Anywhere in Middle TN with above-average schools that's still cheap??? (Knoxville: transplants, apartments)

[VintageVic]

Hi there! My wife and I will be purchasing our first home soon(-ish), and all we know for sure at this point is that it won't be here in the state we currently live in. Like so many others, we've been researching TN for quite awhile now, and it definitely sits at the top of our list. We've already made a few trips there in the last couple of years, with another trip coming up at the end of the month. We're well aware of the boom that's been ongoing in the area for years now, and with it, the escalating RE prices. Just hoping we didn't miss the boat on affordability.
So I'm wondering if anyone might help me out here and let me know if there's anywhere in middle TN that has an above-average public school system, yet (and here's the catch I didn't mention in the title...) has any "mother-in-law" or "multi-family" housing for around $150,000 or less? (I know, might as well be asking for the moon, right?)
We both work from home, and my mom who will be living with us is retired, so location doesn't matter as far as commuting is concerned. Also, we've lived in urban, suburban, and rural settings before, and enjoyed the experience of each, so we're pretty much open to anything in that regard.
Our biggest priority, besides staying in budget, is that our son would continue to succeed academically in a school environment that matches, or at least comes close to matching, what we've been fortunate enough to have here. (Of course, like most people, safety is also a concern, but I figure good schools and safe areas usually go hand-in-hand) Figured it couldn't hurt to at least ask about the public schools in the area before starting to look into private schools as an alternative.
Oh, and as long as I'm asking about schools, I did have another question: (Sorry, first time posting... I hope I'm not breaking the rules of this forum by cramming too much into one post. If so, I'll gladly remove/edit, or will understand if a moderator does it for me.)
Can anyone provide me with a suggestion on a good resource for getting an accurate overview of a school's (or many schools in one area) academic performance? As in: using grades, test scores, avg. class size, etc., as opposed to merely relying on online reviews to determine a score or rating for the school.
Any help would be much appreciated!!!

[DubbleT]

Originally Posted by VintageVic

Can anyone provide me with a suggestion on a good resource for getting an accurate overview of a school's (or many schools in one area) academic performance? As in: using grades, test scores, avg. class size, etc., as opposed to merely relying on online reviews to determine a score or rating for the school.
Any help would be much appreciated!!!

https://reportcard.tnk12.gov/
Start here for facts, as opposed to opinions.

[VintageVic]

Thanks so much!

[mattec]

Unfortunately, I do not think you will be able to find what you're looking for near Nashville for less than $250,000 and even that is a stretch.

You may be able to find something in Clarksville or Cookeville, but it may still be a stretch.

[VintageVic]

Thank you very much for the input, it really is appreciated! I'm definitely interested in the Cookeville area, it'd be great if something worked out there. Looking more into eastern TN as well.

Although as much as Cookeville and eastern TN have going for them (which is a lot), we "discovered" and started looking into and visiting the Nashville area first, and sort of fell in love a little bit, so changing our mindset about where we end up might be a little difficult to accept, even though again, those areas have plenty to offer too and could work out very nicely for us as well, I'm sure.

Also realizing private school just might be the way to go. Not sure why I haven't been looking into that all along, tbh. Probably because where I'm from, most tend to be very expensive and/or Catholic. (which we are not) But I'm guessing (hoping) that might not be the case so much down there in TN.

[VintageVic]

But I'm starting to think now that private school might just be the key to getting in somewhere that still has pretty inexpensive RE, close enough to everything else we love about the area, but taking the stress out of making sure the public schools are adequate. Sorry, just thinking out loud, I suppose. Falling in love with TN was easy, and figuring out which areas of TN we liked best was easy (of course most of those areas we can't afford), but I've been agonizing about this one detail for awhile. Just happy that I'm making progress on this front.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by VintageVic

Thank you very much for the input, it really is appreciated! I'm definitely interested in the Cookeville area, it'd be great if something worked out there. Looking more into eastern TN as well.

Although as much as Cookeville and eastern TN have going for them (which is a lot), we "discovered" and started looking into and visiting the Nashville area first, and sort of fell in love a little bit, so changing our mindset about where we end up might be a little difficult to accept, even though again, those areas have plenty to offer too and could work out very nicely for us as well, I'm sure.

Also realizing private school just might be the way to go. Not sure why I haven't been looking into that all along, tbh. Probably because where I'm from, most tend to be very expensive and/or Catholic. (which we are not) But I'm guessing (hoping) that might not be the case so much down there in TN.

Cookeville is a great area with excellent schools. It's also a county school system with open enrollment, meaning you can live in a remote and less expensive part of the county and send your kids to the school of your choice as long as there's room and you provide the transportation. In addition, there's gigabit fiber internet in most of the remote parts of the county, making it easier to work from home even if you live in the boondocks.

