New housing in West Knox areas (Knoxville, Oak Ridge: appointed, for sale, real estate)

[dmbmama]

We have the option to relocate to the Knoxville area and I met w/ a real estate agent last week to look around. She is steering us towards Northshore DR/Choto area or Farragut. She says they have the best schools. BUT I am having a heck of a time finding a new home. We want new construction around 3500 sq ft and a basement if possible. I am having no luck. Can anyone help me out!!!

[knoxgarden]

Shouldn't be hard. There's a ton of new construction out that way. Check the Farragut website:
Town of Farragut, Tennessee - beautiful homes, convenient location, a great place to live!
It has lots of links to developments, housing prices, info.
Basement might be difficult. The South in general isn't big on basements other than as walk-out basements.
Area Multiple Listing service is here:
realFocus - Knoxville Area Association of Realtors®

[JMT]

Originally Posted by dmbmama

We have the option to relocate to the Knoxville area and I met w/ a real estate agent last week to look around. She is steering us towards Northshore DR/Choto area or Farragut. She says they have the best schools. BUT I am having a heck of a time finding a new home. We want new construction around 3500 sq ft and a basement if possible. I am having no luck. Can anyone help me out!!!

I can't imagine how we can help you more than your realtor. But have you done a search on realtor.com? It's got every MSL listing in the entire country. I did a map search for West Knox looking for homes at least 3500 square feet less than a year old and preferably with a basement, it spit out 452 listings. As knoxgarden said, however, basements aren't as popular as you might think.

[Beretta]

Come visit Maryville if you want great schools. We moved here from Farragut and couldn't be happier. PM me if you want, I will be happy to help. By the way, my house has a partial basement. You are much more likely to get a basement in Maryville than Farragut. Welcome to TN!

[transplantedtngirl]

I have lived all over the Knoxville area in my 23 years here. Yes, west Knoxville, Choto and Farragut have the best schools. Be very careful about Maryville and visit there several times before you decide to move there. Some of the Maryville schools are very good, but some are not. But I have worked in Maryville for the last five years and I would never consider living there full time. Maryville can be a great little town, but it is not for everyone. Just like you have to find the area of Knoxville that will suit you, look around. Oak Ridge is just as far away as Maryville and they also have some pretty good schools. But I would definately look into the Choto area it is quickly growing and is a great area to live in and raise a family. You won't be disappointed.

[Beretta]

The Foothills Elementary School is considered the best by many in Maryville. All students in Maryville attend the same intermediate (grades 3-5), middle (grades 6-8) and high schools (grades 9-12), no matter the elementary.

Here is the state scorecard on Maryville Schools:
TN Department of Education:

And here is the state scorecard on Knox County Schools:
TN Department of Education:

You can drill down on a lot of specifics on the scorecards.

Hope this helps!

[Y1Y2]

We are going to move to Knoxville this December? We have two kids (7 years old and 16 months) and are looking for a house nearby the UT. I hate to commute so am considering to live at the Sequoia Hills since it's close to the UT. Housing in the Sequoia Hills are expensive, but location is most important factor to me. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of living there (such as less diverse). Are elementary schools good at Sequoia Hills? Any suggestions on other areas that are closed to the UT (driving less than 15 minutes)? Thanks for your help.

[john t]

Farragut is the best rated in Knoxville, but Oak Ridge is much higher rated than Farragut.

The market is flooded with homes for sale, something like a 4.5 year supply. There are many more homes than buyers, so swing a deal on what fits you. Look around, you'll find something that you like.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Y1Y2

We are going to move to Knoxville this December? We have two kids (7 years old and 16 months) and are looking for a house nearby the UT. I hate to commute so am considering to live at the Sequoia Hills since it's close to the UT. Housing in the Sequoia Hills are expensive, but location is most important factor to me. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of living there (such as less diverse). Are elementary schools good at Sequoia Hills? Any suggestions on other areas that are closed to the UT (driving less than 15 minutes)? Thanks for your help.

I'm not sure what you mean by "less diverse" being a disadvantage unless by diverse you mean merely skin color. Otherwise, in Sequoyah Hills you have a mixture of very conservative people with very liberal people, religious and non-religious. Most of Knoxville's non-mainline religions are in the Sequoyah Hills area: Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Greek Orthodox, two synagogues. Hard to get more diverse than that.

The elementary school there in Sequoyah Hills is small but has a very active parent organization. There's also an excellent Montessori school in the neighborhood. A lot of U.T. people live in that area and are very proud of it.

The Island Home neighborhood across the river from downtown is also popular with U.T. families and is more affordable as well as closer to downtown and campus.

[Y1Y2]

I don't know Knoxville at all, only know that Sequoia Hills is close to the UT. So, all your comments are useful to me. Thanks a lot.