[djh]

Yeah, I understand your point on the benefits condo living vs. house living. I have both a house and a condo, both pretty decent properties in nice Vancouver neighbourhoods, and even so, there are still issues with both of them. In both cases the issues are not with anything within my 4 walls, it's with the things you can't control: one's neighbourhood and neighbours (noise, crime, pollution, etc.).

My biggest fear of being in a $19m penthouse of a condo is: a) some person starts a fire/runs a meth lab/goes on a shooting spree/breaks the lift/drills through the pipes or whatever, and I'm on the top floor and I can't get in or out, or my life is affected because of somebody in the floors below me. All of these are things out of my control, and inevitably in any condo building, you're likely to have somebody in the building who fits into that category. Not worth risking my life over.
At least if I had a $19m mansion or whatever, I have only my own self to answer to. Yes, "the staff" will manage the property as you suggested jlousa, so I wouldn't be breaking my back over yardwork.