Nashville bound - looking for a SUBURB! (Murfreesboro, Franklin: transplants, sales)

[oopsydaisy]

Hi everyone again!

I'm beginning to work with a realtor and making plans on coming down for a look around to refresh my memory about Nashville.

My husband will be working in Brentwood if we decide to make this move.

I would like to say first off that I absolutely adored Nashville the last time I visited.

I have a question about neighborhoods. I am looking for a upper middle class area than is NOT rural. I'm a little concerned that Brentwood may be a be too rural for my tastes (I'm used to areas like Amherst, NY, Scottsdale, AZ) and I'm not sure where to look next.

Most likely we'll end up renting for a few months before making a decision so I have some time to really do my research.

I've been told that the only areas to shop in Brentwood are concentrated to the North or South areas. What are those areas like to live in?

I'm also curious as to where is a nice place that is close to shopping, schools, restaurants, highways and the airport. My price range is up to 700K maybe more if we love it.

It's a lot to ask, I know. But anyone have any suggestions?

Anything you'd do over if you had the chance?

Thanks!

PS - I live in a "suburban" area outside of Pittsburgh and quite frankly, it's pretty rural. We all live on lots over an acre, yet we live in "sub-divisions." Little two lane roads, no passing, curvy roads, 25 mph speed limits. No sidewalks.

[BirdieBelle]

First we need your price range. The median home price in Brentwood is just over $500K.

I've lived in B'wood for 10 years and have been visiting here since the late'80s. It isn't rural, but suburban. Still, there are a lot of areas that are accessed by 2-lane farm roads.

It's a small bedroom community on the edge of a small Southern city. I would not equate it with either of the two towns you mentioned. But it does have a growing number of transplants from the NE and California. If that helps.

The commercial areas are to the north and south by design. City leaders are reluctant to open it up to too much ...busyness.

If you're going to want stuff that's walkable, parts of Franklin might be a better choice. Most of us drive everywhere anyway, though. It's about 25 minutes from Franklin by interstate to the airport, without traffic.

[vivelafrance]

I would maybe recommend the downtown Franklin area if you want a non-rural suburb...In fact, if you consider Brentwood rural, the place you're looking for may not even exist in Nashville . Even Murfreesboro, the only 100K+ suburb of Nashville, gets rural pretty quickly as you move away from the center of the city.

[oopsydaisy]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

First we need your price range. The median home price in Brentwood is just over $500K.

I've lived in B'wood for 10 years and have been visiting here since the late'80s. It isn't rural, but suburban. Still, there are a lot of areas that are accessed by 2-lane farm roads.

It's a small bedroom community on the edge of a small Southern city. I would not equate it with either of the two towns you mentioned. But it does have a growing number of transplants from the NE and California. If that helps.

The commercial areas are to the north and south by design. City leaders are reluctant to open it up to too much ...busyness.

If you're going to want stuff that's walkable, parts of Franklin might be a better choice. Most of us drive everywhere anyway, though. It's about 25 minutes from Franklin by interstate to the airport, without traffic.

Thanks for the reply. My price range would be around 700K. We could do more, but I'm concerned about resale values.

I think my idea of suburban is SO different than a lot of areas in the US. I've always thought Scottsdale was about as suburban as it got.

I'm not concerned whether the the area is red or blue, I'm pretty mixed politically. I don't know anyone from California. =)

Brentwood sounds very much like where I live. Most of the retail/restaurants are outside the area. It's pretty much neighborhood after neighborhood, acre after acre.

It's hard for me to explain when I say walkable. I most certainly don't mean the type of walkable you (i think) are referring to. I mean sidewalks where kids can walk to their friends houses, where they can learn to ride a bike, where you can walk your dog without fear of being run over by a car.

I hope that this recent info helps. I certainly appreciate all the comments!

[BirdieBelle]

Do you want your new home area to be like the area you are in currently? You would find plenty in your price range. Sales prices have dropped tremendously over the past two years.

It's not really a true suburb anymore, but you might also try the Forest Hills section of South Nashville or parts of Green Hills. The commercial section is very congested, but residential is lovely.

Let us know if schools are a consideration.

[Shino306]

You should check out the Green Hills area and Belle Meade, it's upscale and most definitely does not have a rural feel, it's also very close to shopping (Green Hills Mall, The Hill Center, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc), good dining options, and quicker to the airport than Brentwood/Franklin.
With your price range, you should be able to find a very nice house.

Schools...if you live in Davidson County, which is where Green Hills and Belle Meade are, you will probably want to send your kids to private school, at least at the middle school level and beyond. However, Williamson county (Brentwood & Franklin) is having constant rezoning of their schools, so there is no guarantee your kids will go to a school the house you buy is currently zoned for. Plus, many transplants have complained about the quality of Williamson County schools, as highly vaulted as they are in the state of TN, that their kids were ahead of every one else in their grade and didn't feel the quality of education was similar to what they were getting from were they came...seeing that my children are only in pre-school, I don't have an opinion either way, but that is a general theme from transplants.
We live in Green Hills and are very happy with our decision, we felt Brentwood/Franklin was a bit too "suburby, "too far away for us from the things we enjoyed, and my husband didn't want the longish commute from there to his workplace in Mid-town Nashville.
With your husband working in Brentwood, he'd just need to get on 65-South from the Green Hills area and he'd be going against traffic both to and from work, vs. living in a place like Franklin where he'd need to go North with the majority of other residents living there.

Good Luck with your decision, whichever way you go!

