House
A house is typically a freestanding structure. When you buy a house, you generally own the “dirt”—meaning the land beneath it and the yard around it. This offers the most privacy and freedom to renovate, but it also means you are 100% responsible for the cost and labor of all upkeep.
Apartment
The defining characteristic of an apartment is tenure. You do not own an apartment; you sign a lease to live there for a set period. The entire building is usually owned by a single entity (like a property management company). It is a “turnkey” lifestyle where someone else fixes the plumbing or mows the grass.
Condo
Physically, a condo may look exactly like an apartment. The difference is legal. In a condo, each unit is owned by an individual. While you own the space inside your walls, you share “common elements” (like hallways, elevators, and gyms) with other owners. You must pay monthly HOA fees to cover the maintenance of these shared spaces and the building’s exterior