Information, Please (Knoxville: rental, how much, house)

[hollys0822]

HI

My husband and I live in NH. We own a home and have school-aged children and a dog. However, he will be going in for back surgery soon and consequently, it is near immpossible to live on one income or at least my income in New England.

I am looking to relocate to a place that is decent and affordable. I have over 5 years of working in a law office. I also have experience in food service, retail, etc and am willing to do just about any type of job in order to provide for my family.

I was looking in Florida but for reasons I stopped looking in Florida.

I have been reading the Tenn. thread and so far haven't read anything bad. WE have all those bugs in NE, ticks, mosquitos, etc. We don't have tornados, but blizzards and flooding and driving on ice, that is scarey.

If anyone can give me information on the best area to start looking into. I would probably rent instead of buying but would like to rent a reasonable home.

From what i have read the eastern part of Tenn seems good but honestly, any and all information about anywhere in the state would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Thank in advance to all who respond.

PS No, no family in the country to help, on our own and just looking for information. Thanks again.

[sliverbox]

I would do a couple of things. First of all, check out the knoxville craigslist.org and see how much stuff rents for. See if the prices will work. Then look at a few job sites. Craigslist is also good for this. Monster.com seems to have a lot of office type positions on their site. Also- you said you have a house in NH? Is it paid for? If so, you'll naturally get a lot more for it than what you would here, hence the ability to probably buy something in the future here. But your idea of renting is wise because you might not like the area or the job situation might not work. Good luck.

[AdelinaRotar]

Hi!

I've lived in the Knoxville area for the past 15 years and love it here. Check out knoxnews.com They are the main newspaper for Knox County--it's a good starting point to look for something to rent. Also, check out viewhomes.com They have a rental section with pictures and prices as well.

Just to give you an idea. We live in West Knoxville and a move in condition 25 year old home with 2400 SF, 4 BR, 3 BA, 2 C-Garage, half acre lot in Suburban Hills (area of $200K-$350K homes) just rented for $1,250 a month down the street from us.

We just had a relative rent a house in Powell (North Knoxville) that was move in condition 23 years old, 2 BR, 2BA, 2 C-Garage for $700 a month.

If I were relocationg, I would definitely rent for 6 months to a year. You will get a feel for the areas you like and want to settle down in. We live in Knoxville and absolutely love it. The school systems in West Knoxville are really good, shopping and dining is abundunt, the airport is 20-30 minutes away from West Knox, The University of Tennessee is in downtown Knoxville...etc etc. Check out viewsandvisits.com for video tours of the Knoxville area.

Knoxville has grown a lot over the last several years, but has kept its "small town feel." I think you will like the "southern hospitality" we have here. Each town has their pros and cons, but as far as raising a family, we've found Knoxville to be wonderful.

As far as jobs...I haven't seen a ton of good stuff on craigslist.knoxville--however, Knoxnews.com usually has lots of things posted. In the past, I have worked with a staffing company. Staffing Solutions in Knoxville has been quite helpful. The pay was good and many of the companies I worked for thru them offered full time employment with full benefits after 90 days of working with them. You might want to look into talking to someone at a staffing agency--it sounds like you have many skills and shouldn't have much trouble finding employment.

Good luck!

Adelina