Moving to Memphis and a bit scared...help! (Bartlett, Germantown: hardwood floors, rental homes) - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

Mariella · 05-09-2008, 12:55 PM

My husband was transfered to Memphis last week, we are on vacations right now (internationally) and need lots of help as we will get back to the US and will have only 1 month to move

I have read the forum and the areas of Germantown, Collierville, Arlington, Barlett keep coming up as the better areas to move to. We are looking to rent as we don´t know how long we will be in Memphis (Hubby is a gov. employee). We have a daughter who is 1 year old and a dog, we want a safe area that is family friendly, with lots of parks and activities. We don´t really care for the school system as our daughter won´t be going to school anytime soon. Although I know that the nicer areas are the ones with the good school systems...

Hubby will be working near/in the airport and would like to keep the commute at most 30-45 mins each way (we live in South FL so we are used to hellish commutes)

We are looking to rent a home, or a large townhome depending on prices. We are looking at a range of 900 to 1300 a month to spend on rent. What areas is this doable in? which other areas do you recommend???

Pearlbob · 05-09-2008, 01:54 PM

That price range probably will not work in Collierville or Germantown. Those areas tend to have bigger homes, and if they have any rentals, they will be at least $1300 a month. I'm not sure about townhomes in those areas. You would be able to find less expensive rental houses in Bartlett, but again, probably not for $900. That's not a ton of money here. Cordova would probably be your best bet, if you want to rent a small home and do not care about the school systems. They have more duplex type things in Cordova too.

You can also consider the AR or MS suburbs as well. Southaven or Olive Branch would be a short drive to the airport.

Pearlbob · 05-09-2008, 01:57 PM

In looking at cryeleikerentals.com for examples, I did find 2 homes in Collierville for about $1200. They looked to be older homes. Bartlett homes were all around $1600, as were the Southaven homes. There were not many available through that site, but it might give you some idea of what you're going to get for your price.

East Memphis has very nice areas of town too, as does midtown, and the island downtown. Don't rule those areas out, unless you specifically want to be outside of Memphis and in the suburbs.

Mariella · 05-09-2008, 03:07 PM

thanks for your reply Pearlbob, what areas of east memphis are good and what areas should I avoid??? Do you recommend cryeleikerentals for finding a home?? would they lead us in the right direction or do they care more about comission and thus show me anything in iffy areas??

Is Cordova good?? I don´t want a duplex, a single family is more what I am looking for.... plus at least in the area where I am from duplexes are a bit shady... I don´t know if it is the same in TN??? Is the crime in Cordova bad???

DubbleT · 05-09-2008, 07:20 PM

The Sea Isle - Colonial neighborhoods in east Memphis used to have some fairly decent rental housing. It's been some years since I last looked to rent though, so I don't know if that still holds true.

CMartel2 · 05-10-2008, 02:41 AM

You should absolutely consider living in midtown, particularly the Central Gardens area and the Evergreen Historic district. The airport is a straight shot down East Parkway. Your husband could be there in 15 to 20 minutes tops.

You get beautiful, old historic homes, walkable streets, nearby parks, restaurants you can walk to... Lots of people walking dogs, running, taking the kid out on the stroller, nearby churches, many of which have attached private schools. You can be downtown in 10-minutes, which makes for nice entertainment. It's the only area in Memphis that I really like, to be honest. Germantown is okay if you like subdivisions.

As for the cost of rent, there should be things around. I personally rented a 3-bedroom house with hardwood floors and a nice backyard with patio for $1350 per month.

I have my biases, but Central Gardens has a personality to it Germantown never will. You could also consider Mud Island, which will have newer homes and be quite close to the river and Island Park. It's a quick shot into downtown there. Your commute will be a little longer there, but not too bad.

I think you'll be pleased with driving in Memphis. I've lived in several large cities, and traffic is pretty good here. Rarely do you come to a standstill--unless you're going to Germantown in rush hour.

UofMGrad92 · 05-10-2008, 10:51 AM

I am currently in a rental in Bartlett that runs around $1200.00/month. There are two other rental houses in this neighborhood (about 40 homes) available, but I'm not sure on the rates. If you like, I can get you the numbers from the rental signs (as well as the number for this rental) and PM them to you. We should be out in a couple of months.

The neighborhood so far has been quiet and there are quite a few children in the area. I haven't been here long, but we picked this area to rent specifically because the schools are good and the area is safe. There are a couple of parks within walking distance, and it is close to shopping (both the mall area and grocery stores, etc.) without being too close.

Mariella · 05-11-2008, 07:50 PM

Could you please give me more advice as to the areas surrounding these addresses:
Bartlett, TN - 7443 Overcreek Lane zip 38133

Memphis, TN - 3800 Sungrove Circle East zip 38135

Please be brutally honest!!!
Thanks!!

UofMGrad92 · 05-11-2008, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mariella

Could you please give me more advice as to the areas surrounding these addresses:
Bartlett, TN - 7443 Overcreek Lane zip 38133

Memphis, TN - 3800 Sungrove Circle East zip 38135

Please be brutally honest!!!
Thanks!!

I would recommend against the Sungrove Circle East address. This area is fairly new, but it is in the Memphis annexation area and is not so hot now and just going to get worse. It is near Bartlett, is unincorporated county for now, and therefore uses Bartlett schools until Memphis annexes the area. The Bartlett schools would be the only plus to this area. Please consider other areas (including most any area in Cordova) before you go here.

The Overcreek Lane area is in a smaller neighborhood in a good part of Bartlett. It is an older neighborhood (I'd guess around 20 years old) that has a neighborhood pool maintained by homeowners association dues (which I assume would be part of the rent). We have friends in this area who like it very much. It does have a few rental homes, but they are decently maintained (at least to the naked eye outside) and the neighborhood seems quiet. It is low crime (I've never heard of problems in that area at all), and it is also in what would likely be considered the best school district in Bartlett (at least on the elementary and middle school level..not sure about the high school district). This neighborhood doesn't have a park, but a nearby neighborhood has a nice little park that is less than a half mile away and walkable (not any busy streets that you would have to cross).

In short, I'd highly recommend the area around Overcreek Lane, but can't advise going to the Sungrove Circle area at all.

Kabluey · 05-11-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mariella

My husband was transfered to Memphis last week, we are on vacations right now (internationally) and need lots of help as we will get back to the US and will have only 1 month to move

I have read the forum and the areas of Germantown, Collierville, Arlington, Barlett keep coming up as the better areas to move to. We are looking to rent as we don´t know how long we will be in Memphis (Hubby is a gov. employee). We have a daughter who is 1 year old and a dog, we want a safe area that is family friendly, with lots of parks and activities. We don´t really care for the school system as our daughter won´t be going to school anytime soon. Although I know that the nicer areas are the ones with the good school systems...

Hubby will be working near/in the airport and would like to keep the commute at most 30-45 mins each way (we live in South FL so we are used to hellish commutes)

We are looking to rent a home, or a large townhome depending on prices. We are looking at a range of 900 to 1300 a month to spend on rent. What areas is this doable in? which other areas do you recommend???

First, browse different websites and message boards. You'll find a wide range of perspectives and hundreds of friendly people willing to help out. PM me and I will give you message boards you can get various honest perspectives.