Moving to Nashville from Massachusetts!!! (Knoxville, Hendersonville: extended stay, real estate, apartment complexes)

[shannieo84]

Hi All!

I have decided to do something crazy and move halfway across country to East Nashville. I have planned and planned and now its almost here as I plan to be in own for June 1. HOWEVER, I am finding it a little tricky to rent an apartment without being there already and/or without having a job. I have actually saved up for a year so my next egg will support me in the worst case scenario that I don't find a job right away. I will be sending out resumes ( I'm a paralegal) beginning in the middle of April.

One of my many questions is that I'm wondering if there is a service that will help you rent so you don't have go down ahead of time. A lot of real estate agencies in MA deal with renters but all the ones that I've called in Nashville only deal with houses.


Any help would be FANTASTIC!!

[alleycat]

I really think you need to see an apartment before you rent it. You need to look at the street and neighborhood as well as the apartment.

I would suggest coming and living at one of the extended stay motels and then looking for an apartment and a job.

You will find a bit of culture shock between Massachusetts and Tennessee. I'm assuming that's what you're looking for.

[MetropolitanTN]

I agree about the extended stay. You can get mail sent there so that helps with a local address.

[smpliving]

You might want to try https://www.airbnb.com/. I've never used them (yet), but they might be an alternative to an extended stay. Not sure what is offered in Nashville, but Knoxville seems to have quite a few good online reviews.

[CountryGirl2b=]

I rented an apartment in Northampton, MA via such an agency. Paid them over $400 and they never checked my references and when I had questions about the apt after one week they simply referred me to the owner. Not impressed!

East Nashville is very popular and it will probably be pretty difficult to find something without being here first. There ARE apartment complexes in other parts of the city that might do a short term (3 month) rental.

I will send you the name of a Property Management company that does do duplexes, townhomes . . . but not much available at the moment. You can always give them a call and tell them what you are looking for.

What's your budget, by the way?

[Drake744]

East Nashville is definitely an area that I wouldn't commit to before looking at it first. It's a fine area for the most part, and is desirable right now for many people, but it's still shady in some spots. It looks worse than it really is a lot of times but it's not like you're committing to a place in Cool Springs or Mt Juliet or Hendersonville without seeing it.

Just to be safe...

[nashvols]

East Nashville does have some apartments, but many of them are not-so-nice. You need to be careful. There are some newer units under construction/recently constructed, but not a lot...and that's what I would look for.

Otherwise, you could look at renting a house, or renting in another area close to downtown.

[artemis]

Shannie, join the East Nashville Google group. Many houses & apartments are advertised there that you'd never know about otherwise. We're a big group, and you can learn a lot about our side of town by joining.

[yank283]

I agree with the other posts. Definitly join the East Nashville google Groups and ask on there. East Nashville is booming but a lot of the older, larger, easier to rent/access commercial complexes still seem to be a bit sketchy (although last time I checked the crime maps some are apparently getting safer) You might want to check out Howe Garden Apts though. Incredible location that is under new ownership and are still affordable. Get in while you can.

I have lived all over the Nashville area and East Nashville is by far my favorite. It actually has more of a small town community feel than most small towns I've been in. That being said, especially if your on a budget, you might want to rent in an outlying area first while you learn the city and the eastside.

[shannieo84]

WOW!! Thank for the great responses!! I have actually visited East Nashville and stayed in an airbnb place. I did nothing but drive around and talk to the locals for the week and took a massive amounts of notes and even made a map about the good and bad areas. I have made a few contacts that I check with when I have a question about an area.

The issue that I am also having is what to do with my stuff. I really would rather not ship it down there and have it in storage for an extended period of time as it is expensive. That's one of the main reasons I want to get a place ASAP. I also will be towing my vintage trailer down there so that makes things a little tricky as well. I was thinking about a camp site but with a cat in a trailer I'm worried he might get out never to be scene again ( indoor fat house cat).

I am actually on the waiting list for the HOWE GARDENS. Hopefully that pans out and this will all be for nothing. But I'm just planning on the worst case scenario. I looked at a few other developments while I was down there and crossed that majority off my list. They were fairly sketchy.

I have joined a few groups on Google! Thank for the advice!! i have also joined a few local businesses in EN that I figure I can pick peoples brain on.

My budget is about $600.00. I will probably be able to afford more, however I'm planning on the worst case scenario of not having a job for a few months and will live off what I saved. I'm sending out resumes in Mid April so hopefully I'll have some interviews lined up for when I get there.

Anyway, you guys have been a great help and I totally appreciate it!!! I have added to my notes and made more bookmarks if that's possible!

Cheers!!