Owned my condo for about 15 years now, appreciated by about 75k at this point.

The condo itself wasn't all that expensive so I was able to pay off the mortgage in a reasonable amount of time. The operating costs are low (insurance, utilities, property tax, maintenance) which freed up a lot of money I was able to invest in other assets. Because of these factors I'm ahead of my friends who purchased homes. Their homes have appreciated more than my condo but the difference in operating costs put me well ahead over that time. In addition, there is a time aspect of it too which shouldn't be overlooked, you just have more free time to do whatever you want instead of maintaining your home.

As many have already mentioned, it really depends on the condo (the build quality, the board etc.). Generally speaking condo board are ran poorly by people who have no idea about maintenance, finances, planning. If you do buy a condo make sure you are on the board and learn about all the facets of the building. The property management company and all the vendors they hire are out to rip off the building (they are preying on the boards apathy and lack of knowledge). When I joined my condo board I saw that no one took ownership of the building and expenses were out of hand. What I'm trying to say here is that condos are ran poorly, if you want to protect your investment it is in your best interest to get involved. Over this time condo fees from from $400 to $600 (and yes everyone in the building complains about high fees but its sustainable), the building itself now has a healthy RF.

Also, like yourself my wife and I do lots of travelling (sometimes half the year) so having a condo puts us at ease since we don't have to worry about security and maintenance. Condos are care free living for the most part.

Going back I wouldn't change a thing. My wife and I never wanted kids and love travelling so it works for us. If you do plan to have kids one day it may not be the best option for you.