Moving to Memphis/ University of Memphis

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by Linds777

Hi,

I've been reading the posts and it seems like people seem to know what they are talking about. I don't really know anything about Memphis except what I've read and heard.

I'm looking at Birches at Countryside apartments (6939 Dusty Trail Lane, Memphis). Any opinions on the area or apartments?
I read good things about it but then found a forum that said bad things so I am looking for more info.

Thanks!

The apartments themselves are ok, from what I understand. However, that immediate area is becoming rather undesirable.

[Tigertate]

Originally Posted by jimlacas

Are the following parks major bum hangouts, or are they more family/exercise oriented?

1. Shelby Farms
2. Sea Isle Park
3. Audubon Park
4. Marquette Park

Also, are the neighborhoods within a block or two of these parks decent areas?

Sea Isle Park is a great park, located right next to an elementary school in East Memphis. It is between Park and Quince (North to South) and White Station and Estate (East to West). The park is very family friendly and has a 1-mile walking trail, ball fields and play ground equipment. The neighborhood around the park is very nice. It is the Sea-Isle Park neighborhood and has a pretty strong association. The neighborhoods website is here (http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/memphis/seaisle/). The neighborhood is bordered by Mt. Moriah on the west, I-240 to the east and South, and the Norfolk Southern RR to the north (basically Park Ave to the north). The area is a middle income area with home prices running around $75 to $100 per square foot. Many homes in the area were built in the 1950’s and 1960’s during the baby boom. There are also pockets of infill developments with much newer homes, where a builder developed a small neighborhood within the neighborhood. These homes are generally larger and more expensive.

The Sea Isle Park neighborhood and Colonial Acres, which borders Sea Isle Park to the west and is in the area of Marquette Park, are very safe stable areas of the city that have held their value well despite all the changes the city has experienced. Many of the older homes are smaller (around 1200-1500sf) and are perfect for a young family like yours. The area has beautiful mature trees and a lot of character. You can definitely find a home in the area for close to 100k, especially in this market. These homes are perfect for remodeling and are a good investment because the area will retain its value. I would definitely recommend looking in this area. It is about 3-5 miles from Campus and a very easy drive. Many young families live in the area and love it. It’s close to the interstate and very close to shopping and entertainment.


The areas you want to avoid in Memphis, from an investment standpoint are the areas that are either in Memphis's annex area or in an area that was recently annexed and on the decline. In this area people run from annexation into the city. Because of this the property values in those area suffer. If the people would just stick it out the area would be fine, but they do not. They rush to put their houses up for sale and flood tha market with homes, which drives the values down. Eventually people realize they can not sell their homes for what they think they should get so they rent them out. This drives property values down even further because the area then has more renters than owners. Needless to say you also want to avoid the high crime areas with dirt cheap real-estate. It is cheap for a reason.