Need Rural...but w/in 30 min of Knoxville (Franklin, Maryville: transplants, sale)

[bbkaren]

Okay, I have been meaning to ask this...what is "Halls"?

And, I've seen some pretty phenomenal land deals in Maynardville. Is that a bad town? I had asked about Luttrell as well earlier and not too many folks knew anything about it.

Maybe those areas are just "unremarkable"?

If so, maybe they're less likely to be accosted by all the McMansions and gated subdivisions that we're sick to death of looking at.

We want several acres but only need one building lot. Frankly don't care if the rest of the land is buildable--we just want the land around us that we can leave natural no matter what happens. So we're thinking that maybe some of these "great deals" fit in that category--"yeah, you can build a house in this spot, but the rest of the land is on a slab of granite". If that's the case, I'm okay with that! We're not looking to subdivide or anything.

As long as we've got work within 45 minutes and Walmart within a half hour it's all good.

So...anyone familiar with Maynardville? Luttrell? Powder Springs?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Okay, I have been meaning to ask this...what is "Halls"?

And, I've seen some pretty phenomenal land deals in Maynardville. Is that a bad town? I had asked about Luttrell as well earlier and not too many folks knew anything about it.

Maybe those areas are just "unremarkable"?

If so, maybe they're less likely to be accosted by all the McMansions and gated subdivisions that we're sick to death of looking at.

We want several acres but only need one building lot. Frankly don't care if the rest of the land is buildable--we just want the land around us that we can leave natural no matter what happens. So we're thinking that maybe some of these "great deals" fit in that category--"yeah, you can build a house in this spot, but the rest of the land is on a slab of granite". If that's the case, I'm okay with that! We're not looking to subdivide or anything.

As long as we've got work within 45 minutes and Walmart within a half hour it's all good.

So...anyone familiar with Maynardville? Luttrell? Powder Springs?

Halls used to be a very rural area of northeast Knox County, but it's become pretty developed in the last few years: Wal-Mart, KMart, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. I don't recall seeing any gated communities in Halls (also referred to as "Halls Crossroads") but lots and lots of medium-priced subdivisions, not McMansions.

Beyond Halls is Maynardville and Luttrell. As Halls continues to develop, people assume, and probably correctly, that Maynardville and Luttrell will be next.

But that's probably many years away. I would imagine that you can find land in Maynardville, and I seriously doubt that the property taxes there would ever get very high.

[bbkaren]

Just as an update, I've wound up in touch with a realtor who's really been helpful! We've now moved on to the area west of Knoxville (it's likely hubby will get a transfer to his company's Knoxville offices which are on Cherahala Blvd near Oak Ridge).

Just her asking me this question changed everything and opened up a whole new area for us to look at! None of the realtors I'd spoken to thus far had asked that--and I didn't realize "Knoxville" was so far from one end to the other!

Anyway, Maryville is still appealing to us; however, now we have the options of the area of Harriman, Kingston, Oliver Springs, etc.

The land prices...I'm like a kid in a candy store. We're actually now looking at several-acre parcels for under $40K. Meaning, 10-20 acre parcels! And lots of land outside of those snooty restricted communities.

Thoughts/opinions on these areas? Harriman is more affordable, however I get the impression that town is a little run down. But I've heard good things about Kingston...

My, our search has certainly taken us from one end of the area to the other, hasn't it?

[Wanting out of Fl]

Hi, I am new here. My husband and I are thinking about moving to Maryville or around that area. Right now we live in a small town near Ocala Fl. We are looking for at least 5 acres so we can build a house. This is a very scary move since we have been here forever. We just want something new. We have 4 boys 7 and under so schools are very important to us. Plus I would like to find a place with other young families like us. I have heard land is real cheap up there but I have been looking and I know its not like fl. But it is more than I thought. We will be going up in 2 weeks to try to find some land. Any suggestion? We would like to be 10-15 mins outside of town and what is wrong with the gated communities? Most of the land I can find are in them. We would rather find something with less restrictions. Thanks for any help? Also has there been a big increase in land prices lately?

[bbkaren]

Hi--and welcome! You're gonna find a good deal of helpful information here!

Maryville is supposed to have great schools, especially within the city limits.

In Tennessee, if I understand correctly, there's the "city" and then the "outskirts". Both have addresses in Maryville, but different zip codes. Same with Knoxville and I think a lot of other areas. And then some of those outskirts have names of their own, sort of like sub-towns. It's a little confusing.

My problem with gated communities is the snooty attitude that comes with them. I mean, okay, if you're in a crime-ridden city and want to have a gate to keep the bad guys out. Fine.

But in Tennessee, who are you keeping out?

