Bellevue vs. Providence/Mt. Juliet vs. Brentwood (Nolensville, Bradford: apartment, house)

[confusedgirl]

First, I want to say thank you to anyone that replies to this!!!

My husband and I will be moving to Nashville this summer for jobs. We are a young (in the twenties) couple. We are looking for a house in the $200k range. Our priorities in selecting a community are (in order of priority): 1. safety, 2. commute to downtown, 3. convenience to grocery, wal-mart, restaurants, and 4. schools (resale value - no kids right now).

Since we are out of state, I have been doing most of my research from the internet the last few months. From my research, it looks like most people set Williamson County a notch above everything else - but that also sets the price tag above what we want to pay for our 1st house. We would like new construction or resale less than 10 yrs old.

Three communities have caught my eye. I'm hoping someone has some personal experience, opinion of the specific community, general area, or builder. I am listing the community name, city, builder.

Riverwalk on the Harpeth - Bellevue - Rochford Company
Providence: Bradford Park - Mt. Juliet - Beazer Homes
Concord Place - Brentwood (Davidson County) - Centex Homes

We like that Riverwalk and Providence have the extra amenities within the community. Riverwalk seems to have the best commute to downtown (am I right on that?). I like that Concord Place has a Brentwood address, but since it is not in Williamson County does that really matter?!? Could someone estimate commute times to downtown (corner of 6th & Union St.) as well as provide general community description/opinion of the subdivision community or/and the area surrounding the community?

I really appreciate any help. We have visited Nashville a couple times in the last year, but we were concentrating on apartment hunting and the general area. Which we might still end up in an apartment short-term, but I would really like a house.

Thanks in advance!!!

[scottv]

You're welcome!

[scottv]

I live in Bellevue (near Hwy 100, Loveless Cafe)...ha, the Riverwalk website show they are near Bellevue Center Mall-that's pretty funny since it is something like 3 stores now? They are supposed to build a nice, new outdoor shopping mall at that location but I think it's been held up by either the city or banks. I would say the commute from the West side of town into downtown on 40 would be better than your other choices. Also, there is WAY more to do on the West side of Nashville than Mt. Juliet for sure. Brentwood in Davidson would be ok too-commute into downtown wouldn't be too bad and it is close to shopping in CoolSprings and you can say you live in Brentwood

Ok, hold on a sec...I just mapped where Concord Place is and honestly I would not live over there East of Nolensville Rd...getting from there to 65 is going to be a pain, then you'll be in traffic heading N on 65 into downtown.

I'll Direct Message you my realtor's website link...it is a great mapping tool that was very helpful when I searched for my house....maybe you can find some alternatives/more options. Good luck!

[alleycat]

I live in Bellevue and work at MetroCenter which is just northwest of downtown. On most days the commute is not too bad; if you commute off of peak rush hour times it's a pretty quick commute.

You can probably make it to downtown from Bellevue in 35 or 40 minutes during rush hour. I used to work downtown and sometimes, because of the one-way streets and all, it can take several minutes to get to the Interstate and going in the right direction. If the traffic is moving you can get to downtown itself in 25 minutes; I tacked on another 10 to 15 minutes to get to your specific location.

[confusedgirl]

Thanks for the replies!! I truly appreciate the help.

[imogene]

I can only address Concord Place since I live kinda close to it. I think commute to downtown would take 25-30 min (probably takes about 10-15 minutes just to get to I-65). It's a safe location and convenient to some restaurants and grocery stores. I don't know about the schools. Centex has been in the news lately for a couple of things. I think I read in The Tennessean that some of the older residents were unhappy with Centex because they were pricing some of their new construction lower than what they paid because of the downturn in market. I think I also read that they had to pay a large fine because of construction runoff issues.

[OnTheMove72]

Confusedgirl,

I have just moved to Nashville and am looking the same areas as you did. I was wondering where you ended up at and how you like it?

Thanks

[kpellatiro]

(soon to be un)confused girl, the Bradford Park neighborhood from Beazer is pretty hard to beat for your priority list. They have some excellent floor plans and choices (new or old).

Both Bradford Park and Concord Place are going to feel very new: Good plans, good use of space -- not many trees, or the charm of an older neighborhood. You’ll be in a very convenient spot for your grocery stores, Wal-mart, and - especially in Providence - restaurants.

It would seem that the Providence location might be more convenient for you (even though you have two fantastic shopping centers ‘next door’ at Concord Place), due to the larger offering of the Providence Marketplace and the proximity to I-40. You would be roughly 10 minutes from downtown, where Concord Place will be at least 10 minutes to the interstate, and another 15+ minutes to Nashville. I-40 traffic can be worse, especially on a Friday, but the commute would consistently feel much faster from Bradford Park for you.

Does that help?