what do you think of bonaventure in Weston? (Sunrise: apartments, foreclosed)

[lookingfordreamhome]

i've seen a few good deals pop on some acre homes in bonaventure...but i saw lots of apartments and townhouses just across the street.

how does this area compare with the newer and gated communities in other parts of weston?

in one post i saw someone say its the 'less desirable area' of weston..and slightly higher crime rate....

any truth to this?

also, i did see above ground power lines and the landscaping is different than in other parts of weston...

thoughts? comments?

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by lookingfordreamhome

i've seen a few good deals pop on some acre homes in bonaventure...but i saw lots of apartments and townhouses just across the street.

how does this area compare with the newer and gated communities in other parts of weston?

in one post i saw someone say its the 'less desirable area' of weston..and slightly higher crime rate....

any truth to this?

also, i did see above ground power lines and the landscaping is different than in other parts of weston...

thoughts? comments?

The Bonaventure section of Weston is slightly older and there are more apartments and townhomes in that part of town than the rest of Weston. However, there are also some lovely neighborhoods in Bonaventure. You really have to look at the individual property to make a decision.

Crime in Weston is not all that high in any part of town. I would not be afraid of Bonaventure because of crime. When the Bonaventure section was incorporated into Weston there were rather large differences in the look and feel of that section compared to the other sections of town. However the city has done a good job improving drainage and landscaping on public roadways so that the difference is less pronounced.

I would not be afraid to buy there if you find a house you like. Some of the homes are zoned for Western HS which is less desirable than Cypress Bay. I would take note of that if you are planning to use public school past middle school.

[ruski]

Weston doesn't have any bad parts.

[lookingfordreamhome]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

The Bonaventure section of Weston is slightly older and there are more apartments and townhomes in that part of town than the rest of Weston. However, there are also some lovely neighborhoods in Bonaventure. You really have to look at the individual property to make a decision.

Crime in Weston is not all that high in any part of town. I would not be afraid of Bonaventure because of crime. When the Bonaventure section was incorporated into Weston there were rather large differences in the look and feel of that section compared to the other sections of town. However the city has done a good job improving drainage and landscaping on public roadways so that the difference is less pronounced.

I would not be afraid to buy there if you find a house you like. Some of the homes are zoned for Western HS which is less desirable than Cypress Bay. I would take note of that if you are planning to use public school past middle school.

ah , so bonaventure was annexed into weston..i didnt know that. i thought it was just the older part. makes sense now. i wonder if there is any trouble around the apartments/townhomes ? i currently live in a single family home community and i hate the nearby apartments b/c there has been trouble there before...usually kids breaking into the foreclosed homes, etc. so i thought, oh, here we go again. i believe the home is zoned for cypress. are you familiar with RANCH ROAD in saddle club estates? any opinions on that area? if it were gated i'd feel a lot better.. i guess if it had a tot lot and kids area it would be great too. lol. i was told they tried to gate it but couldnt b/c the cars could get clipped trying to get in off the main drag.
also i'm a big walker (or stroller-er) and i don't think they have as many green walking trails around there like they do in other communities... or did i just not see them?

[lookingfordreamhome]

Originally Posted by ruski

Weston doesn't have any bad parts.

ruski, i've seen you write that before and believe me it's the only reason this area is still in the running. are you familiar with RANCH ROAD in saddle club estates in particular? any opinions on that area?

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by lookingfordreamhome

ah , so bonaventure was annexed into weston..i didnt know that. i thought it was just the older part. makes sense now. i wonder if there is any trouble around the apartments/townhomes ? i currently live in a single family home community and i hate the nearby apartments b/c there has been trouble there before...usually kids breaking into the foreclosed homes, etc. so i thought, oh, here we go again. i believe the home is zoned for cypress. are you familiar with RANCH ROAD in saddle club estates? any opinions on that area? if it were gated i'd feel a lot better.. i guess if it had a tot lot and kids area it would be great too. lol. i was told they tried to gate it but couldnt b/c the cars could get clipped trying to get in off the main drag.
also i'm a big walker (or stroller-er) and i don't think they have as many green walking trails around there like they do in other communities... or did i just not see them?

I am not aware of any serious problems around the apartments in Bonaventure. The homes around Ranch Road are nice.

To find out what schools a home is zoned for go here:

School Locator

Do not depend on any other source. Some sellers lie. Others just don't know. Either way this is the definitive source of information.

I wouldn't worry about it not being gated.

Edited to add: I agree with Ruski. There are no bad areas in Weston. Some homes are nicer than others but all the neighborhoods are nice.

[lookingfordreamhome]

Originally Posted by Momma_bear

To find out what schools a home is zoned for go here:

School Locator

Do not depend on any other source. Some sellers lie. Others just don't know. Either way this is the definitive source of information.

ah, how right you were. the home is zoned for western high school

[ruski]

Originally Posted by lookingfordreamhome

ruski, i've seen you write that before and believe me it's the only reason this area is still in the running. are you familiar with RANCH ROAD in saddle club estates in particular? any opinions on that area?

Not too familiar, I just drive by sometimes and drool.

[lookingfordreamhome]

Originally Posted by ruski

Not too familiar, I just drive by sometimes and drool.

yeah me too . actually some very well priced homes in there now ...but i keep coming back to those apartments and the look and feel of bonaventure. i actually searched these boards earlier and well i guess i'm not crazy because other ppl who actually live in weston have the same impressions of bonaventure. sigh. wish i could have it all ....

[loribell38]

There are definitely great deals to be had in the Bonaventure area. I know this as we lived there from 99-06. Sold TH there in 06. Moved back north. Been seriously looking for about year now to move back to area so researching and following prices a bit obsessively.

During the period we lived in Bonaventure area we were extremely ahppy, had no problems at all. That being said it tremendously also will depend on LUCK!! You can get bad neighbors or wonderful neighbors. For the record we lived in Coconuts. The community as far as we were concerned (at least at that time, can be same,worse or better now) had great people and was run perfect. What I was always aware of was financially they were sound. They did have very good people running HOA there. Alway kept in top shape.

We do plan to move back to Fl. soon. If we do come to So..Fla area it will definitely be there. Of course after careful consideration as anything can change as we all know.

As far as walking or stroll-er as you say there were always many people walking around the community when we were. Bike riding as well. you can walk around block or just within the community itself. I know this is frowned on but after golf course was closed many people used to walk,fish,ride bikes along path at golf course. Never saw any trouble and we lived on course. Many people would just hang out and just talk ..will not get hit by ball then.

As far as I was told when moved there in 99 Bonaventure was given the option ( I believe in 98) to annex with with City of Sunrise or Weston. Obviously the new city won. Who knows what would have happened if they chose Sunrise. At the time Sunrise had more money and was more established as they were around longer.

Never saw any crime when we were there. But with economy way it has been down there who knows. We have not been back since 06. Keep in mind since that area is mostly condos and TH there are likely many investment properties. When I see that all of the sudden in March that many TH's in Coconuts that were just on the market few months prior finally sold ( some after being on & off for 3+ year) and now those same properties are up for rental . That makes it obvious that it is all mostly rentals nd not owner-occupied. That might or might not change things. Depends on the quality of the renters. When we lived there many were renters, but every single one of the renters that we knew were all wonderful residents and members of the community just as much as the owners.
All that being said when we will move back there, but who knows...may not be great as it was 5 years ago!