Fairfield Glade vs Tellico Village for Retirement? (split from another thread) (Knoxville: real estate, renting)

[DGlenday]

Hey, Tek, yes, we do seem to have much in common.

I'm scratching around for the name of the builder I like in FFG - and can't find it. Moderator cut: realtor info deleted

In terms of areas, here are the areas we've considered. We've visited some of them, but not all. In order of preference:

Fairfield Glade / Tellico. Until now FFG has been the location of choice primarily because of the economics. We've done several LSD trips ("Look See Decide" trips ) and we think we could live there. I might be leaning toward Tellico, though the summer climate worries me.

Fort Collins, CO. Great place, a college town, excellent 'olde towne' area, good year round weather. I worked in Denver for a year, and the winters are not as bad as you'd think. Bitterly cold nights, quite warm in the daytime. If you're interested, there's an agent I met who gave us a half-day guided tour. Nice guy, and very knowledgeable. The only thing that turned us off Ft.Collins was the fact that it's very flat, so the developments do not easily accommodate my need for privacy in the back yard. We've also looked at Windsor and Loveland (almost 'suburbs' of Ft.Collins), and Boulder (too expensive).

Santa Fe, NM. We love this place and have visited it countless times. The main problem is cost of living. Also - I suspect the crime problems that are flooding up from southern NM and into Albuquerque will soon discover Santa Fe.

Oregon / Washington. We've looked at the areas surrounding Seattle. Bainbridge, Bremerton, etc. A bit pricey. Next, we'd like to look at southerm Washington, just north of Oregon. I believe there are a lot of neighborhoods going up in that area - where you have no state income tax, and you shop in Oregon and pay no sales tax. We'd like to look at areas like Eugene and Bend, but our research hasn't taken us that far yet. I did speak to someone who lived in Eugene - he hated its lack of cultural diversity. That is not one of our considerations, so it may be worth a look.

Utah. I don't know the area and have nbot yet visited it - but on paper, Provo/Orem look like they're worth researching.

Flagstaff AZ. I liked it, but for some reason, my wife did not. She can't put her finger in it, but thte area did not appeal to her. Sedona is a great city for those who can afford it ... though it's also very hot in summer.

Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC. They look great on paper, and we've heard a lot about them. We've only spent a small amount of time in each and weren't sure we 'got' the appeal. They probably warrant a proper visit.





One of my considerations is that with my work, I usually fly every week so I need to be no more than an hour from a good sized airport. That posts black marks against some of the areas I've mentioned above.

Knoxville area - Still planning on going to TN in Oct, but what and where have changed. Do have concerns about not being on the plateau, we really like that area.

Have a look at Tellico. We were only there for 2 to 3 hours, but it looked very nice.

Oddly enough, I checked CD for COL in all these areas and the highest was FFG! Low to mid 80's except for FFG which is 90! Out of 100 for the nation.

Try Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed, link removed and they rank CoL at 85 for FFG. Having been there this weekend, I think I'd agree.

Southern PA. She found it on line also. Apparently it's more mild than we expected. We'll see. Southern edge is in line with Kansas City. Winters would have to be a lot milder than KC before I'll end up there!

Nah. I live in northern MD. I see zero attraction in southern PA. Obviously, YMMV...

Las Vegas, NV - We would have to learn to reverse our seasons there: Stay in during summer, out during winter. We love Vegas and have thought hard about it. We would end up in Henderson, though. There are so many places to visit in that part of the country. Water does worry us.

We've never considered Vegas, primarily because we're worried about the heat.

[DGlenday]

Originally Posted by LauraC

You might want to ask yourself, "How do we plan to fill our days in retirement and does the potential new location have the things we plan to do/like to do, in enough number, quality and/or variety to suit us/make us happy?" You could have a beautiful home, great weather, cheap taxes and a nice view but if you are bored in retirement, you won't be happy. This would be true, in my opinion, no matter what state retirees move to so maybe just think about it.

