Mahogany vs. Lake Bonavista

[fitnessfanatic]

Hi everyone, I've read a ton of real estate topics on these forums for a few years now and I'm looking to buy a house this time next year. I've narrowed by choices down to 2 areas, and thought I would get people's opinions on this wonderful board!

My husband and I have decided we want to live in either Lake Bonavisa or Mahogany. Our budget is around $650k. The main pro of Lake Bonavista has a much better commute. But in Mahogany we would get a really big house and all brand new. So for us, we feel it's even, we can't really decide.

So the deciding factor for us at this point (but could change after this forum maybe! ) is appreciation potential. What are your thoughts on which one would appreciate more after say 10 to 15 years (we'd be there for the long term)? On one hand, my thoughts are that Bonavista is already priced high and fully developed, and so there is not much room left for appreciation. But then my other thoughts are that it still will appreciate considerably because Calgarians love being near C-train and also closer to the core the better. On the other Mahogany is only a few years old, and not fully developed and so maybe appreciation there is likely to be more significant ? But then people always say appreciation in the burbs is much slower.

I would love to hear people's thoughts on this, thanks a bunch!

[bjstare]

I would blow my brains out if I had to commute from the deep SE every day.

Also, just look at appreciation in any other area of the burbs, that should answer your question.

If you guys can live with an older floor plan, Bonavista all the way. Also, chances are, your backyard will be triple the size it would be in mahogany.

[G-ZUS]

Older community > newer community

[sputnik]

New house does not always mean better house.

I would rather invest $100k in renos in a $550k older home than buy a new place for $650k and still have to worry about things like fences and landscaping.

[J.M.]

Mahogany is a nice area, but yeah it's pretty deep SE..

IIRC there's going to be a train line running through there at some point but that probably won't be for a very long, long time.

[Aleks]

Lake Bonavista is an area I've always wanted to move to. Quick access to Deerfoot and Mcleod and it's a beautiful area with older trees and bigger lots.

[Feruk]

If you can afford $650K, I think you'd be out of your mind to look in Mahogany... That is unless you work far from downtown and never wanna see your friends again.

[killramos]

Originally posted by Feruk
That is unless you work far from downtown and never wanna see your friends again.

Friends are overrated, they will move away from you as well given a chance so i wouldn't hang your hat on that

Personally I am seriously considering the new Harmony development in Springbank if I can make the pricing work. That's moving from inner city and a 5 minute commute.

Sick and tired of CoC bullshit and taxes.

That's about the same commute as Mahogany depending on traffic.

[suntan]

LB if you can afford it. Hell that area was (relatively) expensive 30 years ago.

[Masked Bandit]

I think your projected lifestyle over the next 15 years needs to be the biggest consideration. Remember, once upon a time Bonavista was just a suburb way out in the deep South, just like Mahogany is today.

- $650K is going to buy you a lot less house in Bonavista than it will in Mahogany. Yes, probably a bigger yard, but a smaller, older house.

- If you have, or are going to have, kids, Mahogany will be nothing but young families, Bonavista will still have some young families but not nearly as many. Lots of empty nesters who go to bed at 8:30 PM and like to yell at kids to "get off my lawn".

- Old houses are more expensive to maintain. That's fine if you're the handyman type and like working on stuff, but can be crazy expensive if you're always paying someone else to do it.

- I'm unsure of the difference in community fees, but it would be worth looking into.

Back in 2008 we picked a new build in Chaparral over existing a little further North and I'm very glad we did. It has developed into a nice little community and I don't think we're going to leave even after the kids have grown & left.

[Xtrema]

Schooling needs will drive that decision pretty easy towards LB.

Both public and driving distance to private ones in the SW.

[asp integra]

Lake Bonavista hands down, beautiful community!

[Sugarphreak]

...

