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It is funny. When you come to the Knoxville forum, everybody and their brother says "move to Farragut". Then you come here, and find that Farragut is not only really expensive so you can't afford it in the first place, but inventory is always low because people love it here and stay. You kind of have to wait for somebody to die. OK, that is an exaggaration, but point is, there is not huge turnover in Farragut.
So when people say "move to Farragut", they are really giving unrealistic advice for 95% of us. Most of us can't afford it, and those that can are too numerous for the number of homes for sale, even before the current Covid low inventories happened. Places like Maryville, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, and Cookeville become a lot more realistic places to find a nice affordable home in a good neighborhood. Maybe not AS GOOD a neighborhood, but your odds go up. Farragut doesn't tend to have much.
Right now there are 28 listings in Farragut, 11 under $500,000.
Since you have a $300k budget and want a more rural experience, there are a lot of homes for under $300,000 in the areas between these cities. You might be able to find exactly what you want as long as you stay away from the developed areas of the cities, and you would still have access to all of the outdoor activities you want.
You can even look for a house up near Powell or maybe south of South Knoxville.
I want to be "in town" sort as far as a developed suburb, so I am stuck with more expensive options than you are. If you just want land and trees and to be left alone, you may be able to get that by looking for a home between towns rather than in them. I don't mean out in the sticks but beyond the edges of town.
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Thank you for your response. I didn't mean "that" rural....I would prefer a developed suburb.
I would still like to be able to say hello to my next door neighbor.
It is funny. When you come to the Knoxville forum, everybody and their brother says "move to Farragut". Then you come here, and find that Farragut is not only really expensive so you can't afford it in the first place, but inventory is always low because people love it here and stay. You kind of have to wait for somebody to die. OK, that is an exaggaration, but point is, there is not huge turnover in Farragut.
So when people say "move to Farragut", they are really giving unrealistic advice for 95% of us. Most of us can't afford it, and those that can are too numerous for the number of homes for sale, even before the current Covid low inventories happened. Places like Maryville, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, and Cookeville become a lot more realistic places to find a nice affordable home in a good neighborhood. Maybe not AS GOOD a neighborhood, but your odds go up. Farragut doesn't tend to have much.
Right now there are 28 listings in Farragut, 11 under $500,000.
When you did your initial research, did Maryville or any of the other cities come up as "high crime" ?
That's an acceptable home for a single guy like me who's looking to one day start a family. 100x better than horrible apartment living.
<<Edit 2>>
Wow, I'm finding a lot of sub 300k homes out there that look absolutely amazing. Does anyone know if late September early October is not a good time to fly out to Knoxville to check the area out? You think I should wait until late Feb/early March?
It's funny...where I come from only the multi-million dollar homes have trees and grass like many of the sub 300k homes in TN do. I can't image what passes for "affluent" in TN....must be some sort of mega-mansion.
Thank you for your response. I didn't mean "that" rural....I would prefer a developed suburb.
I would still like to be able to say hello to my next door neighbor.
Gotcha. Yeah, $300,000 is not going to get you that huge yard, I don't think. I see $600k-$700k homes in Farragut and around West Knox that are in gorgeous subdivisions with deep sprawling front yards well off the street, and some that are up to 150-feet away from the next home over. Roomy. Very roomy. But in the $300k range, no not so much.
I think a lot of the homes they are building now are going to be on small lots. As prices increase with strong growth in Knoxville, they are going to smaller lots to keep overall price down. It is a shame, because those spread out homes are so nice.
I am limited to around $400k, so I will be pretty much in the same boat you are. I will have to compromise and settle for "good enough" rather than for what I really want. That's life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Needanewhome123
When you did your initial research, did Maryville or any of the other cities come up as "high crime" ?
I did not research crime in Blount County, where Marysville is (pronounced Mare-vul like the female horse, not Mar-ees-vil like the girl's name).
If I ever get off my butt and visit more areas of the Knoxville Metro, I will better understand good and bad areas of Maryville, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Cookville, etc. I would just say DON'T live in Alcoa. Very high crime. (watch, somebody from Alcoa will correct me). But every time I have veer into Alcoa, my crime app leaps up.
