Family with toddlers needs rental home closer to downtown Nashville!!! (Murfreesboro: for sale, real estate)

[MichDay]

We need help finding our next place to live starting April 2011 and we need help!!! Currently we rent a 3br/2.5 bath house in Mboro. We are a married couple with 2 toddlers. Due to a job that opened up unexpectedly, we moved here last year and blindly picked Mboro as well as our neighborhood (Barfield). We got lucky and loved it except for the commute into downtown Nashville. So now that our lease is up, we want to move closer to Nashville. We have tried looking at places in Blackman in Mboro and some spots in Smyrna & LaVergne. Friends we have made since we moved here warned us to stay clear from Madison and Antioch and anywhere in LaVergne near Lake Forest Estates. Since we are focused on renting a HOME and not an apartment, it seems that areas like Franklin and Brentwood would be out and out of our price range-- we would prefer to stay within $1200 a month and schools are not important to us because our children won't be starting school for another 5 years.

We have been checking RealTracs and other websites including Craigslist for possible rentals but it's so hard to tell what areas are safe and what's not. Can anyone pinpoint a few areas that a family might feel safe in that are not very expensive-- maybe something similar to the vibe of Barfield in Mboro? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. A coworker knows someone who is renting a home in the Cambridge Forest section of Antioch-- can anyone comment on that area?

[bluesky42day]

My first thought is Goodlettsville, 37072. Relatively close to Downtown, safe, older homes, large lots.

Also, I disagree with what your friend has told you about staying clear of Madison & Antioch, there are parts of both that are very family friendly & could suit your needs & your price range.

Inglewood, 37216 could work for you as well.

Best of luck!

Courtney

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by bluesky42day

My first thought is Goodlettsville, 37072. Relatively close to Downtown, safe, older homes, large lots.

Also, I disagree with what your friend has told you about staying clear of Madison & Antioch, there are parts of both that are very family friendly & could suit your needs & your price range.

Inglewood, 37216 could work for you as well.

Best of luck!

Courtney

I absolutely agree with this. Especially if schools aren't as big of a worry right now. There are parts of Antioch and Madison that have certainly gained a bad reputation...but that in no way reflects those entire areas.

Goodlettsville isn't super close to downtown, and the traffic on that corridor of 65 can be quite heavy at times (especially inside the Briley loop)...but it would be a huge difference time-wise from Murfreesboro. Perhaps as good as half the commute.

Madison is a little closer, and there are some pretty decent places to be found, especially away from the higher traffic areas.

Inglewood has some nice quiet spots, especially as you get closer to the river. The good thing about this area is that the commute to downtown is a relative breeze. You don't have to even fool with the interstate, or any heavily congested arterial road.

Parts of the Donelson area are decent as well, but the proximity to the airport and airplane noise could be something to get used to.



Here are some I found in a brief online search:

144 Cumberland Trace, Nashville TN 37214 | Homes.com

Near McGavock Pk/Opryland, north of Donelson


815 General George Patton, Nashville TN 37221 | Homes.com

Bellevue, River Plantation (I am not positive, but I do not believe that side of Sawyer Brown Rd flooded -- it's not in any normal danger of flooding)

3032 Harbor Lights Drive, Nashville TN 37217 | Homes.com

Antioch, SE of the airport, not far from the lake (ask the Antioch posters about the particular area)

3835 Priest Lake Dr., Nashville TN 37214 | Homes.com

Antioch, near the lake, not far from the above property.

405 General George, Nashville TN 37209 | Homes.com

Another near River Plantation in Bellevue.



Personally, I would suggest Bellevue. It's not the most convenient, because of traffic in the area...West End/Harding can be pretty jammed up...but I-40 is close, and the commute to downtown is maybe 20-25 minutes. There isn't a ton of shopping in Bellevue since the mall closed, but definitely more than enough to satisfy basic needs...and the nicer things being located not too far up in West End and Green Hills.

Oh, and I would say Bellevue is quite family friendly.

[MichDay]

Thanks bluesky42day & nashvols! I looked at the properties posted by nashvols and most are priced at our max (or over) and most have carports instead of garages-- is that a feature of the area?

I will start some searches in the direction of Inglewood and Goodlettsville...but thanks, this is a great start!

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by MichDay

Thanks bluesky42day & nashvols! I looked at the properties posted by nashvols and most are priced at our max (or over) and most have carports instead of garages-- is that a feature of the area?

I will start some searches in the direction of Inglewood and Goodlettsville...but thanks, this is a great start!

I think the carports are a general feature of the River Plantation construction...not necessarily of the whole Bellevue area. You might find something different elsewhere in the area.

[tngal22]

I would call a real estate office to see if they know of any rental properties.

I know our house was listed as "for sale" but we were willing to rent and our agent would let other agents know in case anyone called asking for a rental.

In our subdivision, Westfork in Smyrna, there was a house for rent down the road but it just got rented...a friend was looking at it but his lease wasn't up yet so he missed it.