A HOME OF THEIR OWN
Apartment dwellers anticipate outdoor-oriented lifestyle with move to Mahogany
A young couple building a new home in Mahogany say they need to get out of their apartment and into a house for the benefit of a rambunctious golden retriever named Milo.
But that’s not the entire reason. “I’ve lived in apartments my entire life. I’ve never lived in a house, and I’ve never had a backyard,” says Yadira Ocampo Lisca, who is originally from Cuba.
“This has been my dream forever. I got a second job and I’ve been working 60 hours a week. At times I have wanted to give up because I was so tired, but just the fact that I wanted a home kept me going.”
She met and married her Colombian husband, Daniel Bejarano Pinilla, while living in Ontario. Together, they moved west to Calgary where he opened a flooring installation company and she found work in the real estate industry.
After bringing Milo into the family three years ago and tolerating his antics in a small apartment, the health and sanity of all concerned was a good excuse to get the ball rolling.
Friends who live in Mahogany, a Hopewell Residential community in southeast Calgary, suggested they might find a home in their budget in that neighbourhood.
“We fell in love with the community. It’s a good family community with a recreation centre, a lake and dog parks. Eventually we want to have kids — at least one,” she says with a giggle. “We can go for barbecues and just be at the lake with family and have a good time. That’s our plan.”
After checking out Hopewell’s duplex line up, they decided to build the Coho, a two-storey laned home priced from $342,000. At a compact 1,178 square feet, it features double master bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a backyard big enough for Milo and a future garage.
Ocampo Lisca appreciates the large windows at the front of home, which will bring in heaps of natural light. She wanted the second master for guests, like her mother who will now have more privacy during her visits from Ontario.
The couple went with a light grey colour palette and had enough house budget to upgrade the kitchen backsplash, add a garburator in the kitchen sink, and tile the shower in their master bathroom.
Their home should be finished before Christmas.
“The house is on schedule and everything has gone smoothly so far,” says Ocampo Lisca.
Hopewell’s community sales manager, Stacy Johnson, says the Coho with two master bedrooms also has great appeal for single parents or siblings and roommates who might want to go in together on a purchase.
“Each bedroom features its own spacious ensuite and there’s still space for an upper floor laundry,” she says.
The main floor is open and wellplanned with a large rear kitchen and a central island.
A third bedroom and additional living space can be added with optional basement development.
Johnson says Hopewell has several quick possession Coho models available now in Mahogany and a selection of good lots for buyers who’d rather build from scratch.
“There’s a home to suit everyone’s timeline in Mahogany. Homes at an affordable price with the benefits of a four-season lake lifestyle plus the convenience of established shopping, coffee shops, restaurants and services. A new public school has also been approved for the community,” she says.
The lake and surrounding facilities are operated by a highly engaged Homeowners Association
that Johnson says has been bringing the community together by hosting virtual events and programming.
“We are looking forward to safely reopening all of our community amenities alongside the rest of the province in the coming weeks and months,” she says.