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First, allow me to thank you for reading this, and for any help you might offer. I'm sure this type of question is asked quite frequently. Also, please forgive the brown-nosing in the title.
So, allow me to begin with a bit of background. I currently live in muggy South Florida, I am 30 years of age, I run a business from home, and with a budget up to $600k-$700k I am looking to relocate to TN. The problem? After researching many different towns, I have yet to find that perfect place.
There is a catch, however. I need enough land on which to build a second (smaller) home, or guest house on the property, as my sister will be relocating with me for the time being. It will later be used as a guest house for friends and family, especially during the holidays. I have a large family and they are very important to me, so I would like my land to be able to accommodate as many of them as possible. I have figured that ideally I would need be between 5-10 acres, but maybe more.
So, with all that said, here are a list of things I am looking for:
1. Smaller town, but not too small. I know this is a bit subjective, so please forgive me. A quaint, delightful town is at the top of my list, but I feel as if this goes hand-in-hand with the requirement for acreage. I'm not looking to be completely remote and off-the-grid, so this town would ideally have at least a few conveniences such as a few restaurants, a bit of shopping, and perhaps a movie theater. I would definitely be willing to live in a larger town/city if I could still get the adequate amount of land without breaking the bank.
2. Close to a larger city. By close, I mean within an hour. Maybe somewhere outside of Memphis or Nashville?
3. Good school system. I do plan on having children in the near future, so this is quite important, whether there are good private or public schools.
4. Good amount of land.
5. Friendly population. I wouldn't want to be shunned for being an outsider
6. Nice area. I don't really want to be surrounded by snobs, but I'd also like to be somewhere that I don't have to worry about safety.
5. Possible horse-friendly area. This is not a major sticking point, but still figured I would mention it, as it would be nice.
I think that just about covers everything. Please allow me to thank you again for any help you might offer, as I would appreciate any direction you may be able to steer me in.
Search the MLS - get a Buyer's agent - and go for it. I bought our house south of Jackson totally on-line with the help of a great Buyer's agent. Yes, we've been to see the house and there wasn't a single surprise - it was EXACTLY as I wanted/expected. With digital cameras, you can walk through the house as if you are there. You can stand outside and walk around. Your agent should have access to building code/zoning. With that kind of a budget, you won't have any problem finding exactly what you want. In fact, there are properties which already have 2 homes and 10+ acres in your price range. I know this because I ran into them when doing my own property search.
First, allow me to thank you for reading this, and for any help you might offer. I'm sure this type of question is asked quite frequently. Also, please forgive the brown-nosing in the title.
So, allow me to begin with a bit of background. I currently live in muggy South Florida, I am 30 years of age, I run a business from home, and with a budget up to $600k-$700k I am looking to relocate to TN. The problem? After researching many different towns, I have yet to find that perfect place.
There is a catch, however. I need enough land on which to build a second (smaller) home, or guest house on the property, as my sister will be relocating with me for the time being. It will later be used as a guest house for friends and family, especially during the holidays. I have a large family and they are very important to me, so I would like my land to be able to accommodate as many of them as possible. I have figured that ideally I would need be between 5-10 acres, but maybe more.
So, with all that said, here are a list of things I am looking for:
1. Smaller town, but not too small. I know this is a bit subjective, so please forgive me. A quaint, delightful town is at the top of my list, but I feel as if this goes hand-in-hand with the requirement for acreage. I'm not looking to be completely remote and off-the-grid, so this town would ideally have at least a few conveniences such as a few restaurants, a bit of shopping, and perhaps a movie theater. I would definitely be willing to live in a larger town/city if I could still get the adequate amount of land without breaking the bank.
2. Close to a larger city. By close, I mean within an hour. Maybe somewhere outside of Memphis or Nashville?
3. Good school system. I do plan on having children in the near future, so this is quite important, whether there are good private or public schools.
4. Good amount of land.
5. Friendly population. I wouldn't want to be shunned for being an outsider
6. Nice area. I don't really want to be surrounded by snobs, but I'd also like to be somewhere that I don't have to worry about safety.
5. Possible horse-friendly area. This is not a major sticking point, but still figured I would mention it, as it would be nice.
I think that just about covers everything. Please allow me to thank you again for any help you might offer, as I would appreciate any direction you may be able to steer me in.
Thank you TN!
There are dozens of communities in Tennessee that match your criteria. However, you said you've already researched many different towns without finding your perfect place. It might help us if you could tell us what different towns you already researched and why they weren't good for you. That way we can have a better idea of what you're looking for (and what you're not looking for).
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
There are dozens of communities in Tennessee that match your criteria. However, you said you've already researched many different towns without finding your perfect place. It might help us if you could tell us what different towns you already researched and why they weren't good for you. That way we can have a better idea of what you're looking for (and what you're not looking for).
I'll be completely honest, we have briefly looked into so many towns that I can't even remember the names. We began by looking at places such as Lewisburg and Petersburg, but they seemed too remote, or too small, for us.
So after looking at a bunch of remote locations, we came to the conclusion that we needed to be closer to a larger city, so after deciding on that we didn't know where to start looking.
Hence why I have come for help, which I appreciate by the way.
Search the MLS - get a Buyer's agent - and go for it. I bought our house south of Jackson totally on-line with the help of a great Buyer's agent. Yes, we've been to see the house and there wasn't a single surprise - it was EXACTLY as I wanted/expected. With digital cameras, you can walk through the house as if you are there. You can stand outside and walk around. Your agent should have access to building code/zoning. With that kind of a budget, you won't have any problem finding exactly what you want. In fact, there are properties which already have 2 homes and 10+ acres in your price range. I know this because I ran into them when doing my own property search.
