how to move to williamson or sumner county (Franklin, Hendersonville: for sale, rental)

[ATPMRP]

This is what I am looking for in a house and we are not having much luck finding anything on line. Granted we know there is not that perfect house or area, but these are the factors that are important to us:

Great schools ( a huge must)
Lot size between .5 - 1 acre.
Trees
Neighbors, but not so close you can hear them sneeze
Trees
Rocking chair porch
Trees
A housing subdivision that is woodsy, something more than just grass


Is there any areas in Williamson or Sumner counties that can tick a few of these factors off? Husband will be working South of Nashville, so I realize Sumner would be a communte.

Also how do you move with kids? Schools are the most important consideration. We currently live out of the country and it is not convenient to just pop over to house hunt. I don't think I will have an opportunity to visit before the actual move. I have never been there, so I feel I am doing this blindly. Do we rent in an area with good schools and hope we find a house? I hate the thought of buying a house in a week just to get the kids enrolled in a school.

I feel I need time to get to know the area. But with kids, we can't do this until the summer which is not possible. We are wanting to move at the beginning of the year.

Thanks for any advise.

[akm4]

I can think of several in Wmsn County. What's your price range?

BTW, I bought this house on a 3-day trip. My husband and kids saw it for the first time when we moved into it! It's been 6 years and we love it. Our neighbors are like family, (I know, sappy, but it's true), and the schools are great. Not saying this is the area for you, just that it CAN work out when buying quickly.

You're smart to start researching now. This forum is a great resource. Good luck!

[wellkids]

Originally Posted by ATPMRP

This is what I am looking for in a house and we are not having much luck finding anything on line. Granted we know there is not that perfect house or area, but these are the factors that are important to us:

Great schools ( a huge must)
Lot size between .5 - 1 acre.
Trees
Neighbors, but not so close you can hear them sneeze
Trees
Rocking chair porch
Trees
A housing subdivision that is woodsy, something more than just grass


Is there any areas in Williamson or Sumner counties that can tick a few of these factors off? Husband will be working South of Nashville, so I realize Sumner would be a communte.

Also how do you move with kids? Schools are the most important consideration. We currently live out of the country and it is not convenient to just pop over to house hunt. I don't think I will have an opportunity to visit before the actual move. I have never been there, so I feel I am doing this blindly. Do we rent in an area with good schools and hope we find a house? I hate the thought of buying a house in a week just to get the kids enrolled in a school.

I feel I need time to get to know the area. But with kids, we can't do this until the summer which is not possible. We are wanting to move at the beginning of the year.

Thanks for any advise.

Hi atpmrp,

Relocating is stressful but usually goes much easier than you think once you actually visit. Do as much research as you can online before you come. Have listings in your price range and within your "wish list" emailed to you so you can start looking over them. You will be able to zero in on homes that "appear" to be exactly what you want, and others than you can already rule out online. However, online pictures can be deceiving so this is really just a starting point.

Once you do manage to come down, try to focus on each area (Hendersonville, Franklin, etc.) on seperate days. Each area and community is going to be vastly different so it is best if you dedicate a day, or at least a half day, to one specific area and get a really good feel for that city before moving on to the next area.

Most people I work with are able to pick a community very quickly after visiting here in person. There is no right or wrong area, but each family's lifestyle, work, and interests will generally mandate which community fits them best. Price range will also come into play here!

Once you have determined that "X" city or community is the best, you can focus more on the area and school zone you wish to be in. After that, picking a house within that small parameter will be fairly easy. Look at relocating as a big puzzle but if you take it one piece at a time it isn't so overwhelming.

The holiday season is one of my busiest times of the year. For families with children, moving before the New Year is the best possible time other than summer. We actually moved over the holiday break several years back and it worked out well for us. Even though all school systems are on different calendars, moving during this time will generally work out well. Your kids will be able to close out the first half of the year at their existing school and start with a clean slate for the final semesters here.

If you have any questions or just need more info, feel free to email me anytime. Good luck with your move!

[gbone]

Originally Posted by ATPMRP

This is what I am looking for in a house and we are not having much luck finding anything on line. Granted we know there is not that perfect house or area, but these are the factors that are important to us:

Great schools ( a huge must)
Lot size between .5 - 1 acre.
Trees
Neighbors, but not so close you can hear them sneeze
Trees
Rocking chair porch
Trees
A housing subdivision that is woodsy, something more than just grass


Is there any areas in Williamson or Sumner counties that can tick a few of these factors off? Husband will be working South of Nashville, so I realize Sumner would be a communte.

Also how do you move with kids? Schools are the most important consideration. We currently live out of the country and it is not convenient to just pop over to house hunt. I don't think I will have an opportunity to visit before the actual move. I have never been there, so I feel I am doing this blindly. Do we rent in an area with good schools and hope we find a house? I hate the thought of buying a house in a week just to get the kids enrolled in a school.

I feel I need time to get to know the area. But with kids, we can't do this until the summer which is not possible. We are wanting to move at the beginning of the year.

Thanks for any advise.

