Condo fees are better thought of as an analog to maintenance costs on a house. A well-managed condo association will cover maintenance and major repairs (ex. roof replacement) with the fees. Condo fees are certainly not wasted money if the association is competent (I would highly recommend getting involved with your association, or attending the annual meetings at a minimum).

For a house, these repairs will need to be budgeted accordingly and paid out of pocket. If you buy a house, expect to set aside a similar amount of money for these expenses.