I have been active in condo government for 20 years and recently quit. I also live in the community where I was a board member. I have two observations. First, the condo industry has soft pedaled costs for a long time. When a place is new that's easy, it doesn't need much maintenance. But that's exactly the time when the HOA should be collecting money each month and squirreling it away for future repairs. That's what we did, accruing millions of dollars in money market funds for the inevitable rainy day. It works like a charm, but you have to be realistic, plan and save else you will be hit with a $40k assessment that nobody likes. So be a realist and plan accordingly. The second point is that you have to stay involved. I sat on the board of managers for 20 years but most of my neighbors freeloaded, they did nothing for the management of the community. Fine. When you do that you are at the mercy of whoever wins an election or, worse, gets appointed. So there's no free lunch in all this. Condo living is a reasonable lifestyle but don't expect that just because you don't have to cut the lawn, that you can coast.