Based on the above information, Williamson County might be what you are looking for. It has the highest rated school system in Middle Tennessee. It is also much more convenient to south of Nashville than Sumner County. Depending on time of day and location in Sumner, you could have an hour drive to south of Nashville. It would be helpful to know what size house you are looking for and what your price range is. I'll send you some additional information and if you need more just let me know. Since you are not familiar with the area, renting for 3-6 months is an option. This will give you time to find a place and area you really like. There are many rental opportunities in Williamson County. What would you be looking to spend monthly on rent?

[akm4]

Renting first has its advantages, but for me, it was WAY too much of a headache with kids. Renting first is a guaranteed double move. Why not at least try for just one?

[ATPMRP]

We would like to pay no more than 450,000 for a house that is at least 3000 square foot. A basement would be a added bonus. Looking on line, the houses all look beautiful on the inside, but the pics of the outside of the houses aren't as appealing to me. This might be due to me just not seeing the type of neighborhood it is located in. We wouldn't mind an older, established neighborhood, but at the same time are interested in a new subdivision as long as it is not a cookie cutter neighborhood with houses on top of one another. Maybe a custom builder would be an option? We don't want a new subdivision that plowed all the trees down to build houses. I would like to look out my back window at trees not the house behind me.

As far as renting--I would hope that we could figure out an area and house quickly. However, since we are moving from England our household items will take 6 weeks to arrive, so renting would not be a big deal. In my mind I need to find the school first, then find a house. But then again, you can't enroll in a school without an address, so I need to be confident that once I enroll the kids in school, I will find a house in that school zone if we were to rent. A tangled web we weave!!

During my research on the schools, I am interested in the following middle schools in Williamson County--Grassland, Heritage, Woodland and Sunset. I would like the school to feed into Ravenswood High School, but I am unsure which one of these middle schools do. I do have elementary age girls as well, but I am basing our schooling decision on the upper schools. The only source for schooling I have been using is GreatSchools.net. This site reiterates what I continue to hear about Williamson County schools, so therefore I feel we have more choices there. Does anyone have any first hand experience with the Sumner county schools? I know one person's experience with a school can be completly different from another's which makes it difficult to judge a school.

I will be calling schools to ask questions. I have my list of questions, what would some of your questions be if you were new to the area? Maybe questions you wished you asked.

Any recommendations on gym clubs? I have 2 competitive gymnasts looking for a new "gym home".

Thanks for taking the time to help a complete stranger. I know I will have even more questions as time goes on.

Thanks wellkids for the analogy of puzzle---this is how I will have to approach it. One step at a time. It just seems once I figure one puzzle piece out another factor steps in and ruins the fit!

[akm4]

Housing styles vary here somewhat, but there's no doubt about it- the 2-story brick rules. Luckily, I like that. If you don't, then your look will either be longer, or as you said yourself, a custom builder may be the answer. Who knows- maybe a different style will pop up just when you're ready to buy.

Heritage is a good school, but it's in Spring Hill. If you or your husband will be commuting into Nashville, this could be a frustrating drive. Otherwise, it's a beautiful area.

Sunset is also a good school, but kind of out there. You'd have more choices for $450, 000 though. Mostly newer subdivisions, but less trees. Not sure you'll find too many 1 acre lots, but maybe....

Woodland and Sunset feed into Ravenwood now. There's talk about Sunset diverting to another school, (or a new high school yet to be built) in the future. Zoning's always a gamble. Could be very hard to find a 3,000 sq. ft. home with a large wooded lot for under 450 that's zoned for Woodland, but it's a buyer's market. You never know. Always worth trying. You may just find an older home that someone needs to sell.

There are a few gyms in Franklin. Harpeth School of Gymnastics and Let It Shine. (LIS is a Christian gym. Never heard of anything like that before moving here.) Brentwood has Olympia and Mpact. Nolensville has Tri-Star, which would be close if you move near Sunset.

I hope it all goes smoothly for you and your family. Good luck!

[septimus]

I agree with previous poster... I wouldn't buy a house now hoping it stays zoned for a certain high school since the county is growing so rapidly they'll probably redraw school zones 2-3 times before your kids reach high school.

That said you might look at cottonwood. It is an older subdivision in Franklin with lots of big trees that is zoned for Walnut Grove Elem. and Grassland Middle. Yards are bigger than most of the new subdivisions in Franklin and there is a lot for sale in Cottonwood now so you probably can find something in yuor price range.

[jenntenn]

Might i suggest Brenthaven. Its an older subdivistion in Brentwood and you should have no problem finding a house for under 450K. The houses were built in the 70's and 80's, so it is a well established area. All of the yards are 1 acre, it was city code when the subdivision was built. It is zoned for Lipscomb Elem, Brentwood Middle and Brentwood High...all great schools. Everything you could even need or want is pretty much with in 5 min, including the gymnastics place... Let it Shine. Ok so i am a bit partical because i live here...but i have been here for almost 7 years and most of my neighbours have been here longer. If you need any more info just PM me and i'll try and help you out the best i can. GOOD LUCK!!!!

[akm4]

I love Brenthaven. We probably would have bought there, but my husband has a thing about above-ground utilities. Something about all the powerlines or something.

Nice homes, great location, and mature landscaping. Lucky you!