NYers retiring to TN (Jackson, Johnson City: tenant, live in, shop)

[NY Annie]

I know things are done at a leisurely pace down there - but we are anxiously awaiting faxed documents for the closing. Neither we nor the sellers are attending this faxed closing. TN law allows for faxed signatures to be considered original; so the entire closing is eing done by fax with originals to follow in mail. So far, the fax machine has been quiet ....

Now I need to find a rental agent/property mgmt company. We have to get the house cleaned and ready for a tenant - and we have to find a tenant! Does anyone have any recommendations? I found several companies in the area.

Annie

[NY Annie]

We have a house and we were looking for a rental agent in the same county where the house is located - neither Paris nor Henry Counties are nearby.

[AmberFlynn]

Wow, NY Annie, you are a very trusting soul!! Buys site unseen, only contact is a few emails. Wow - as a Realtor, I wonder where those kind of clients are, lol!! I would ask your agent (or the buyers agent you worked with) for the names of a few that he/she trusts, they ought to have access to that info.

How long before you will get to come visit your new home? That has to be a thrilling thought for you both!!

[NY Annie]

Originally Posted by AmberFlynn

Wow, NY Annie, you are a very trusting soul!! Buys site unseen, only contact is a few emails. Wow - as a Realtor, I wonder where those kind of clients are, lol!! I would ask your agent (or the buyers agent you worked with) for the names of a few that he/she trusts, they ought to have access to that info.

How long before you will get to come visit your new home? That has to be a thrilling thought for you both!!

We've been there - last month - and everything was EXACTLY as we believed it would be. We didn't buy based on a "couple of e-mails". Our buyer's agent worked hard for us - complete videos of the property, inside and out - outside looking in and outside looking around. We had a house inspection and an HVAC inspection. We knew exactly what to expect even to driving down the road and knowing the house would be around the next curve - and there it was!

As I said, our agent worked hard - and harder for us BECAUSE we were buying long-distance without seeing the property. She was our eyes and she knew it. She was there to liaise between us and the attorney, with the homeowner's insurance agent, with the house inspector, and even to assuring the HVAC man that he would get paid. There were a few kinks in the buying process but they were not related to her or to the house, but to closing issues with the deed and seller's attorney.

There are so many ways to look at an area - maps.google.com; yahoo maps, google earth, mapquest, the GIS maps on the tax assessor's site. I can see all that you see AND MORE. I've heard of far more issues buying a house in person because people believe their own eyes and don't do all the research we did. Someone bought a house and now complains about the noise because they didn't know the highway was behind the house a block or so; the person (friend of mine) who bought a house years ago only to discover it was just a few short smelly miles from a landfill; lthe house just down the street and around the corner from a sewage treatment facility.

When we turned onto our street, my husband said, "WOW, I feel like I've been here before". Nothing about the area surprised us. We spent half a day wandering the property inside and out with the contractor doing work for us and then spent another half day driving around the "neighborhood". The only thing not what we expected was the main city of Jackson which far exceeded what we expected. We are thrilled and delighted with our purchase and are now searching for a home for a co-worker who wants to buy near us. So this process will be repeated again, for another future retiree -- and my buyer's agent is getting more business as a result.

[46Barb]

So glad it turned out well for you. When I was looking at TN, my agent also took lots of pics for us too. It's so nice when you can find an agent that goes all out for you. Welcome to Tennessee from a former New Yorker!

[NY Annie]

Some day we'll have to plan a get-together for all the transplanted folks moved to Tennessee. I have to say that technology today makes the world so much smaller. My agent took videos - and she was obviously VERY well-trained. There was no jerkiness, no moving too fast, none of the seasickness feeling you sometimes get from a home-video.

I'm so looking forward to my husband's retirement. He just verified all his dates and income estimates and we are anxious to do this.

[AmberFlynn]

NY Annie - I'm sorry if that came across as a jab, not my intent at all, just scanning through your previous posts, I didn't realize all that was done behind the scenes. It appears you have done more than your share of homework and are blessed to have such a great agent. Regardless, you are happy with your purchase and that is what matters

[as3369]

It is nice to see that someone actually appreciates all the hard work that her real estate agent did for her... a very rare occassion indeed.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by as3369

It is nice to see that someone actually appreciates all the hard work that her real estate agent did for her... a very rare occassion indeed.

Oh, I really, really like you.

[AmberFlynn]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Oh, I really, really like you.

Oh ME TOO!!! And that your agent worked so hard for you, that too is becoming more rare!!