll launch a neighborhood page devoted to that hood.

For instance in New York there are already more than 50 neighborhoods.

This is an example of how larger strata building complex can create a resident, owner and neighbour contact space.  And, even smaller strata buildings could create a similar community with neighbouring buildings on or near their block.

So, why not explore and try to create your own strata neighbourhoodr?

Francesco …   

Australian Strata Managers R Rated

Not sure which strata manager is better (or worse) than another? 

Don’t know who to ask? 

Not sure where to look for advice and recommendations?

Confused?

It’s a real problem because there’s not many sources of information of any kind (reliable or otherwise).

But, I’ve found a site that at least makes an unbiased attempt at it.

Product Review is a website that allows consumers to rate and comment on suppliers, and it has a section on strata managers.

So, have a look!

There’s 72 entries from all over Australia rated from five to zero stars. 

Some have only a few ratings and others as many as 19 or 20 comments.  Some more and some less flattering.

Regardless of what you think, this kind of consumer rating site is not going away and will be (like Trip Advisor, etc) be the way many people try to decide who to use in the future.

So, if you’re a manager – have a look at what people are saying about you (or your competitors).  And, if you’re a lot owner – have a look, give a rating and make a comment.

Francesco …

2010 in Strata … Summarised in my Blogs

I thought it would be interesting to see what topics I covered in my blog in 2010 about high density real estate (and how often).

And, here are t he results.

There were 200 posts in 2010 and the topics covered were in order of frequency - 

Social Issues – 57 times

New South Wales - 44 times

Urban Planning - 44 times

Development – 32 times

Legal – 31 times

Management – 31 times

Art & Culture – 27 times

Buildings – 28 times

Groups – 26 times

Sydney – 25 times

Events – 24 times

Legal – 20 times

Grafitti – 19 times

Architecture – 15 times

Cities – 13 times

Blogs – 12 times

USA – 11 times

Environment – 10 times

Fundamentals – 10 times

Research – 10 times

Video – 10 times

New York – 9 times

Conveyancing – 8 times

Technology – 8 times

Finance – 6 times

Investment – 6 times

Real Estate – 6 times

Canada – 5 times

Vicotria – 4 times

Melbourne – 4 times

Queensland – 4 times

Books – 4 times

Social – 3 times

Economy – twice

Government – twice

Insurance – twice

Pets – twice

San Francisco - twice

Termination – twice

Big Things – once

Brisbane – once

Chicago - once

Chile – once

China – once

France – once

Germany – once

Italy – once

Japan – once

London – once

Music – once

Madrid – once

Somalia – once

South Africa – once

South Australia – once

Transport – once

Twitter – once

United Kingdom – once

I wonder what this list will look like in 2011 ???

Francesco …

Greening Strata

Many people would like to claim the green high ground in strata but they can’t.

You see ... strata buildings are not very friendly to the environment (and neither are their owners or managers).  And that’s out of step with the rest of the world of building owners and managers – so it’s time we started doing something about it.

• Unfortunately, strata buildings have the following environmental problems -
• Strata buildings use more electricity than the same number of single residential dwellings per occupant and the same floor space commercial buildings
• Strata building residents use more water than non strata people
• Recycling in strata buildings is about one quarter the level of normal homes and commercial premises
• The use of solar, thermal and other centralized heating and cooling systems is lower
• Waste production is higher than the same number of single residential dwellings

Here’s a recent article about the problem called Strata is popular but neglected in green initiatives from the Fifth Estate.

There are many reasons for the poor performance of strata buildings (which are beyond the scope of the blog post) but regardless of why it occurs what can be done and how do you do it ?

Up until now it has been hard to do anything and only a few well intentioned and committed buildings, executives and managers have made improvements.

But a few smart and committed people are changing that to empower strata buildings to go green.

Christine Byrne and the Green Strata Network has launched a website called greenstrata.com.au and it describes itself as a site is for owners and their owners corporations to learn, find and share information about making our buildings more sustainable.  And, it is – covering the following areas (and much more)

• Community – what your owners corporation can do to help your residents live more sustainable lives and how to strengthen the community in your building to work towards greater sustainability
• Energy – what your owners corporation can do to reduce energy consumption and what options you have for producing energy from renewable sources
• Gardens & Grounds – sustainable uses for your gardens and grounds
• Materials – how you can use more sustainable products and building materials on your common property
• Rebates & Incentives – what rebates and incentives are on offer from governments and other agencies
• Transport Support – how your owners corporation can support your residents in choosing and using sustainable transport options
• Waste – how your owners corporation can help residents reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill
• Water – what your owners corporation can do to reduce water consumption and what options you have for water capture and reuse

So check it out now and take some green initiatives into your strata building tomorrow.

Now, give me back my hemp bag as I need to buy some organic vegetables and I can’t carry them all on my pushbike without it.

Francesco …

It’s 2011 … and it’s a New Strata Year

Wow … another year starts and there’s only 364 days left before it’s over.  And, it’s also the start of another decade.

So, it’s a great year for new beginnings, changes and milestones.