However, it's going to be difficult to find a home with a mother-in-law suite for $150k or less. Difficult, but not impossible. There might be an older home near the university that has that, homes that have an added apartment to rent to college students, but they don't go on the market very often. Here's one that recently sold that's like that:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...1988092_zpid/?

And a few others around town that have basement apartments that have sold in the last couple of years:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...81272362_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...1992156_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...81276621_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...1234376_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...1230954_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...1984668_zpid/?

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by VintageVic

...
Although as much as Cookeville and eastern TN have going for them (which is a lot), we "discovered" and started looking into and visiting the Nashville area first, and sort of fell in love a little bit, so changing our mindset about where we end up might be a little difficult to accept, even though again, those areas have plenty to offer too and could work out very nicely for us as well, I'm sure.
...

I know a few people who have fallen in love with the "Tennessee is affordable" mindset, and set their hearts on cool, hip, and happening Nashville (thanks L.A. area transplants and celebrity-musicians for ruining Nashville) only to find they were paying South Orange County (CA) house prices but were nowhere near the beach and with less-than-miraculous weather.

Once they realize their money goes a lot further the further east they go, many end up in Knoxville. However, if they bring their voting habits with them from higher-tax areas, they are going to change Knoxville into a place just as expensive as Nashville and wherever it is from whence they came.

[VintageVic]

Originally Posted by JMT

Cookeville is a great area with excellent schools. It's also a county school system with open enrollment, meaning you can live in a remote and less expensive part of the county and send your kids to the school of your choice as long as there's room and you provide the transportation. In addition, there's gigabit fiber internet in most of the remote parts of the county, making it easier to work from home even if you live in the boondocks.

However, it's going to be difficult to find a home with a mother-in-law suite for $150k or less. Difficult, but not impossible. There might be an older home near the university that has that, homes that have an added apartment to rent to college students, but they don't go on the market very often. Here's one that recently sold that's like that:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...1988092_zpid/?

And a few others around town that have basement apartments that have sold in the last couple of years:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...81272362_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...1992156_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...81276621_zpid/
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3...1234376_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...1230954_zpid/?
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...1984668_zpid/?

JMT, always great info, thanks! (Btw, is there a way to "tag" someone, without posting their quote?)
I hope this doesn't sound too creepy, lol, but even though I only just registered on here a few days ago in order to finally post, I've actually been lurking on here for a couple of years doing my research on TN (and a few other states), and so have come across many of your invaluable posts. Always great stuff, just wanted to say, you do an excellent job of selling your town and that entire area!

We're actually very interested in Cookeville, (have yet to visit, but will def be carving out some time to during our trip at the end of the month) and from what I've seen, it's like you said: what we're looking for isn't all that common, but not entirely impossible to find either.
That first link you posted of the one that just sold for $120k had my jaw hit the floor! Surprised I hadn't seen that one, although I have been going to Trulia a lot more lately for some reason, assuming Zillow and Trulia post mostly the same houses, but now I'm thinking that might not be the case.) That's exactly the type of thing we're looking for, especially love the style with all the vintage character and charm. I suppose when we finally work with a realtor, they'll be able to do a much better job of finding what we're looking for, it's just that I tend to be a planner, and so am trying to narrow things down a bit ahead of time.

But anyway, that's great info to know, the fact that the Cookville schools accept from all over the county, I didn't realize that.

So does the area around the college you mentioned tend to get pretty rowdy with all the students living nearby? Or (please forgive the stereotype) since it's a tech college, does that make it less of a "party school" environment?

I'm also interested in some of the areas near Cookville, such as Sparta, Rickman, and Livingston. I know they're not in Putnam co., with it's good schools, so I'm going to have to look at that website DubbleT suggested to see how they fare...

[VintageVic]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

I know a few people who have fallen in love with the "Tennessee is affordable" mindset, and set their hearts on cool, hip, and happening Nashville (thanks L.A. area transplants and celebrity-musicians for ruining Nashville) only to find they were paying South Orange County (CA) house prices but were nowhere near the beach and with less-than-miraculous weather.

Once they realize their money goes a lot further the further east they go, many end up in Knoxville. However, if they bring their voting habits with them from higher-tax areas, they are going to change Knoxville into a place just as expensive as Nashville and wherever it is from whence they came.

I know you weren't directing this specifically at me (politely hinting perhaps and maybe even fishing for where I stand on the issue) but not to worry, we have no intention of voting to tax TN (or anywhere else for that matter) into oblivion. That's one of the main things we're trying to get away from!