Feedback on Knoxville, Maryville, and E. Tenn. in General (sales, house)

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by ajdillon

Actually, I think people in Tennessee in general are nicer people. I live in Florida and people here are so rude. We have property in Dandridge and everytime I've gone there I am amazed at how polite and pleasant the people are. I know that this is were we belong and I just cant wait to be there permanently.

Don't confuse polite and nice.

After being here for 2 1/2 years I've come to some conclusions. I've asked a lot of transplants their opinions, and they have concurred.

Yes, people are more polite here than in Florida.

However, this area does not have more or less dishonest or mean people than anywhere else.

Be careful not to confuse the two.

[jabogitlu]

Thankfully someone's finally realized that! I see all these people whining about how "TN people weren't everything I thought, they even steal from me!!!" and I'm like, well, yeah.

But they'll still say "excuse me"

[bahbay]

Hi everybody!

This is my first post to this forum. I have been investigating the Knoxville/Maryville area as a possible retirement community. I am 63 and my wife is 62.

The back-and-forth on this forum on such a wide variety of aspects of life in E. Tenn. is absolutely amazing. The realness and integrity of the contributors and their comments has been very helpful in trying to gain some perspective on the real rubber-meets-the-road issues surrounding day to day life in this area.

One of the most striking ideas conveyed through this forum has been how similar many of us are in our quest for quiet enjoyment of our environment on a day to day on-going basis. The effect of the sweeping changes in our way of life that have occurred since we were younger is a recurring theme
I hear on this forum as well as in our current community.

I was born on a farm in Southeastern Michigan and moved to San Francisco
at the age of 29. I am a licensed general and plumbing contractor and have
remodeled/restored many homes and commercial buildings built in the early 20th century. I am also a licensed realtor. (I know, I know; I've been reading along....).

Originally, I thought it would be nice to find a few acres with a modest home and tweak it bit by bit into a really comfortable easy-going abode with some of the items like solar electric etc. that I have coveted for many years.
I haven't abandoned that idea but, now, this forum has been touching on the availability of restorable buildings in the downtown Maryville area. I find this very intriguing.

With spring upon us, I am progressively more drawn to the idea of an initial
Maryville exploration expedition.

You have only yourselves to blame. You have displayed such an inviting (while real) portrayal of life in this area that we simply have to investigate.

So, for the next while, we will continue to monitor this site and begin to plan
our visit. My wife is a native Californian and has never been to Tenn. I, on the other hand, was fortunate to have passed through many times on my way from Michigan to winter breaks in Florida. Also, I believe myself and 3 friends to be the first to skateboard from Smokey Mt Nat'l Park down through Gatlinburg in the summer of 1966.

One last thing: Here it is the law that any realtor operating under the direction and control of the State Real Estate Commissioner (all licensees) must disclose in _ANY_ advertising for the sale or lease of real property the fact if they have an interest in that property. As far as I know, there is no
obligation to disclose their status in regard to participation in a public, not-for-fee forum. This may or may not be the case in TN. I would be interested in knowing.

Again, my thanks to all who, by their good-faith participation, have made this forum the valued resource it has proven to be.

Best wishes to all,

Bob A (bahbay)

[Beretta]

Regarding downtown Maryville: The Capitol Theater has been closed for close to 30 years and is getting a face lift and will be re-opened; very exciting! There actually was an article in yesterdays paper about this. There is also a new jazz club opening very soon. The Palace Theater is for sale and the price tag is in excess of $1M; Roy's Record Shop is for sale as well. There are other great pieces of property for sale on Broadway. Several other pieces have changed hands in the last year.

The downtown area has been under a renovation since 2006. Anyone can easily search the archives of the local newspaper to read of all of the happenings. There is also a brand new parking garage downtown. There are lofts (private residences) that are priced very reasonably and allow one to walk to many activities downtown (church, library, bank, restaurants, music establishments, etc. all within walking distance) Many complain that downtown Maryville isn't Mayberry looking enough but over the past 5 years I have lived here I have seen a wonderful, positive change (street lamps, new sidewalks, planters, great surface parking and gathering areas) and there is more to come. Thank you for your thoughtful post and interest in becoming part of the solution, not just an outsider complaining about what isn't here. Maryville has a lot to offer and with thoughtful developers there will be benefit for all.

