Condos always have an HOA. Some entity needs to be responsible for repairing the roof.

This is bad advice. Are you my mother, lol? The majority of non-single-family homes have HOAs in Boston and the greater Boston area.

I was part of two HOAs where the residents met together and decided how to use funds or adjust the HOA fees and so forth. It was chill. We'd all gather outside and bring a few beers and talk through what we all that was needed and prioritize it. We divvied up work for those that wanted to do something and had them expense items against the HOA if they wanted. It just works as a shared savings account. It also helps to dilute the total cost of major repairs which is also nice. The enforcement of it was also up to the owners...

The better advice is to avoid having shitty members part of the HOA.

Meh. I have an HOA on my house. Fees are only $50/month, the only rule for the entire development (of 100 units) is "do not park commercial vehicles weighing over 6 tons", and that's mostly because the roads weren't built to handle vehicles like that (meaning, they'd cause damage we have to pay to repair - private roads).

Honestly, at our next annual meeting - my first, since I only just inherited the house - I'm possibly going to suggest raising those dues slightly, to start putting money aside towards repaving those roads ... :)

You might be confusing HOA's that govern a neighboorhood of single family houses and condo associations that govern shared buildings. (Or maybe you are saying never buy a condo, it's unclear. But condos are pretty commonly the only way for regular joes to afford a place in the city.)