What will happen in strata in Australia ?  Who knows … but here are ten of my predictions (some more obvious than others) -

1. We’ll certainly have a new government in NSW and probably get a new Federal government too
2. Interest rates will rise some more this year
3. The property market will get worse during the year before it starts to pick up again
4. Property developers will get very active again in 2011
5. There’ll be even more demands on managers (and others) by strata owners
6. Prices for all services in strata will come under further pressure .. so strata management fees will not rise (again)
7. Governments will continue to increase regulations and restrictions on managers, committees, developers and lawyers in strata
8. Some managers will get bigger by acquisitions and interstate expansion
9. More small manager (micro strata management companies) will keep popping up in every state
10. I might do something interesting and innovative in the strata-sphere

What about you?  What do you think will happen and/or what do you plan to do in 2011?

Let’s make the year memorable by doing the things we’ve been putting off, or are a bit hard or that just haven’t been done before. 

After all … how can anything new be worse than the old stuff that’s been done for years (or decades) and all the routine stuff being done in the strata space at the moment?

See you at the launch of your new thing (and loving it!).

Francesco …

Andreones, Lawyers on Facebook ...

For almost 10 years I ran Andreones, Lawyers as Australia's leading strata law firm in  (if not the leading strata law firm anywhere).


It's all over now and others (TEYS Strata Lawyers) have taken over what remained of the business at the end.


But, over that time there's been -

• a lot of work done by the many people who worked for and with us, 
• many exciting initiatives, events & challenges, 
• so many interesting designs, ideas & graphics, and 
• a lot of fun.

And, the law firm has spawned a plethora of imitators, new businesses and individual success stories.


So, I've decided to create an Andreones, Lawyers Facebook page and load the images and information that I have from my time there.  I've made a start and will keep adding to it from time to time.


I hope you become a fan/friend and use my new social network archives to re-live some good times.


See you on Facebook at Andreones, Lawyers page.




Francesco ....http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andreones-Lawyers/127829803937257

Now I’m twittering about strata too ...

How people communicate their messages has changed .... brochures became websites, websites became blogs, blogs became facebook and facebook becomes twitter and dozen other social media options.

And, it had to happen eventually in strata too ... or at least with my blog which is now linked to twitter.

So, you can now follow me and my strata posting/tweeting and other stuff on twitter.  How exciting !!!

I can be found @frankandreone.

So, join twitter, follow my tweets and make your own real time comments.

Francesco ...

Why not Visit a New City ???

Sometimes we can see urban landscapes in a different way through different eyes.
And, that's what's happening in this animation by Kangmin Kim called Visit.  It's very very cool and you can see it below or here.



VISIT_animation version from KANGMIN KIM on Vimeo.


Kangmin is studying for his masters in Animation at CalArts and this is his senior year project.  




Francesco

US Courts say NO to exclusive cable rights in Apartments

The US Court of Appeals has ruled that cable companies cannot have exclusive rights to provide service in apartment buildings that they wire - upholding a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling that banned the exclusive agreements as anti-competitive.

Typically cable companies (like telecommunications companies here) do deals in buildings where they install a valuable service like wiring a multi-unit building for cable in exchange for the exclusive right to provide service to all the residents. But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said cable operators could no longer enter into such deals and existing ones could not be enforced.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and a pair of affiliated real estate groups sued, saying the FCC did not justify the change in policy, consider the retroactive effects or have the authority to regulate the deals. But the appeals court sided with the FCC and said it acted well within the bounds of the law.

It’s too early to tell what effect the decision will have as existing arrangements have been in place for a long time and new service agreements will take time to be negotiated and filter through in any significant numbers.

But, it is clear that the decision will reduce (if not end) cable companies offering free or low cost cabling to buildings and, as a result, will mean that building owners will bear the cost of cabling themselves.  This is also likely to reduce the number of buildings that cable up and therefore reduce the availability and quality of cable (and other related) services to building occupants. 

From my perspective it seems a perverse outcome for a pro-competition entity like FCC: that by opening up buildings to multiple cable companies to improve resident options, no-one will cable buildings for free so there will be less cabled buildings and less resident options for cable television and other services.


So user pay principles win again .. but not necessarily to the consumers’ advantage.

Francesco ...

Got Time to Surf the Net ? Then check out my Other Website

If you’re reading this then -

• You’re interested in strata
• You have time to surf the net
• You may be interested to hear more from me

In that case, have a look at my other website francescoandreone.com where I have more serious and business oriented content.

From time to time I will link blog posts to material on that website and I’ll make sure that resources I refer to here are kept there in case you (or I) ever want to access them.

And, please give me any feedback you have on this blog or my website that I can use to improve it.

Francesco …

50 Blog Posts in 80 Days

This is my 50th blog post since I started on 11 April.

And it’s only taken 80 days … although I haven’t quite been around the world (yet).

Over that time I’ve covered a range of high density related issues, news and information as well as included some more amusing and peripherally interesting things that relate to high density real estate or the people and organisations involved in it.

As the blog develops in the future there’ll be more of the same and some new things so keep any eye out for that too.

I hope you’re enjoying the blog as much as I’m enjoying putting it together.

Francesco …