If you haven't seen it, my blog has a post with a picture showing the crime rates for apartments all around the Knoxville area. I developed it when I was looking for a safe and quiet apartment to live. If you haven't seen it, it will give you an idea of where around Knoxville is really safe and where the high crime is, but it is just for Knoxville, not Maryville or other Knox metro areas.
I have tried to link the blog post below. Go to bottom and click on the pick to enlarge it. Clicking 2 or 3 times should make it large enough to be legible as it sooms in. At least it does for me.
That's an acceptable home for a single guy like me who's looking to one day start a family. 100x better than horrible apartment living.
<<Edit 2>>
Wow, I'm finding a lot of sub 300k homes out there that look absolutely amazing. Does anyone know if late September early October is not a good time to fly out to Knoxville to check the area out? You think I should wait until late Feb/early March?
It's funny...where I come from only the multi-million dollar homes have trees and grass like many of the sub 300k homes in TN do. I can't image what passes for "affluent" in TN....must be some sort of mega-mansion.
Knoxville is very lush, green, wooded, and beautiful as is the Knox metro overall and probably much of east Tennessee. I haven't even seen Chattanooga yet, which I hear is really beautiful. So trees and green grass is pretty much a given wherever you buy here in every price range. This isn't Utah. It rains all summer, so everything stays nice and green and lush.
I really like Tennessee. I don't miss too much about California, except that I was 2 hours to the beach and 2 hours to Lake Tahoe. Things like that. Which is significant. Living-wise, I am not missing California.
Knoxville is very lush, green, wooded, and beautiful as is the Knox metro overall and probably much of east Tennessee. I haven't even seen Chattanooga yet, which I hear is really beautiful. So trees and green grass is pretty much a given wherever you buy here in every price range. This isn't Utah. It rains all summer, so everything stays nice and green and lush.
I really like Tennessee. I don't miss too much about California, except that I was 2 hours to the beach and 2 hours to Lake Tahoe. Things like that. Which is significant. Living-wise, I am not missing California.
Thanks, much appreciated! Think I'm going to come out there and have a look.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrosbyStills
Have you guys looked into the Hardin Valley area? It is really growing. Otherwise, I would recommend Crossville.
I am finding more about Knoxville that I like all the time.
It just snowed yesterday, giving me a good 4-season experience. The power was out when I woke up at 5:30 am. Ditto.
What I like so far about West Knoxville:
The lush green hills and general scenery
Friendly people
Low costs
Mountain access
River access
Lots of parks to enjoy
Proximity to Nashville
Summer rain and thunderstorms
All the birds, from sparrows to eagles
The beautiful neighborhoods with brick homes on large lots
Parking is easy and plentiful everywhere
What I dislike so far:
Spring pollen (though I am not allergic)
Very narrow, winding, dark, unlit and unforgiving roads
Soaring house prices and rent (yes, ironically I am partly to blame for it)
Most of the downtown
Some grocery items I am used to are unavailable (I get them from Amazon)
Restaurants. Too much southern fried finger food at a time I am trying to eat healthy. All tasty but it not the type of food I can indulge in right now.
Proliferation of 2-story homes. They are beautiful, but I need a single-story ranch style as I age.
It is hard to find nearby walks due to very narrow streets with no sidewalks
Street layout. Almost all subdivisions are one way in and out. They don't connect. This is great for residents undisturbed by through traffic, but sucks for people who want to take long walks or want to ride a bike to shops. This is really a very car dominated place, not walkable at all except in the oldest areas.
Lack of river access by foot or car. With so much river frontage, I really hoped to find trails to walk along the river or more parks with car access or foot access to the waterline.
Examples of grocery items I can't find
I have only found Skippy Natural Chunky P-nut butter at target. Not at Publix, Kroger, or elsewhere.
I can't find hot yellow chili peppers anywhere (Amazon to the rescue)
I can't find Stubbs Spicy BBQ sauce anywhere (Amazon again)
People told me that fruits and vegetable would not be anywhere as fresh or good as I had in Sacramento. So far, that has been wrong. I have found absolutely nothing wrong with produce here at either Publix, Kroger, Target, or Whole Foods, Earth Market, or Ingles.
