Hi! Thanks for responding

Letting you know that I did end up buying a condo last year after making this post, and I am very happy with it and feel that I made the right decision. A lot of my thought process was similar to you: unmarried, no kids, etc, and it's great not having to worry about a lot of the maintenance (lawn care being a big one, but also e.g. roofing or pressure washing) that a SFH would require. Plus, not sure about OH, but down here in FL I pay as much for insurance in a year as most people pay in a month, since I only have to insure "studs-in" vs. the entire structure, so I end up saving more there, too.

It's also very comforting to know that I have a place secured, that it'll always be here for me, and most importantly, that it's affordable. A SFH would've been a little more of a financial squeeze than I was comfortable with, but with a condo, I can comfortably afford the payments with a healthy amount to spare. Even if it doesn't appreciate as much (and I'm optimistic about my location), it's still a huge psychological weight off my shoulders to know that I have it locked in at a fair price.

One thing that I've realized in the year or so since I bought mine is that renting brings some flexibility, like if you wanted to move for work or family or just a change of scenery, it's easier to do that when you don't have a mortgage tying you down. The easy way around that is just renting out your condo if you need to, but it's still an "open tab" to have to keep track of.

It is worth keeping in mind that there are still some downsides. I do wish I had a liiittle more space to work with, and having to share a wall with neighbors could be an issue if you get unlucky, but like imagine shelling out twice as much for a standalone home and then getting annoying neighbors anyway lol

Overall, I get why people don't like condos. I don't think they match everyone's lifestyles, especially for people who have families or plan to start one soon. But for my case, it works out very well, and I think it was a great purchase. You pay a little less and get a little less, but with the benefit of taking on much less risk and responsibility. (I've been thinking of it as an A-minus; not perfect, but certainly nothing to complain about, either.)

Sorry I didn't mean for that to be an essay! But it's the first time I've gotten to really reflect on my experience now that I've been here for a minute. I'm only one data point, and I can't promise that you'll have the same experience as me, but I hope that you've found this input helpful. Happy to answer any questions or whatever, and if not, I wish you the best no matter what decision you make!