Dunlap, TN (Chattanooga, South Pittsburg, Greenfield: for sale, real estate, how much)

[chancer]

We are planning to look at some communities in Dunlap being sold by the Wagner Brothers Land Company. The community names are Greenfield West, Stone Creek. Does anyone know anything about these communities or anything about Dunlap?

We love mountains, views, lakes and fishing.

We currently live in Georgia and do not know anything about the area so any help would be appreciated.

[bbkaren]

You'll find lots of info on Dunlap by doing a search. Those communities in particular might be harder to find info on.

But in the threads you find on Dunlap, you might find someone who lives nearby who might have some information for you.

[McMar]

Dunlap is nice. The Wagner Brothers land seems to be the most expensive in the area. I do think they may have some hefty building restrictions though, so if you want to be in a fancy neighborhood with fancy neighbors (no offense intended), then you'll want a subdivision with that kind of restrictions. Keep looking around, you can probably find more for your money. The Sequatchie Valley is beautiful, particularly as you head north on 127 toward the Cumberland Plateau. I would recommend looking into property on East Valley Road too. Georgous mountain views, some old farmhouses combined with newer homes, green rolling hills. It runs at least 20 miles, I'd say, from the northern part of the Valley all the way to Dunlap, maybe even further south. Dunlap is close to Chattanooga, so it's an easy commute. The area is really growing.

[chancer]

Thanks for the info. We would prefer multiple acres with no restrictions but just do not know any areas in TN in the with mountains with views. We do want to stay fairly close to GA/NC due to family so we will check out the area you recommended.

Do you know of any newspapers we could see online with land for sale in the GA/NC areas?

We appreciate any and all info. Thanks.

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by McMar

Dunlap is nice. The Wagner Brothers land seems to be the most expensive in the area. I do think they may have some hefty building restrictions though, so if you want to be in a fancy neighborhood with fancy neighbors (no offense intended), then you'll want a subdivision with that kind of restrictions. Keep looking around, you can probably find more for your money. The Sequatchie Valley is beautiful, particularly as you head north on 127 toward the Cumberland Plateau. I would recommend looking into property on East Valley Road too. Georgous mountain views, some old farmhouses combined with newer homes, green rolling hills. It runs at least 20 miles, I'd say, from the northern part of the Valley all the way to Dunlap, maybe even further south. Dunlap is close to Chattanooga, so it's an easy commute. The area is really growing.

I also found land offered by Wagner Brothers Land Company a bit pricey. I would do some shopping around. Many realtor websites will allow you to look at property listings, some with pictures. Good luck in finding the right place.

[McMar]

You will want to stay on the south side of the Sequatchie valley if you want to be near Georgia. Dunlap may look close to GA on a map, but it's a long drive. South Pittsburg area may be your best bet. There is some gorgeous land there. It is appreciating in value, and there are some very nice new homes being built. Nickajack lake is lovely, and there is a cute old downtown area. Oh - and an awesome annual Cornbread Festival that attracts like 100,000 people. The Lodge Cast Iron Factory is in town, that's why the cornbread theme. Check it out. Very nice up-and-coming area. I wouldn't mind living there myself if I could find a suitable old house in the downtown area (a fixer-upper). This is about the only link I could easily find to land listings, but I'm sure if you Google a bit, you can find great pics of the area and more info.

South Pittsburg, TN, Real Estate Listings and South Pittsburg, TN Homes for Sale - Realtor.com

I hope this helps!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by McMar

You will want to stay on the south side of the Sequatchie valley if you want to be near Georgia. Dunlap may look close to GA on a map, but it's a long drive. South Pittsburg area may be your best bet. There is some gorgeous land there. It is appreciating in value, and there are some very nice new homes being built. Nickajack lake is lovely, and there is a cute old downtown area. Oh - and an awesome annual Cornbread Festival that attracts like 100,000 people. The Lodge Cast Iron Factory is in town, that's why the cornbread theme. Check it out. Very nice up-and-coming area. I wouldn't mind living there myself if I could find a suitable old house in the downtown area (a fixer-upper). This is about the only link I could easily find to land listings, but I'm sure if you Google a bit, you can find great pics of the area and more info.

