I see a lot of condos for rent but the HOA fees are rather frightening and I'm worried about all the condo horror stories one hears.I'd much rather a SFH or townhouse. 

HOA fees are $256/month which include wifi, cable, water, trash, yard maintenance, and exterior repairs on the home.

She paid all taxes and HOA fees herself.  

The mortgages on the rentals (PITI including HOA fees) are $4,451 monthly and monthly rent is $5,200.

If you want good cash flow even with a mortgage town homes are a good way to go but you have to watch out for HOA’s as they can get out of hand down here.

Only issues with condos is to include the HOA in expenses (they can be expensive) and if the HOA allows non-owner occupied units.Having too many rentals in a project can screw up financing on sales since some banks don't like that. 

I dont want to make it sticky for renter, but if hoa calls my out I want to be able to say oh I had a 30 day lease?

HOA 120/mo.

I find myself on an HOA board where the majority of owners are not paying HOA fees.

Based on my experiences with them, I would avoid them.First, there's the issue of HOA's that sets policy.