Welcome to the forum!

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by gemkeeper

I have to agree. All of the Best Places to Retire, or Raise Kids, or Live...all commercial hype.

They have a product to sell and they aren't going to sell anything if the Best Place to Live in every issue is Sarasota, FL, Asheville, NC, Portland, OR, and WhereverTown.

And, take it from personal experience, if you are 55 or older you had better have your life set financially and not be scrambling for a great job anyplace. You will definitely be on the short side of the stick.

It is extremely important for those thinking of their retirement to know an area, be there for extended periods of time, research everything (including schools even though they don't have little ones attending - taxes, home value, demographics - all tie into schools). Once a retiree commits himself to an area, it had better be the right one or the burden of relocating again may not be an option.

Please do start a blog. A book is a great idea, hiknapster, pdq and catsndogs. I'll be a supporter, but hardly a contributer. By the time we have moved I will be much more knowledgeable, I hope. I sure am working on it now thanks to the forum and all of our jaunts to E. TN.

Thanks, all of you. You are great!

I disagree about the data websites. It's very important to look at the data of the possible new place to compare it to the data where you currently live (on the same website) to see/evaluate more/less, bigger/smaller, better/worse than where you currently live.

On the other hand, TOP/BEST Anything lists, magazine feature articles or books are a bunch of hooey because 1) they presume what people value is the same for everyone and in some cases, what people value more than something else and 2) because in the case of magazines, they're shilling for a town because a developer/other interest group, in the town, is their advertiser. This is why magazines that will remain nameless will talk about things in the town that will appeal to the income level that can afford the developer's property. When is the last time that you read a magazine that touts lots of baseball diamonds, bowling alleys, public picnic sites, scrapbooking clubs, public swimming pools, bass fishing clubs, ATV groups, shooting ranges, etc., as a reason to want to live in that town? I'm thinking never.

Originally Posted by gemkeeper

Maybe, we could get a co-op sort of arrangement and find a wealthy sponsor to fix up just one building - maybe bring the record shop back or something like that. Want me to call Oprah?

The festival, the car shows, Tomato Head, and many more yet unplanned events can bring the interest to Maryville or any small town with a wonderful history and still-standing buildings that pay tribute to that history.

And, pdq, I really don't think it is just us baby-boomers who have this desire to preserve the past or restore the old structures and feeling of grandeur that once was. I have read so many posts of all age groups and there does seem to be a common theme. Most don't desire to change or modernize or bring anything "up-to-date". It seems the majority of our posters love TN and its towns for its history, culture, warm hospitality and love of all things that grow from Tennesseans. I hope that is all saved and nurtured and it can start with one tip of the balance in the restoring of one old neglected building or store front.

If people were interested in preserving anything they'd start by moving into houses already lived in instead of clearing land to put up a new one.

Originally Posted by Catsndogs

How similar or different are the two? One thing that keeps coming back on Maryville is that there is not much going on downtown. There has been a lot of development in Mayville but why is Downtown not prospering?

Maybe some people don't value a downtown area in a town. In my adult life, I have never lived in a town with a central downtown area and that's what I look for when I move - no downtown.

[Pam& Bill]

I just read all 7 pages of this thread. Now Bill and I moved here a year and a half ago after spending one blissful falling in love week at a cabin in Pigeon Forge and we packed up and moved here. Did we research? Well maybe he did, but I didn't, I would have followed him to the edges of the earth to live.
I discovered this site last year after doing a google search on Black Widow spiders and Brown recluse spiders. This site has been a real valuable resource for us in learning about local events and finding new places to explore. I feel comfortable here on this site and I do enjoy the wide diverse difference in opinions on any subject. I've enjoyed getting to know the regular posters here and sometimes I do read the NY state forum and I don't get the same warm fuzzy feeling on that one as I do here. The NY forum seems to be filled with unhappiness and negativity.
The Tn. forum is filled with nice people who are friendly just like the people of this area.
Pam

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by LauraC

If people were interested in preserving anything they'd start by moving into houses already lived in instead of clearing land to put up a new one.

I have to spread it around before I can give you more reputation points.

Actions speak louder than words, don't they?

