Is This Condo Too Old?

[Kevin Padula]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I (25 & 28) are thinking of buying a condo in Fort Myers, Florida in a year or two and holding onto it as a long-term investment.  We'd probably rent it out for 20-25 years then live in it half of the year when we retire.  There are some condos we are looking at that we love, however they were build in 1997 and we're concerned that these are too old considering how long we'd hang on to it.

We would love to hear your advice on:

1. Are these condo's too old since we'd hold on to them for 25-30 years?

2. Is there a way we can determine whether or not the buildings were built well enough to last another 30 years?