Thank you for the suggestion!
I briefly looked into some properties in Jackson and inadvertently found a few listings in Medina, TN. Do you know if this is also a decent area?
I briefly looked into some properties in Jackson and inadvertently found a few listings in Medina, TN. Do you know if this is also a decent area?
Medina is a nice suburb of Jackson, from my research. A lot of people in the TN forum put down Jackson but I like it. We did our research, then we spent 3 days in Jackson (after we bought the house) and I still like it. Jackson is a short - 1.5 hr - drive from Nashville which was too much city for us and we didn't make it to Memphis - supposed to be an hour from Jackson.
I spent a lot of hours searching for a property in Medina and we even got so far as to put in a bid on a property but the inspection turned up too many issues.
For your price range, you should be able to find more than what you want in the suburbs of any of the main cities. When you are looking at properties, don't skip looking at them from the street view on yahoo maps or getting the gis pic from the Assessor/PropertyTax records - available online at: Tennessee Assessor and Property Tax Records Search Directory - Page 1
Take full advantage when you look up a property - check out the GIS map for that property, then back it up and look at the neighboring properties - anything you are unclear what it is (we found a mfr plant near one house we looked at and what appeared to be a sewage treatment plant within a mile of another), do a parcel ID and then check out what its designation is - agriculture, mfr, retail, business, etc. Check out the assessor's details, including estimate of quality, you can see what kind of deed was last used (W, QC) and do check out death records to find out if the house is in probate/inheritance. Estimate the taxes and be careful to include both county and city/town if the house is within city/town limits.
Do your own research, don't rely upon your agent. You can save a ton of time and can eliminate a lot of properties. Then, when you do ask your realtor for a one hour drive and an hour worth of camera-work, s/he will be more than happy to accommodate knowing you have done so much work and are seriously interested at that point.
I wouldn't spend $600-$700K outside of Jackson unless you are never planning to resale. There is only one house on above $500 on the market right now in Medina.
Williamson County, south of Nashille, has a good school system and you might be able to meet your requirements in the rural part of that county. Ditto for Sumner County, north of Nashville.
You could also look around Knoxville and Chattanooga. From an investment standpoint, I would make sure you aren't buying one of the most expensive properties in the area.
Here's my pick:
7 acres in Leiper's Fork (quaint town outisde Franklin, TN with lots of festivals, outdoor movies, etc., a small grocery store, a few restaurants, great schools)
House + carriage house over the garage. Gorgeous property: http://www.realtracs.com/PropertyDet...gG1vIr98pt1DsQ
Franklin has a cute downtown, movie theatre, tons of shopping, etc. And Franklin and Leiper's Fork are both within 30-45 min. of Nashville.
Last edited by brentwoodgirl; 05-25-2011 at 04:39 PM..
I wouldn't spend $600-$700K outside of Jackson unless you are never planning to resale. There is only one house on above $500 on the market right now in Medina.
Williamson County, south of Nashille, has a good school system and you might be able to meet your requirements in the rural part of that county. Ditto for Sumner County, north of Nashville.
You could also look around Knoxville and Chattanooga. From an investment standpoint, I would make sure you aren't buying one of the most expensive properties in the area.
Here's my pick:
7 acres in Leiper's Fork (quaint town outisde Franklin, TN with lots of festivals, outdoor movies, etc., a small grocery store, a few restaurants, great schools)
House + carriage house over the garage. Gorgeous property: RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details
Franklin has a cute downtown, movie theatre, tons of shopping, etc. And Franklin and Leiper's Fork are both within 30-45 min. of Nashville.
I agree. 600-700k Would put you in no-mans-land with respect to resale in many small towns in TN.
If you are wanting a Permanent living place, you could look in the Pikeville, Dunlap areas of Tennessee. You would be almost an hour (or less) from Chattanooga. Both are beautiful towns, but they are small towns. With your budget you could get exactly what you wanted! Plus Chattanooga has some of the best private schools in the Country (GPS, McCallie, Notre Dame).
When I state permanent, it would be because I don't know alot about the resale values in those areas. Most of those areas are generations of families. Do a google earth.
You would also be near Fall Creek Falls, Crossville, Cookeville, and of course, the interstates and highways to everywhere from Chattanooga
I wouldn't spend $600-$700K outside of Jackson unless you are never planning to resale. There is only one house on above $500 on the market right now in Medina.
Williamson County, south of Nashille, has a good school system and you might be able to meet your requirements in the rural part of that county. Ditto for Sumner County, north of Nashville.
You could also look around Knoxville and Chattanooga. From an investment standpoint, I would make sure you aren't buying one of the most expensive properties in the area.
Here's my pick:
7 acres in Leiper's Fork (quaint town outisde Franklin, TN with lots of festivals, outdoor movies, etc., a small grocery store, a few restaurants, great schools)
House + carriage house over the garage. Gorgeous property: RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details
Franklin has a cute downtown, movie theatre, tons of shopping, etc. And Franklin and Leiper's Fork are both within 30-45 min. of Nashville.
Okay. I'll bite. From where I am sitting right now it is 5 miles to Medina. Medina has seen VERY rapid growth in the past 3 years. Pretty much quadrupling its population. There are 2 main reasons for this. White flight from Memphis and parents who can afford to do so pulling thier children out of the Jackson Public Schools. Most of the new houses being built in Medina are in the $150K to $300K range. As Medina is in Gibson County, the schools are fantastic. And I hate to break the news to Brentwoodgirl,but if you take any country road, in any direction out of Medina you will find MANY farms and country estates worth millions of dollars. No. They arent on the market. Why? BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO LEAVE MEDINA!
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