Originally Posted by bahbay

One last thing: Here it is the law that any realtor operating under the direction and control of the State Real Estate Commissioner (all licensees) must disclose in _ANY_ advertising for the sale or lease of real property the fact if they have an interest in that property. As far as I know, there is no
obligation to disclose their status in regard to participation in a public, not-for-fee forum. This may or may not be the case in TN. I would be interested in knowing.

This is the internet, and as such, very few laws and rules apply. Yes, there is not a fee and the forum is public, however, it is a privately owned. We follow the owner's rules.

Real estate agents are strongly urged to identify themselves as such. Trying to influence a relocation or purchase decision while hiding your intentions is against forum rules. Besides, it's just good netiquette.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I have to spread it around before I can give you more reputation points.

Actions speak louder than words, don't they?

I agree with you Hik! I was able to rep LauraC for that excellent comment.

Originally Posted by hiknapster

This is the internet, and as such, very few laws and rules apply. Yes, there is not a fee and the forum is public, however, it is a privately owned. We follow the owner's rules.

Real estate agents are strongly urged to identify themselves as such. Trying to influence a relocation or purchase decision while hiding your intentions is against forum rules. Besides, it's just good netiquette.

Also, thanks for addressing Bahbay's question regarding disclosure. I am not a realtor but I do believe that agents do have to disclose their affiliation in regards to properties. I see a lot of "agent related to seller" or owner/agent in listings and in ads, etc. However, Hik is correct. While this forum is on the internet it is privately owned and everyone has to follow this sites Terms of Service. The TOS definitely outline the advertisement of real estate by agents and non-agents alike.

[gemkeeper]

LauraC, I am not sure if you were including my posts in your comments because you were agreeing or refuting what I had stated.

I think we have to be well-informed on the area that we are moving into and we do have to compare our current area on all levels with our hoped for destination.

But, I also know from reading all of the "Top Ten" lists that they cannot be trusted for the information that a family or retirees require to make a life-changing move. They change from month to month to sell their publications, and who knows what generates the recommendations sometimes.

Hard, sound data from the same website, as you noted, is the only way to compare one area to another. No doubt involved here - and, this should make good sense to all.

As far as restoration of an aging downtown, I think it is the most responsible course of action for any resident. Whether they have a direct hand in a project or simply support the efforts of their city by patronizing local businesses or recommending local businesses to others, their actions count. I would strive my best to see to it that a one lovely old building did not become a parking lot.

If an individual is able to buy an existing house rather than buying into a large development that is bulldozing a wooded area or infringing on a mountain side, then so much the better. It is irresponsible the way that some huge developers will destroy an entire once-thriving farm to plunk down cookie-cutter houses one on top of another.

But, you do have to consider that not all of our needs, interests and desires may all be the same. There will be those who either need or desire to not buy an existing home, but create their own special home. This is not something to be condemned. It is the irresponsible destruction of a natural environment and habitat to achieve this that should be coarsely examined.

As I had stated in another post on the TN forum, some come to TN with their rose-colored glasses on. But, glasses come in other colors too. Some are black, that causes one to not see anything other than their own motives and interests, some are green that will criticize anything that they themselves cannot have or aspire to, and some are blue that see only the negative impact of anything that is considered new without recognizing that people come in all kinds of packages with all kinds of needs.

I hope that most of those who make TN their homeplace are not deluding themselves into thinking they have found utopia, nor do I want to see those who are native to the state to categorize anyone who has the desire to fit into their new environment with as little a ripple as possible to be chastized because they don't want to "adopt" someone else's abode just because it already exists.

New homes and new businesses can be created either within abandoned, but sound buildings or they can be responsibly planned and executed without destroying the natural environs of TN. It is all a matter of control and careful planning. It is up to each Tennessean and each new resident to show respect and consideration for the natural beauty and gift of nature that God gave to Tennessee.

I'm personally sorry that each and every country road and each small town in Tennessee cannot be preserved exactly as it was 25 years ago. It is folly to think that it can. But, we can try to make this progression and transition into a less painful and a more tranquil cooperation between the old and new while preserving that which so many love.

[Suzanne45]

Gem, eloquently stated! Hopefully, this forum will continue to be open to everyone's opinion.