In my mind, that's just a way for people to say:

"I'm actually better than all these hillbillies. But I want to live here in beautiful Tennessee without having to watch them driving past my house in their pick-em-up trucks. I also want to make sure none of these rednecks comes into a couple dollars, buys property next to me and drags in one of those hideous trailer homes. The next thing you know, they'll have abandoned cars in the yard, and they'll be hooting and hollering and shooting off their guns. By living in a gated/restricted community, I have control over these problems and can live with like-minded people who also want to keep out that 'element'. Because as we all know, those people and their trailers will lower our property values--I mean, that's why we build these houses, for investment purposes so we can sell them for a profit. And, what buyer wants to live next to some redneck hick and his hound dogs?"

I might be wrong, but that's the impression I get.

I refuse to buy into restricted communities and especially gated ones.

I'm coming from New Jersey where everyone has that mindset. If I wanted to live that way, I'd stay here. [shudders]

Can you tell that's a pet peeve of mine? lol

Anyway, good luck!!!

There's a couple of lots I've been keeping an eye on in Maryville--5 acres on Jama Way, and 5 acres on Four Mile Road. If anyone knows what sort of area those are, they look fairly secluded and nice, but they've been on the market for a while so it remains to be seen what sort of problems there are.

[Wanting out of Fl]

Thanks and we are going up in two weeks for 4 days to look. We would like to buy this year and move within the next 2. We now have 10 acres in north central fl.. We like it here and if we lived here forever it would be ok but we are looking for something new. I guess I will be looking more on the out skirts of Maryville. We like to be out a little. We don't like all the restrictions either but I have not seen much for sale out side of the areas. I would just like to find a nice area. Friendly. I wonder how the locals feel about us moving there. I know I feel our small town is being overgrown with s. Fl that;s one of the reasons we want out. What are the prices on the 2 lots you are looking at. Also have you been watching the market for a while. I know here in fl prices have gone out the roof the last 2 years. Thanks

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

My problem with gated communities is the snooty attitude that comes with them. I mean, okay, if you're in a crime-ridden city and want to have a gate to keep the bad guys out. Fine.

But in Tennessee, who are you keeping out?

In my mind, that's just a way for people to say:

"I'm actually better than all these hillbillies. But I want to live here in beautiful Tennessee without having to watch them driving past my house in their pick-em-up trucks. I also want to make sure none of these rednecks comes into a couple dollars, buys property next to me and drags in one of those hideous trailer homes. The next thing you know, they'll have abandoned cars in the yard, and they'll be hooting and hollering and shooting off their guns. By living in a gated/restricted community, I have control over these problems and can live with like-minded people who also want to keep out that 'element'. Because as we all know, those people and their trailers will lower our property values--I mean, that's why we build these houses, for investment purposes so we can sell them for a profit. And, what buyer wants to live next to some redneck hick and his hound dogs?"

My exact thoughts!

The town thing can get really confusing. I live in Knox County, but places like Powell and Halls Crossroads are considered "communities." When I went to sign up my daughter for school I couldn't figure out where she would be going. I went to the local middle school and asked where the town hall was and they looked at me like I was nuts. "Powell is a community, not a town," the woman said.

What did I know?

I found the lot on Jama Way and it looks like it might be on a ridge, but it is hard to tell. I guess I should try google maps. Maybe it will show the elevation. I couldn't find the other lot at all.

[Wanting out of Fl]

Do you like it there? Where did you move from? I guess I will know more when I go there. I am waiting one the real estate agent to get back with me. I will look for another one if I don't here from her soon. ANy suggestions?

[bbkaren]

Those two lots were between $35k and $50k if I recall correctly.

Four Mile Road doesn't register for whatever reason on Google--if you go to Six Mile Road, Four Mile is off of that (I think it's more to the west if I'm recalling correctly).

I also found a couple of properties 8 acres and up, in Harriman/Kingston area. My instinct is that's the area we're going to wind up in.

There's one in Harriman that's 21 acres for $35k. It's on a mountain and I know the land will need work, since there's only a road bed leading to it but we have time--we're not moving for 5 years.

Coming from NJ I worry about zoning (i.e. what if there's not a buildable site on that lot? Setbacks? Wetlands? Protected plants that you can't disturb?) but I'm told that the restrictions on where and how you build on your own land are FAR looser in TN than they are here.

Just to be safe, we figure hey, with 21 acres, there's gotta be a buildable site there somewhere! lol

[hiknapster]

I'm from southwest Florida. I moved to this area because I was looking for a southern-lifestyle. You might want to read some of the threads on the main Tennessee forum to see what that entails. If those are the things that interest you, you will probably like the area, too.