Thanks, Laura. You're 100% right.

We're very aware of those considerations, and we're happy that both FFG and Tellico will meet our needs. I have several hobbies that involve travel and can be done pretty much everywhere. Add lakes, golf and a decent gym, and I'm okay. My wife's activities will probably be well served by both areas as well.

Also - I'll be working for several years before retiring in whatever place we settle on, so we'll be able to establish our lifestyles well in advance.

[TheShadow]

We've decided on TV and have spent some time there checking it out. I can give you several websites to look for houses in your price range that should meet your criteria. I'm not a realtor, just another soon to be retiree who has done a lot of research on the area. So send me a direct message if you want those realtor websites. Are you set on new construction? Those low resale values are great if you're a buyer!! New construction entails a lot of hidden costs...window coverings, new furniture, landscaping, patio installation etc.

You can rent a house in TV to stay in for a few days or a few weeks through Key Rentals. Just google that name and you will find them. We did that, and while you are renting, you are okay to use all the amenities. Just bring your own golf clubs, because they don't have rental clubs! We were not too bothered by the summer heat. We visited in August of 07 and May of 08. It got about 93 in August and it was somewhat humid, but not real bad like the deep south. Being from Sacramento, it takes a lot of heat to scare me off.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by DGlenday

Fort Collins, CO. Great place, a college town, excellent 'olde towne' area, good year round weather. I worked in Denver for a year, and the winters are not as bad as you'd think. Bitterly cold nights, quite warm in the daytime. If you're interested, there's an agent I met who gave us a half-day guided tour. Nice guy, and very knowledgeable. The only thing that turned us off Ft.Collins was the fact that it's very flat, so the developments do not easily accommodate my need for privacy in the back yard. We've also looked at Windsor and Loveland (almost 'suburbs' of Ft.Collins), and Boulder (too expensive).

Very flat is a turn off.

Santa Fe, NM. We love this place and have visited it countless times. The main problem is cost of living. Also - I suspect the crime problems that are flooding up from southern NM and into Albuquerque will soon discover Santa Fe.

We feel the same about that part of the country. Read some really bad things about Albuquerque.

Oregon / Washington. We've looked at the areas surrounding Seattle. Bainbridge, Bremerton, etc. A bit pricey. Next, we'd like to look at southerm Washington, just north of Oregon. I believe there are a lot of neighborhoods going up in that area - where you have no state income tax, and you shop in Oregon and pay no sales tax. We'd like to look at areas like Eugene and Bend, but our research hasn't taken us that far yet. I did speak to someone who lived in Eugene - he hated its lack of cultural diversity. That is not one of our considerations, so it may be worth a look.

That we will certainly look into. Best of both worlds. I found Sequim, WA in a Where to Retire issue. NW of Seattle on Olympic Peninsula between Port Townsend and Port Angeles. Apparently it's protected from the worst of the weather by the Olympic Mountains. We are going to look into it more.

Utah. I don't know the area and have nbot yet visited it - but on paper, Provo/Orem look like they're worth researching.

Utah is iffy for us.

Flagstaff AZ. I liked it, but for some reason, my wife did not. She can't put her finger in it, but thte area did not appeal to her. Sedona is a great city for those who can afford it ... though it's also very hot in summer.

Iffy also. Visited once, didn't "feel" right. Never knew why.

Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC. They look great on paper, and we've heard a lot about them. We've only spent a small amount of time in each and weren't sure we 'got' the appeal. They probably warrant a proper visit.

We liked the area around Asheville. Pricey and certainly not flat. Found an area that tempted us, but the lots were a bit expensive and they had stripped all the trees off before starting. Idiots. Ruined it for us. I think we would have bought the lot if the trees had been there. Look outside Hendersonville, south of Asheville. I fell down a mountain (not to far) and still get teased about it. Expensive now. Wish we had bought in '99 when we went through on a trip.