[ercchry]

Bonavista for sure... But $650k isn't going to get you too much house there... Mahogany for that price range is probably going to mean your neighbors are half the distance away as bonavista, crappy commute, crappy restaurants, crappy neighbors (older areas have a much more community feel)

If you must have lake access you really can't beat bonavista plus your house will be made of real wood... We use to be in new Brighton and it had these chip board stringers... You could see the floor flex when you walked on the main floor... If its granite and stainless bling that's attracting you to a newer home that stuff isn't a huge deal to replace and you can even tack on the costs to your mortgage so you could have it all done before you even move in

[riander5]

Originally posted by killramos


Friends are overrated, they will move away from you as well given a chance so i wouldn't hang your hat on that

Personally I am seriously considering the new Harmony development in Springbank if I can make the pricing work. That's moving from inner city and a 5 minute commute.

Sick and tired of CoC bullshit and taxes.

That's about the same commute as Mahogany depending on traffic.

Ill take a baywest tamarack home judging by their one picture of it. Hate to even ask what prices on that bad boy are gonna look like

[killramos]

Originally posted by riander5


Ill take a baywest tamarack home judging by their one picture of it. Hate to even ask what prices on that bad boy are gonna look like

Haha you are thinking the same way I am.

Baywest tamarack starts above $1 Million according to the website. They have all the layouts etc. on the baywest website as well as alternate floorplans etc. However its way to much of a stretch for me in this economy. Workable maybe. But overall would be a stupid decision.

If you can handle not being in the estate lots they have some beautiful contemporary designs in the "Aspen" section ( no idea whey they aren't featured like that hideous POS with siding they chose ). I am really liking Mandola or Doloroso.

http://www.baywesthomes.com/homes/ne...pen-collection

The baywest website is actually pretty awesome.

Thinking of going out there this weekend to get some literature and pricing / timing info.

[cet]

I moved from Aspen (in the west) to Mahogany and there are positives and negatives to both areas. As Masked Bandit said, you really need to determine what kind of lifestyle you want for the duration you're in the house.

If you have kids they will be bused somewhere. The former PC government announced a new SE high school in Seton which is slated for a 2018 opening.

The commute to downtown is minimum 30mins if you drive, taking transit extends that. They announced funding for the Green Line which will run between Mahogany and Auburn Bay but it could be years before it's completed.

I enjoy living in Mahogany. I don't work downtown so My commute is only 15 mins. Between Seton and 130th there is a lot of shopping for your every day items. Chinook is 20 mins away and Southcenter 15 mins. The community always has stuff going on; Christmas and Easter activities, weekly classes and so on.

[TomcoPDR]

Apples and oranges purely using a set price $650k

To get an equally upgraded bonavista house that's at same materials as newer 2016 built suburbs (that's the key word, new build materials), imo would run you $900,000 in LB. As mentioned above already

I think more consideration of lifestyle and school for kids, where do you and the husband work. (If u work at the new south hospital, I'd go with manhogany. But if dt, I'd go with LB for sure.

If you're working with $650k. I say that's the sacrifice you got to make living in an older house, but an awesome community, and just upgrade as you progress. Got a buddy that picked up a bonavista (near Nichole junior high school) for $640k. He's doing a complete gutting (himself), already preparing to put $300k.

[timdog]

Lake Bonavista hands down for me. the area is nicer, big tree lined streets, nicer lake, bigger lots, closer to everything. agreed with everyone else however, it all comes down to lifestyle. as someone who has purchased 3 homes now I would say that I definitely have started to care much less about how 'nice' the house is and prefer to focus on the lifestyle it can provide for me. also I want the roof to be newish, furnace, windows, etc. but aesthetics arent as important as they once were.
meaning i would gladly forego granite countertops in order to be walking and biking distance to great amenities like a lake, parks and stores. if you dont have kids now but plan on it, try to picture the lifestyle you want your kids to have and the lifestyle you want to have once you have kids. over time, a shit ton of square footage and a gourmet kitchen with all of the bells and whistles will pale in comparison to a great community that suits your desired lifestyle.

[Ca_Silvia13]

Lake Bonavista has some of the highest property tax in the city. Might be something to consider as well.