I looked at a condo in The Villages for sale (the Spanish Springs townhouse-style condos). I knew about the upcoming law changes so I asked the association president to see all of the documents such as the "Structural Integrity Reserve Study" now required by law. I concluded that the condo fees would jump to around $650/month per unit next year, and be $700/month by 2030. Basically you are paying through the nose for landscaping fees for what amounts to a postage stamp front lawn - because you have to pay for the upkeep of the surrounding land as well which The Villages refused to take back without the condo association paying THEM. There are some things which are fair such as exterior painting. But the roofs are costing $30,000 each which is a ridiculous price even though they are changing them to metal. So you are basically forced to pre-pay for what would have been a special assessment. If you kept the money with a money manager yourself instead you probably could make interest, and then better afford the special assessment. But giving it to the association up front to sit in an account, I'm not so sure.
What I wouldn't do is buy a condo in a high-rise in Florida, because the costs to fix anything in a building like that can skyrocket. Especially if there is a common-area HVAC system, etc.
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