PC, at certain points, they’re good choices, but essentially, it boils down to one thing. A condo is an apartment where you get all the maintenance expense and that maintenance expense is managed by others with conflicting interests and profit motives.

For anybody that isn’t just starting out in their life, it’ll require a minimalist attitude to get rid of their stuff. Combined with the storage problems of no garage, no yard, where’s the BBQ go? Can you even have one? Where you keeping your bicycle? The longboard?

A townhome with garage, IMHO, is better, but you still get the maintenance headache with the HOA. HOA fees can be pretty substantial and often leave you wondering what the money really is buying.

I understand your elderly relatives don’t want to do all that upkeep on the yard or house, but at $300/$400 month, equivalent of a mid-range condo HOA, pays for a lot a regular maintenance.