Looking to move from Phoenix (Murfreesboro, Franklin: for sale, real estate market, crime)

[Kyle_and_Tori]

My wife and I are looking at possibly relocating to Nashville from Phoenix, AZ. I lived in Nashville once before, but only for a short while and I was single at the time - so my life and lifestyle are completely different. For us these are the most important things we're looking for:
1) Quality schools
2) Safe neighborhoods
3) Family Friendly People and Communities
4) People who are more interested in who you are as a person and not what you do for a living or how much money you make/what kinda car you drive

We're newly weds and have two children (newborn and 3 years old). We're going to be looking for a house in the $200k- $250k price range. We don't know much about how things are done in TN, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

What are property taxes like? Is there much difference from county to county?
Which schools are the best?
Which areas are the safest and within that price range?
What is the current trend in the housing market? How bad was Nashville hit with the economic fall?
What type of family activities/recreational programs does Nashville have to offer those with small children?

Thanks everyone for your help.

[shinestx]

There's a variety... if you don't mind being out in suburbs, I'd recommend Mt. Juliet or Hendersonville. I've mentioned the latter here many times as one of the better options in the Nashville metro because it has a great cross-section of incomes and housing options (I think much more so that Williamson). You'll pay more for Williamson, and the schools are not any better than in Hendersonville.

[kevin in Cool Springs]

Well, right now the heat indexes are not all that different :-) Fortunately, you’ll have a lot of quality schools available to you in your price range. The two areas that receive the most attention (and relocation numbers according to the Chamber) are Hendersonville/Gallatin areas near Old Hickory Lake north of Nashville and Williamson County south of Nashville. Other example areas to keep on your list from what you describe – Mount Juliet to the East, and Murfreesboro to the Southeast.

Property taxes for a Franklin TN home in the Fieldstone Farms neighborhood asking $229,800 are listed at $1,501 annually. Similar home in Hendersonville, Cumberland Place neighborhood, is listed at $1,770.

Your best school choices? GreatSchools.net helps with an objective scoring system. Nashville has long wanted to improve Metro Schools to compete with what relocating families and companies find attractive in Franklin. Excellent choices in Nashville and the surrounding areas (like Hendersonville, Mt Juliet, Murfreesboro), but the comparison standard locally is Williamson County Schools.
Safety? You have a lot of crime statistics online you can review, but many times the schools systems will tell the tale of what direction a community is moving in.

Trend in the housing market? How bad was Nashville hit? Average home prices in Nashville (Davidson County) are down just over 9% from the peak in 2007. In Franklin, the average home price is down 4.24% (all as of 8/10/10). Murfreesboro is down %8.55. These will be more accurate if you run the numbers in your price range, but these numbers hopefully help as general indicators. The latest trend is more encouraging as Nashville is showing an almost 1% increase in the average sales price this year versus last year (Franklin’s average up %6.76 to this point in 2010 vs. 20009).

Local family activities/recreational programs? Wow. There are tons of parks in the areas you are considering, and even more within driving distance. Movies in the Park, library readings, local festivals (this weekend’s 2010 Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville, Pumkinfest in Franklin, Festival by the Lake in Hendersonville, Nolensville Buttercup Festival) and county fairs (all of them), local New Nashville Neighbors style groups or MeetUp groups. What types of events or activities might be a fit for the family?

You’ll see that tons of folks from all over the country have moved here over the past 5-10, 15, and 20 years – so the culture offers a lot of help if you actively pursue getting plugged in.

[GoldenHomes]

I would tend to agree with "shinestx" regarding the schools in Hendersonville being very good and you'll pay less there than Williamson County. That being said, you can find some very good deals in Franklin and possibly even Brentwood which would allow you to stay within your proposed budget and would also offer you great schools as well as very safe neighborhoods. I think you may want to visit Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Franklin, Brentwood, etc. and get a feel for what you like best and approach it from that aspect. They all offer very good schools, safe neighborhoods, and can be within your price range. You may techinically get more for your money in some areas than others but you may also have better and stronger resale opportunities in some areas than others. Property Taxes are probably going to be very close between Sumner County and Williamson County depending on what city taxes you end up paying... The real estate market as a whole in Nashville and the surrounding areas have definitely felt an impact from the economic downturn however it has faired much better than many cities in the country. It's definitely a good time to buy. I would just recommend taking your time and finding the area that is right for you.

[aaronmidnight]

Um, I know you don't want people to ask about what you do for a living, but the question might be sort of relevant for this query.

Unless you're independently wealthy, I imagine you or your spouse will be working in an office somewhere.

If your job is in Nashville, you could live in any of the communities mentioned here, but if the job is in Cool Springs, then it would make much more sense to look south of Nashville (Fieldstone Farms, Spring Hill, Thompsons Station, plus Franklin and Brentwood) versus Hendersonville, for example.

