True, but condos tend to have lousy resale value and any decent condo
community is going to have a high monthly association fee. At least
that's my experience when I spent a few months shopping for a condo and
realized the deal I have renting is better.

condo values in california lag the housing market, but not by much.

a lot of older "empty nesters" are cashing out on their homes and
buying maintenance free (relatively) condos.

a lot of new families cant come up with the $300k+ for a house, so they
go condo too.

my monthly assn fee is a relative bargain... covers everything outside
the door and insurance on the structure. you pay it too, but its built
in to your rent.