What I mean by river access. I had hoped to find walking trails along the river, even if unimproved dirt. That would be fine. I hoped there would be places I could grab coffee or lunch and park somewhere with a view of the river. There are a few limited parks and boat ramps I have found where I can to that, but it is fairly limited and often in summer already crowded by the time I got there. There are many area where you can park or sit just feet from the waterline, but the banks are left wild with a lot of lush green growth mainly trees or tall bushes, so you can't see the river at all. I expected there would be more places along the river that were accessible by foot. I haven't found that to be the case. Some, but not that much and not much close.
All in all, I really like West Knoxville/Farragut and it is highly likely I will stay here. I moved here to scout out several cities including Knoxville, but also Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Huntsville, Fairhope AL, and Jacksonville, among some dark horses.
I have found a great barber, but haven't found a Doctor or Dentist I like yet, and the local Dodge dealerships where I service my car are average to below average IMHO.
Publix is awesome. I like Publix.
I like Mooyah Burger, my favorite burger joint so far.
Nick and J's can't be beat for breakfast, but I have not bothered to eat much downtown, so I know I am missing a lot. Again, after years being a pig, I am trying to be healthy, so I doubt I will be any much good for restaurant reviews for a good while. I mean, Altrudas is great Italian, and I loved Abuelo's Mexican, but it just closed. Rats!
I haven't found a good pizza yet. Most don't have very good flavor.
I haven't ruled out living in another city or state, but I really like West Knox and expect I will stay here and buy a house. I find surburban living here has a very low "hassle" factor, and that is a big deal on my list. Cops don't follow you around trying to ticket you. Violent crime is non-existent and property crime almost so. It is just really easy, pleasant living here.
My biggest impediment is the housing shortage and resultant leap in house prices. I can't afford the $500,000 or more it takes to purchase here in Northshore area of West Knox, Farragut, and surrounds.
I may be pushed to Hardin Valley, but I find traffic there to be a "hassle" and development is still outpacing tranportation improvements, so I can't see living in Hardin Valley.
In the end, I may be pushed to Maryville, but I don't really like it. It is not bad at all and reminds me of Hardin Valley a bit. Some things in Maryville are better than here, but when I cruise the subdivisions where I would buy a home, the ones under $450,000 just don't "feel" right.
I really don't like Lenoir City. It would have to be on the edge closest to Farragut. Anywhere near the old town or Highway 321, I just don't care for.
I really like the feel of the area up Tazewell Pike, but there is nothing there besides houses upon houses. If that was just west of Farragut, I would be all over it, but I don't want to live north of downtown like that, like in or above Fountain City.
I am going to do everthing I can to live around the edges of Farragut somehow. It would be disappointed to be pushed into Hardin Valley or Maryville just over affordablity, but you can't get blood from a stone. I am not counting on house prices to flatten or dip in the next 3 years, so waiting to buy is just going to cost me more down the road, at higher interest rates as the Fed raises rates next year. Homes are in short supply, the supply chain issues are far from over, the labor shortage is real, and the grown in West Knoxville is still strong with many people moving here. It might have some minor housing bubble features, but I think the fundamentals of home appreciation are generally strong. I am also old, and don't want to wait 5 years for a small dip in house prices. I want to settle in now.
I haven't ruled out Charleston or Huntsville, but I can't imagine I will end up living anywhere but here. I think I am dug in. I REALLY like it here, dark, narrow, winding roads and all.
Oh, did I mention that electricity is REALLY cheap. I always had AC bills over $300 in Sacramento. My highest bill from Lenoir City Utilty Board here is $65 for a month. Dirt cheap. Natural gas costs are soaring and people around the nation are feeling the pinch in their wallets. West Knox is like having free electrical. It is that cheap.
Last edited by Igor Blevin; 01-03-2022 at 09:16 PM..
Ah that is awesome. Thank you for the update. I'm from MA and have spent a few weeks down in Knoxville and Maryville. I noticed the same things about the roads being narrow and windy and the walking very difficult. Plus how the suburbs aren't really connected which is great for walking. Related to that, I noticed way less people there walk there dogs in public than here, where when you walk through town, you will almost see more people walking dogs than doing anything else.
That is awesome to hear about the wildlife. You see eagles there? Love it.
The storms don't get scary? With threat of tornadoes.
I really liked the Mast Store in downtown Knoxville. It was on a cool street with old buildings. I really liked it.
It doesn't surprise me that food would be fresh in Knoxville. Seems like a lot of farming there!
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