South Pittsburg, TN, Real Estate Listings and South Pittsburg, TN Homes for Sale - Realtor.com

I hope this helps!

I've been to South Pittsburg, and it really is a neat little town and definitely in a beautiful area. There is a Wal-Mart SuperCenter there, but if that's not enough, Chattanooga isn't too far away. And Chattanooga is a really cool city. So I guess what I'm saying is: I also nominate South Pittsburg.

[mshuntley2]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

You'll find lots of info on Dunlap by doing a search. Those communities in particular might be harder to find info on.

But in the threads you find on Dunlap, you might find someone who lives nearby who might have some information for you.

We are also thinking of moving to the Dunlap area. We understand the property taxes (system) but what are the other taxes that we should be aware of. What is the sales tax rate?

[loghomeowner]

Hi - I live in Dunlap and love it. Hwy 111 is one of the best highways in the area to get to Chattanooga. My husband has a Dunlap log home business and we know several locals that have land for sale - 5 to 10 acres usually(and no we don't sell land personally, we are only in the housing business and hear about what land is available in and around the Dunlap area)- Not generally in a "gated community", but definitely in the woods. You should be able to find what you are looking for at around 10K - 15K per acre. If you stay on the east side of the valley, it's only about 30 miles to Chatt. town.
Our real estate taxes are low, no state income taxes, sales tax is around 9%. Groceries cost less here than in GA, but we do have sales tax on them and gas is about the same.
I hope this helps anyone that is looking to move to this area.

[GaryWF]

To Chancer and MSHuntley2 -

Wife and I just bought a couple of parcels of land in Dunlap in a nice residential subdivision of only 20 good sized, million dollar view lots up on a ridge overlooking the Sequatchie River and the surrounding farmland. The subdivision has restrictions, which is good if you want to live in a subdivision, otherwise the county and Dunlap have no other zoning to speak of. So, you could buy land someplace to build your dream home, and have someone plant a double-wide next door - or start up pig farming. So be careful. Also, you should think about utilities and roads. Many of the outlying non-subdivision parcels of land have no utilities or paved roads near them. Just something to think about. Of course, if you like rural, this is the place. If you do look into subdivisions, check out the developer carefully. Not all subdivisions have the same set of covenants/restrictions. And although Wagner property is pricey up on Fredonia Mtn, they do have some good restrictions in place to preserve the area. They got a lot going on up there. I think they're pushing Greenfields now, but plan to open up more sections later. The only reason why we didn't purchase up there is because of the drive back and forth into town up and down the mountain. It's 10 - 12 miles on windy and often narrow roads. Not good in the winter time either.

Dunlap itself is o.k. Very small town - nothing to scream over, but it is quaint (and old). The mayor has been in that position for years. Town government is typical of a small town, if not somewhat sedate. Dunlap is also the county seat. Not much going on with respect to businesses or places to eat either. Need to go to Hixon (over the mountain towards Chattanooga) if you want to do any shopping or eat a decent meal. Dunlap's claim to fame is the Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival and being a part of the world's longest yard sale, which winds through town every August. Of course, local residents continue having roadside yard sales around town throughout the year anywhere they can set up along the main drag. Apparently there's no ordinance against doing that, for some reason.

You can always tell how up to speed a town is, in my opinion, by the type of website they have. In this case, neither Dunlap, the Chamber or the County have decent web sites! Here's the link to the Chamber website: Sequatchie County & Dunlap, TN Chamber of Commerce You can link to what there is of the City of Dunlap site from there.

Through 2007, taxes rates are: County: $2.13 per $100 of valuation; City: $0.99 per $100 of valuation.

By the way, all of this info I'm providing is coming from an outsider - who made just 3 trips to that area prior to buying our land. It's amazing how much one can find out about a small town/county with only a little research. But, we did fall in love the property in the subdivision, so if it weren't for that, we probably would have looked elsewhere.

Cheers.