Have a look at Tellico. We were only there for 2 to 3 hours, but it looked very nice.

We plan to in October.

Nah. I live in northern MD. I see zero attraction in southern PA. Obviously, YMMV...

I wondered about that. Seemed too good to be true...

We've never considered Vegas, primarily because we're worried about the heat.

You have to change your seasons in Vegas like our friend in Fort Worth does. She stays in in the summer and goes out in the winter. Just flip flops the seasons.

I wish you well on your hunt. What we want is out there, we just have to find it.... Mission Impossible music is in my head again!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

I wish you well on your hunt. What we want is out there, we just have to find it.... Mission Impossible music is in my head again!

Tek Freek on a recon! I'll alert the authorities!

SMG said they are having a home tour over there. 13th Annual Home Tour: Tellico Village Women's Club hosts event Oct. 5

I guess you all don't like heat. I'm from the northeast, but I lived in Florida for 10 years and I think that it doesn't get that hot here, but I lived all the way down in Florida. Near the everglades.

And I don't think it's cold here, either.

We love the four seasons and go outside year round.

You might want to come down during the summer and see for yourself.

[DGlenday]

Originally Posted by DGlenday

I'm scratching around for the name of the builder I like in FFG - and can't find it. Moderator cut: realtor info deleted

Sorry I indicated in my prior post that it may not be correct to post this here, but responded to a specific request.

If anyone wants the builder's details, DM me. I have no relationship with him at all - I just like his work, and will use him IF we end up going to FFG.

The other big builder in FFG is area's many developer - and I'm not certain I'm happy with their build quality, standard of finishes, and pricing.

[DGlenday]

Shadow,

Originally Posted by TheShadow

I can give you several websites to look for houses in your price range that should meet your criteria.

Yep - I'll DM you in a sec. I think I may already have some of the sites you've used, but I'm trying to build as comprehensive a picture as I can.

[Tek_Freek]

I DM'd TheShadow also. We might be using that rental group. Man I love this place!

[oldmanbob]

My wife's parents have lived in FFG for about 18 years now, and have just recently decided to move to Knoxville, basically to be closer to the family. FFG is probably about an average of usually 4 to 5 degrees cooler, being on the Plataue. The age group in Tellico village, is probably a little younger. You can probably see that on the city-dat.com info page. You can probably find the house size and price you stated, and you can visit the Kaarmls.com, go to the public search, list Loudon county, and then search for Tellico Village. I just looked , usging a tops of 300 and some 38 homes listed are below. Good luck.

[TheShadow]

When looking for home listings in Tellico Village, it helps to know the subdivision names. You can enter Loudon as the city, but you will get some listings outside of Tellico Village. The subdivisions in TV all start with the following words: Coyatee, Tanasi, Toqua, Mialaquo, Kahite, Tommotley, Chota, Chatuga ...I think that's all of them.

The TV website is : Tellico Village | Tellico Village Loudon County TN | Knoxville Planned Residential Community | Tellico Village Golf Course | Tellico Lake Community | Tennessee Yacht Club | Tellico Village Lenior City TN | Tellico Lake Boating

I have done a lot of research on the place and I can tell you, they are very well organized the POA and HOA are run like a fortune 500 company. They are very conscious of keeping the quality of the facilities up, and they continue to add and improve the amenities as the years go by. The pictures on the website and the information is all as advertised. We were pretty skeptical on our first trip. We were worried that it was an Erik Estrada style scam. It's not.

The thing that we were worried about also was moving to a totally new place with no family or friends, how would we meet people? The TV people have so many clubs and organizations for every possible hobby or interest from quilting to motorcycle riding. They have a "new villagers" organization that you are in for your first two years. And if you're not a "joiner", that's okay too. I'm sold on the place and can't wait until the market turns here so I can retire and get to TN. I wasn't born there, but I'm gonna get there just as fast as I can!!!