looking for suggestions on relocation trip (Knoxville, Franklin: transplants, for sale, to rent)

[bassman]

My wife and I are planning a possible relocation trip from Oregon and will make stops in Nashville, Knoxville, and then Huntsville. We will be renting a car and are going to spend about 2-3 days in each place and just be road warriors.

I was hoping to get some advice from the locals and also from other transplants on what you would or did concentrate on in those 2-3 days to get a decent idea of the area. (ie. how did you determine which towns you would settle down in). We will be concentrating on the outskirts of all these areas as we prefer the more rural lifestyle rather than living in the actual city.

[LovnTN]

We spent 5 days in the Nashville general area prior to moving down here. We had decided on the Nashville area prior to arriving because we wanted hilly areas, but no real big mountains; snow, but snow that leaves within hours or a day; lots of nighttime entertainment; lots of weekend activities; and numerous parks/lakes. Before we arrived we spent countless hours on the internet researching the areas we liked based on housing costs, schools, population (we wanted a slightly smaller area than Metro Nashville), possibility of employment; forum/message board comments and police department websites for crime statistics. We then narrowed the list by our top ten houses (each in a different area) that were currently listed for sale on the internet in our price range and we set the GPS unit to find them. After we arrived in the neighborhood we drove a large percentage of the streets around that area for about a five mile radius, and this gave us a great idea of what was there. We also set the GPS (fantastic tool for newcomers ) to find stores, attractions, hospitals, etc in the immediate area to get an idea of how far everything would be from the home. When we found a neighborhood we really liked, we returned to it at several times throughout the day to get the feel of the neighborhood; it is wise to do this especially at night because the local crime members usually make their appearance. After a while everything starts looking the same so a great way to keep everything straight in your mind is to purchase a map of the town/city and cross off the areas or make notes as you go through them. Also a digital camera will be your best friend.

I would highly suggest that once you decide on an area of TN to rent for at least six months to really get a feel of the areas you are interested in.

[akm4]

Six months before deciding? Moving once was enough for me I'd have hated doing it twice....or more.

Besides a rural location what's your criteria? Price range? Employment considerations?

[hey teach]

If you are looking in Nashville and Huntsville, AL, look in some of the smaller southern middle tennessee towns like Pulaski, Fayetteville, or Winchester. Any of these is a easy commute to Huntsville, AL and not particulary bad to Nashville.

[akm4]

I know a woman commuting fro Pulaski to Franklin an she's about quit because it's so ridiculous. Pulaski to Nashville sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. Anyone hear know of anyone driving that route every day?

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by akm4

I know a woman commuting fro Pulaski to Franklin an she's about quit because it's so ridiculous. Pulaski to Nashville sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. Anyone hear know of anyone driving that route every day?

People that live outside NYC commute way futhur than that, and even if they only live an hour away,it may take 2 plus hours to get home because of insane traffic. I know, my husband used to do that. He loves his 25 min commute now.

Diane G

[Big TR]

Originally Posted by LovnTN

I would highly suggest that once you decide on an area of TN to rent for at least six months to really get a feel of the areas you are interested in.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. You can never truly know if you'll like an area or subdivision until you've been there some time. Life is difficult enough when moving, why make things harder by buying a house and forcing yourself to like where you move? Rent, get used to the area, then call the movers once you find a place.

[cashmannsdq]

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Huntsville is a bit smaller than Nashville and Knoxville. In addition, you have a state income tax to compete with in Alabama.

[akm4]

Ha! I thought it meant he played the bass. Yeah, your explanation does sound more likely....

[LovnTN]

Originally Posted by akm4

Six months before deciding? Moving once was enough for me I'd have hated doing it twice....or more.

Six months is actually a very short time to make a major life decision and with today's housing market if you purchase a home in the wrong area it can be a very costly mistake. Not everyone is unwilling to move twice (you can put your belongings in storage and live with the bare necessities); nor do they want to jump into a decision without exploring all possibilities.