"Jeff Bello" wrote in message
m...
I am busy single professional who does not have time for home
maintenance. I was thinking about buying a condo, but homeowner's
dues are pretty substantial in the condos I am looking at, which would
seem to greatly decrease the advantage of buying over renting.

What I am thinking about doing is just buying a house and paying for
maintenance of the grounds (and exterior if needed). This would still
be substantially cheaper than the $500-800 homeowners dues monthly I
am looking at. Does this seem like a reasonable alternative for
someone like me who just does not have the time to do maintenance?

Chances are that middle age will make you want to cut back on your work
hours, and when that happens, you may find that you enjoy working on your
own place. There's a lot to be said for wanting to plant nothing but
shocking red flowers for an entire season, no matter what the neighbors
think. As far as maintenance, lawn mowing is probably the most time
consuming thing that MUST be done regularly. Do you go to a gym now? Do you
spend any time on the treadmill or stairmaster? Buy wraparound leg weights
and mow the lawn.