[oopsydaisy]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Do you want your new home area to be like the area you are in currently? You would find plenty in your price range. Sales prices have dropped tremendously over the past two years.

It's not really a true suburb anymore, but you might also try the Forest Hills section of South Nashville or parts of Green Hills. The commercial section is very congested, but residential is lovely.

Let us know if schools are a consideration.

No, I really do NOT want an area like what I live in now. I understand that a ton of people really love this lifestyle, but it's not for us.

I can't wait to get down there because then I can say, the area by so and so was too rural, what's so and so like? YKWIM? Right now I'm shooting from the hip.

I think I would prefer an upscale (or at least as upscale as 750K will get me) neighborhood close to newer shopping and restaurants and highways.

I know, I'm sorry, it's probably not going to happen?

What about Nashville itself? Schools are not an issue, however that said, I do realize that living in the best school districts make it much easier to sell a house.

[brentwoodgirl]

Forest Hills is a part of Nashville. But it is even more "rural" feeling to me than Brentwood in some ways. Forest Hills is large lots, very little business, almost no sidewalks.
If you told someone you wanted to live in an "upscale suburb" of Nashville and were willing to spend $700K, I think most people would immediately think of Brentwood. Parts of Brentwood can definitely get rural, but there are also some really nice areas closer to the "downtown" area.
If you are interested in Brentwood- I would look at the section that lies between Old Hickory Bvd. (north boundary) to Concord Road (south), Granny White (west) and Wilson Pike (east- although there are right on the east side of Wilson Pike to consider- Brent Meade and Conrod Hunt, for example.)
That keeps you really close to the shopping and a true upscale suburban feel.

Here are a couple of examples of current listings in your price range in that area:
Princeton Hills, a couple of miles south of Maryland Farms. I believe there are sidewalks from the Brentwood shopping down to here, although it would be a little far for a casual stroll, but close enough for a good run.
http://www.realtracs.com/PropertyDetail.aspx?PropertyClass=RES&DMQL=(AreaID %3d%7c10)%2c(ZipCode%3d37027)%2c(ListPrice%3d60000 0-750000)%2c(ElementarySchool%3d*scales*)%2c(Listing StatusID%3d1)%2c(OfficeListIsActive%3d1)%2c(IsList edOnInternet%3d1)&AreaID=10&MlsNum=1098448&Digest= QB+XPn+gfm3JotfMskT/3w

Belle Rive- right off Granny White Pike:
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

Brentwood Country Club:
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

All of that area is more "upscale suburb" than rural for sure. My old manager was form Pittsburg and wealthy, but he used to love to drive down Franklin Road in Brentwood because he was so surprised at how wealthy that whole area is. He called it the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" area. So whenever we had an appt. in Franklin, we would get off the interstate and take Franklin Road to get there.

We have lived in Green Hills (upscale part of Nashville), Oak Hill- which is basically the same as Forest Hills, they are side by side. Mostly upscale older homes on big lots. And now Brentwood. And based on your wishes I would look at the part of Brentwood I mentioned or maybe a few Franklin neighborhoods.

[oopsydaisy]

Originally Posted by brentwoodgirl

Forest Hills is a part of Nashville. But it is even more "rural" feeling to me than Brentwood in some ways. Forest Hills is large lots, very little business, almost no sidewalks.
If you told someone you wanted to live in an "upscale suburb" of Nashville and were willing to spend $700K, I think most people would immediately think of Brentwood. Parts of Brentwood can definitely get rural, but there are also some really nice areas closer to the "downtown" area.
If you are interested in Brentwood- I would look at the section that lies between Old Hickory Bvd. (north boundary) to Concord Road (south), Granny White (west) and Wilson Pike (east- although there are right on the east side of Wilson Pike to consider- Brent Meade and Conrod Hunt, for example.)
That keeps you really close to the shopping and a true upscale suburban feel.

Here are a couple of examples of current listings in your price range in that area:
Princeton Hills, a couple of miles south of Maryland Farms. I believe there are sidewalks from the Brentwood shopping down to here, although it would be a little far for a casual stroll, but close enough for a good run.
http://www.realtracs.com/PropertyDetail.aspx?PropertyClass=RES&DMQL=(AreaID %3d%7c10)%2c(ZipCode%3d37027)%2c(ListPrice%3d60000 0-750000)%2c(ElementarySchool%3d*scales*)%2c(Listing StatusID%3d1)%2c(OfficeListIsActive%3d1)%2c(IsList edOnInternet%3d1)&AreaID=10&MlsNum=1098448&Digest= QB+XPn+gfm3JotfMskT/3w

Belle Rive- right off Granny White Pike:
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

Brentwood Country Club:
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

All of that area is more "upscale suburb" than rural for sure. My old manager was form Pittsburg and wealthy, but he used to love to drive down Franklin Road in Brentwood because he was so surprised at how wealthy that whole area is. So whenever we had an appt. in Franklin, we would get off the interstate and take Franklin Road to get there.

We have lived in Green Hills (upscale part of Nashville), Oak Hill- which is basically the same as Forest Hills, they are side by side. Mostly upscale older homes on big lots. And now Brentwood. And based on your wishes I would look at the part of Brentwood I mentioned or maybe a few Franklin neighborhoods.

I wish I could take you with me when I look around! I think you "get" me. =)

[YallWantHam]

I think there are lots of neighborhoods in Brentwood that would fit your criteria. Probably would be best served to take a week long trip or so and check it out for yourself.