Maintenance or common charges...That is the part which kills you especially if you're the handy-man kinda guy who would rather fix and clean all by yourself.  If thats the case, you'd be paying that extra money for nothing.  Even a $500 charge could amount to the same 30 year mortgage amount as a property worth a $100K.  IMO, its better to just buy a house rather than get sucked into the world of co-ops and condos!  All the best.

BTW, 60 years in a condo?  Damn, you're planning to be there that long?  LOLs