It’s a tough call. You’ve never lived beyond the second floor of your bedroom so how are you supposed to know if you’ll like higher altitudes.

Perhaps you’re a single mother who’s married to a job that demands quick turnaround and flexibility. Or maybe you are a soon-to-retire social activist who enjoys the prospect of living downtown near the causes, projects and people you support. You might be a newly married couple, who is hoping to break into the housing market but wants to maintain digs downtown near your jobs and friends. Any which way, you’re all storybook condo dwellers.

Being close to restaurants, bars, museums, public transportation and your job are big pluses of condo living. So is their often affordable price point.

But if privacy and independence are big issues you might want to think long and hard about buying

a condo. Neighbours are close by and some have turned complaining about their neighbours’ itty-bitty infractions into a sport. There’s a level of small-mindedness among some condo residents that you either have to swallow or learn to tolerate.

Condo living can be difficult for people who don’t like rules and who are accustomed to doing what they want when they want to. Residents, for example, can’t simply park where they feel like parking or plant shrubs where they think they’ll look attractive. You need to have respect for your neighbours because you’re in closer proximity to them.

Be sure to check the condo’s financial situation. Pay attention to contingency funds for emergencies and make sure the complex or building is insured for replacement value. Talk to people who live in the condo and ask them probing questions about what it’s like to live there.

If you’re still not certain, consider this fun and, by no means official, condo quiz:

1. My privacy is:

___ Insignificant.
___ Somewhat important to me.
___ So critical I used to be a hermit.

2. Amenities such as swimming pools and tennis courts are:

___ What I dream about.
___ Not that important to me.
___ I’m no Michael Phelps or Martina Navratilova, that’s for sure.

3. How would you respond to the following statement, “I like mowing the lawn, landscaping, and gardening,”

___ Are you out of your mind?
___ It’s okay.
___ Make some iced tea. I’m digging a swimming pool today.

4. Living in an urban environment is:

___ What I thrive on.
___ Something I can take or leave.
___ Not my bag—I’ll take Green Acres any day.

Total all your points, giving yourself 1 point for each first answer, 2 points for each second answer, and 3 points for each third answer.

Evaluate your score as follows:

4 to 5 points: Future president of the condominium association

6 to 10 points: A good candidate for condo living

11 to 12 points:  Obviously, vertical living is not for you