[Kyle_and_Tori]

I agree, Aaron. It's been a few years, but I did live in Nashville at one time - I was just single and lived in the West End area where I knew I was in a good location. Now that I have family that changes everything - as you may or may not know. I work in medical device sales so I'll be commuting all over TN, AL, NC, SC, GA. I do remember how nasty the south bound and north bound 65 traffic was at rush hour. Has Nashville made any improvements to the highway system since 2007?

[DonCorleone]

I 65 is much better now although it is still a little slow. They expanded 65 north of town in a very long project and that has made things mostly better. 65 south of town is still hit and miss especially during rush hour. I think our biggest traffic issues are around 65 south of town, 440, and 24 between Nashville and Murfreesboro.

[Kyle_and_Tori]

Oh yeah, DC. I remember the 440 - 65 interchange in the mornings...made south bound commutes bad, but I swear the people going north bound on 65 (south of Nashville) had the worst commute I'd ever seen. I wasn't going in that direction, but if you live south of Nashville and have to go north on 65 you're screwed haha. when I was there in 2007 I swear it was backed up from the 440 to Franklin and then some (exaggerating a bit of course).

So what, if any, major changes have happened in Nashville since 2007? I mean I know the flood was horrible. How has the city recovered?

On the housing topic, are there any new developments in Brentwood or Franklin (wanna make sure they are in the Brentwood or Franklin schools) that one could get into for $200k-$260k?

Can anyone tell me what the reputation of John Overton Comp High School is? I see a lot of nice houses for sale that feed into that district, but for some reason my gut says that may be a hidden sign.

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by Kyle_and_Tori

Oh yeah, DC. I remember the 440 - 65 interchange in the mornings...made south bound commutes bad, but I swear the people going north bound on 65 (south of Nashville) had the worst commute I'd ever seen. I wasn't going in that direction, but if you live south of Nashville and have to go north on 65 you're screwed haha. when I was there in 2007 I swear it was backed up from the 440 to Franklin and then some (exaggerating a bit of course).

You're not too far off, actually. It is still a pretty rough commute. Another area of bottlenecking is south of Cool Springs, the interstate (as I recall) goes from 4 lanes to about 8 lanes but before it goes to 8 lanes it is absolute gridlock. Of course, that's all further south from where you're talking about, but still...

So what, if any, major changes have happened in Nashville since 2007? I mean I know the flood was horrible. How has the city recovered?

Areas like Hendersonville and Mt Juliet have really boomed. Some big shopping areas (Indian Lake in Hville, Providence in MtJ) have caused a lot of that. There's a commuter rail service that runs east of town from Lebanon to downtown Nashville now. Murfreesboro continues to grow well. There's also another shopping area there at the Medical Center Parkway that is big too. The other areas (Franklin/Brentwood) are continuing to grow as you might expect.

As far as flood recovery goes: you'd never be able to tell there was flooding in most area. In fact, I saw kids playing soccer a few weeks ago in a field that was about 15 feet underwater and you'd never know it. There are isolated areas that you still see damage. The Symphony Center downtown and Opryland Hotel/Opry Mills being the most noticeable. But even the Hotel will be up and running by November 15. The mall...well, that's anyone's guess. In fact, the Tennessean ran an article recently talking about that and surmised it would be Spring 2011 at the earliest.

I've seen parts of Bellevue that are still recovering and a few homes in Hendersonville/Goodlettsville that are completely vacant (probably condemned). But overall, you can drive through the city and have no idea that there was damage.

On the housing topic, are there any new developments in Brentwood or Franklin (wanna make sure they are in the Brentwood or Franklin schools) that one could get into for $200k-$260k?

Can anyone tell me what the reputation of John Overton Comp High School is? I see a lot of nice houses for sale that feed into that district, but for some reason my gut says that may be a hidden sign.

I'm afraid I don't know much about either area. Certainly there are newer subdivisions in Franklin and Brentwood that would fit your price range, probably moreso in Franklin. But I don't know for sure. I know the Westhaven area is very popular but I don't know what their pricepoints are. I get the feeling they're in the 300s starting out but it is worth a look.

[kevin in Cool Springs]

Kyle_and_Tori, Lots and lots of choices in Franklin for you in neighborhoods like, fe of them are still offering new construction choices:
Clairmonte, Falcon Creek, Fieldstone Farms (very large master plan community), Forrest Crossing (golf), Franklin Green (great community amenities), Ladd Park (brand new), Liberty Hills, Maplewood, McKays Mill (large, newer, master plan community with excellent pools and conveniences and some new construction still happening), Riverview Park, Rogersshire, Royal Oaks, Sullivan Farms, Winchester – and more…

Might see a home or two in Brentwood from time to time as well (one right now in Chestnut Springs, but that is not a new construction neighborhood). There are some new construction choices in the Davidson County area of Brentwood well within your price range too (Indian Creek comes to mind).