Jeff Bello wrote:
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?

This has been my strategy for more than two decades. It works for me.
My total cost over the year for cable tv, city water, trash pickup,
landscaping and lawn services, pool service, painting, screen repairs,
etc. is less than the equivalent cost at a large condo complex with the
same 'quality of life', and I don't have to hassle with shared parking,
noisy upstairs neighbors, etc. I was fortunate to find a group of
stable contractors that I can rely on. You should consider looking for
a property management company that can assist you in finding / managing
the contractor pool.