re: Where to buy first home in BR area?

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What we are looking for: An area that will be great in ~10 years. We are both very handy fixer uppers so we are not afraid of work needed.

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Sounds very familiar... Wife and I were in the same boat and recently purchased in the Southdowns area, off of Stuart next to the school. The home we found was a 1940's cottage that an elderly couple ran down. Terribly unkept. Luckily the contractor had great foresight and imagination. The home was gutted, square footage was added, walls taken down, new porch and patio, tons of yard/tree cutting work, new carport, etc. Basically a full rebuild while keeping that cottage character. We've been able to do a lot of work and it's been really rewarding. Once we're done with a few more projects, we anticipate a nice updated appraisal value.

Like you, we wanted to move to an area that will keep values for 10-15 years. I believe Southdowns is one of those. In the few months we've been there, we've seen homes purchased and work being done on them. There are a lot of ratty homes mixed in with renovated ones, but I know they'll be flipped soon enough.

Having said that, I'd suggest Southdowns, University Gardens, Old Goodwood, and Westdale Heights. Those are the neighborhoods we targeted all of last year.

Also, here's a recent article that highlights the Southdowns and University neighboorhods and talks about property values and longevity. I know things have chenged in the market, but you'll get the idea.

ETA: We moved from the Fairhill subdivision in South BR. It was a new construction home in the last filing. We moved from there because we were worried about property values. With the new casino so close, as well as new developments planned (read: more cookie cutter acadian style homes), we knew we had to get out if we wanted to build equity.