<prompt> Human: Lets say that I want to purchase a townhouse or a condo. Condos are cheaper in this area, lets say 350k. Homes 500-600k. Lets say because I have good credit 750 that Im able to get a pretty decent interest rate and save up 20 down payment. I realize condos have fees, but homes also have maintenance. And while I dont think condo fees get you out of all maintenance, correct me if Im wrong but this includes a lot of exterior issues, yes?Anyway, curious as to what you all think. What if the price of the condo and townhome was the same?Assistant: Yes. If you dislike doing maintenance, working on a property, and decide on still owning something, and build equity as the same time with less responsibilities, a condo is the way to go. They are usually cheaper also, and easier to get into. But You end up paying the monthly HOA fees. They usually cover the labor of maintaining a place, WSG, Some utilities so you dont have to.Human: True, but dont you pay HOA fees with townhomes as well? I just have to wonder how much extra you pay with a condo despite not having silly maintenances like you would with a house  <response>: Rental townhouse has 450 HOA per month. Includes gas, water, trash, landscaping, exterior maintenance. Was great for a while, until we rented to someone with kids and the majority of other owners are older, no kids, no grandkids types. We got a citation for graffiti... Because a kid side walk chalked, in the units own driveway space. Endless violations weve had to dispute between tenant and HOA. When we lived there, we never had many issues but 2 adults, quiet, different lifestyle. Id definitely look into what the neighbors are like and be sure there arent any glaring lifestyle differences that may make the board take actions you think are stupid, etc. like making every single parking space visitor parking, and fining owners for parking there.. Single family house, our HOA is 50 a year, includes trash and their sign maintenance. They tend to group maintenance that everyone needs e.g. trees, driveways and get multiple done on the same bid, so theres a bit of maintenance savings. No real rules only one is no 6ft fences. Our house maintenance costs are higher to us, but for us the quality of life is much better. 