MT. JULIET/ LEBANON vs. La VERGNE/ SMYRNA (Murfreesboro, Brentwood: appointed, sales)

[jsirish]

I would like to hear from residents of both places as these are the two we have narrowed down to... I would also like to hear about life on the PP Lake....

[alicenevada]

I strongly reccomend the Mt Juliet/ Lebanon area. I was involved in a full time ministry work in Smyrna/ Laverge and am very familiar w/this area so I am informed enough to make the call.

Mt Juliet is growing fast, especially close to the interstate but on down Hobson Pke (the road that runs in from of the new shopping complex of I-40) going towards the lake, there are some wonderful expanses of property. They're very expensive but I do believe there are some nice sub divisions going up in that direction also. There are lots of lake views in this area and it's a good place to live. I wouldnt want to be too close to the recreational parts of the lake (mostly these are in hermitage though) because of the obnoxious types that drunkenly hang around during holidays. But if you stay in Mt Juliet city limits you have plenty of shopping possibilities, are reasonably close to Downtown (via interstate 40) and also have a small-town atmosphere in the older section of Mt Juliet. It's one of the fastest growing areas around here.

Lebanon is booming too. I lived there up until a year and a hlf ago and the only reason we moved farther east is the low price of lots of acreage (we got 20 acres for 30,000 dollars in Smith County). Lebanon has a nice old town square, lots of mom-n pop establishments, but also some nice new shopping areas off the interstate. There's a great outlet mall in Lebanon, a new Home Depot off the interstate, a super Wal-Mart etc. The land in Lebanon is cheaper than Mt Juliet (in most cases) and there are some gorgeous areas. The houses in town are beautiful and mostly well-kept and even the areas that are poor have been amazingly cleaned up in the past few years. It's a perfect example of a small town taking the plunge and getting 'brave' when it comes to modern niceties.

Smyrna/ Lavergne are very close to each other and therefore most of the residents view them as one city. I find the area very cramped, depressing, and largely unpretty except for some of the rural areas heading towards Lebanon. There are some big shopping complexes and you are very close to Antioch and the Hickory Hollow area which some would consider a 'plus'....I don't. If you want to settle close to this area, then I would recommend Murfreesboro. It has a beautiful old historical district and some fine old homes, the really pretty rural areas we have come to expect in Tn, and a ton of great shopping. It's a much bigger place than either of the four cities you've mentioned though so keep that in mind.

[jsirish]

Thanks for the input, Alice! We are currently in love with a house in Lake Forest Park, but the price makes us suspicious, as well as some of the things I have read and seen about this particular subdivision... only so much I can check out being here in Las Vegas and unable to drive through any of these places...
Thanks again!

[alicenevada]

You live in Vegas? We are considering moving to St George Ut or even Boulder City Nv, depending on where we decide after a visit. We both have lots of problems w/ our allergies and can't stand these cold wet winters!

I'm not familiar w/ Lake Forest. Where is it located?

[jsirish]

Other than being in La Vergne and very near the lake, I couldn't tell you. I did get some very positive feedback on it from a contractor friend of mine in Wilson Cty, so I feel a little better now...[
St. George is great! A lot of my friends vacation there quite frequently and you can't beat the desert if you have allergies, although LV isn't as helpful as they import a lot of plants and trees...
The reason that we have all but settled on Rutherford Cty is we seem to be able to get a lot of house for the money there, and we (my wife and I) are both looking to cut back our hours and only work a couple of days a week. The house that we are looking at is only 139,900, very comfortable for our projected income and should allow us to sock a ton away in our savings accounts.

[FrequentFlyer]

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Mt. Juliet from Denver. I plan to go in July to check it out. I'm wondering where to start. Should I get a realtor or just look on my own? Any advice?

[kpellatiro]

I am a Realtor, so too biased to be objective Still, when my wife and I moved from CA we tried without an agent to start with. We didn't 'get in' as many houses and communities as when we decided to work with an agent. We also received great advice from our agent (who's family had been in the area for generations).

Kindest regards,

Kevin Pellatiro
(615)714-7918
(615) 425-2218, Brentwood Tennessee Home Sales and Home Searches
kevin@condurelisgroup.com

Your Home. Your Investment. My Job.
---
Search for Homes:
(615) 425-2218, Brentwood Tennessee Home Sales and Home Searches

Keller Williams Realty, the Condurelis group
Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
105 Westpark Drive, Ste. 100
Brentwood, TN 37027
Office: (615) 376-5123

[wellkids]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Mt. Juliet from Denver. I plan to go in July to check it out. I'm wondering where to start. Should I get a realtor or just look on my own? Any advice?

Hi Frequent Flyer,

I think you would probably do best doing a little of both. I generally set clients up with an automatic email program where they can start previewing listings online that fall within their price range and search parameters. It helps give them a feel for the type of housing they will be able to find and afford here. It is also very unobtrusive and you don't have those annoying sales people calling you!

Most people like to spend at least a day driving around on their own to see how the community feels to them. But, if you are really interested in the area, I think you will make the most of your time to at least spend a day with a realtor who can show you around the different areas to help get your bearings straight. It can be a huge help to get a little guidance regarding commute time to the airport, downtown, shopping, and other neighboring towns. Do you want to be north, south, east, west, etc.?

[blueyes721]

Hey FF...

I may as well jump in...all the posts above are correct. You might want to find an agent to help you in the process. My experience is that everyone here is very friendly and helpful. Being a transplant myself, I was surprised how willing people are to make you feel ~at home~. You might begin looking at RealTracs (our multiple listings) just to get a feel for the different areas.

[jsirish]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Mt. Juliet from Denver. I plan to go in July to check it out. I'm wondering where to start. Should I get a realtor or just look on my own? Any advice?

Our guy that we have been working with is fantastic... his name is Blake Berry and, honestly, I couldn't ask for better. I e-mailed him just to ask him a question back a year ago when we knew we were going to move for sure. He was very gracious, sent me all the info I needed and asked me to please get in touch if I needed anything else. Once we got the info, we really didn't have anything else to do as we were still about 5-6 months out from our moving day. Blake called me out of the blue to let me know that the owner of the company was going to be in LV for a convention and wanted to meet my wife and I, could we have dinner with him? Well, we met him at the Rio and we ended up in delightful conversation for close to 4 hours! He answered all of our questions, asked us what our goals and dreams were, let us know about great schools, churches, etc. and we also asked all of our mortgage questions as his father (who was with him) is also his mortgage guy. These men keep going out of their way over and over and we are still close to 2 months out! They have accomodated us at every turn and have been very unassuming and humble, while also being very professional and on top of things. I would reccomend them (the Keller Williams team from Mt Juliet) to absolutlely anyone!

Blake's number is 615-481-6304. Give him a call, and I promise you will NOT be disappointed!