In a condominium (commonly known as a condo) some parts – your residence – are owned privately, while others – common areas – are owned collectively by all of the condominium’s residents.
A less technical way to think of a condo is an apartment that you own. In practice, condos often take the form of an apartment or similar shared complex, but theoretically, a condo could physically look like anything.
Condos are especially popular in places with high property values – vacation hotspots and urban settings are both places where you can expect to find them on the market. This is largely because buying a single-family home can be prohibitively expensive in places where additional building space may be scarce. As such, condos can open home ownership to whole new groups of people Therefore, if you’re ready to own your own home, but can’t quite afford a house, a condominium could be a way for you to get into the market.