Visiting TN in mid June (Area between Monteagle & Chattanooga) (house, softener)

[Wartrace]

moving123 covered most of what you asked. I would add

I have heard that some people in my area have bad wells as in sulpher water. It is still potable but it stinks and messes with electronics in the home. (or so I have been told)

Crime is lower in general but we have had a rash of thefts from homes during the daytime in Bedford county. There is a lot of drinking & driving going on. There are a lot of methheads that tend to steal stuff for scrapping so if you have anything metal near the road it might not stick around.

[Whiskey Tango]

Thank you both for the insight.

We are looking forward to meeting with a realtor that has recently contacted us, during our visit in the middle of June. This should help us on the learning curve.

We also have the sulfur water smell issue up here, but it normally is found in the shallow wells. Our current well is 160+ feet deep and is drawing water from bedrock/gravel (sulfur smell is non-existent).

The daytime crime sounds about the same as where we are at now. I believe in large, highly trained K9 as a front line deterrent and it has worked for us quite well over the years. My wife has learned that if our dog gets between her and the door when someone rings the bell or knocks, to trust what he senses and let him earn his keep. I have seen very positive proof of this when I check the camera footage from the outside of our home.

OK, more questions.

1) Electric, Land line phone, cable etc. Are the utilities generally underground or overhead in rural areas?
2) How often are utilities knocked out during storms? (Goes hand in hand with the question above)
3) Cell phone coverage in the rural areas. (I know in my travels that the hillier it got, the spottier the coverage got)
4) How bad do the skeeters (mosquitoes) get in the summer?
5) Winter road maintenance? Do they salt, sand or plow? Or wait a day and it's gone?

[Wartrace]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Tango

OK, more questions.

1) Electric, Land line phone, cable etc. Are the utilities generally underground or overhead in rural areas?
2) How often are utilities knocked out during storms? (Goes hand in hand with the question above)
3) Cell phone coverage in the rural areas. (I know in my travels that the hillier it got, the spottier the coverage got)
4) How bad do the skeeters (mosquitoes) get in the summer?
5) Winter road maintenance? Do they salt, sand or plow? Or wait a day and it's gone?

1) Overhead in my area.
2) It depends on how rural you are, the further out the less tree trimming they do. (depending on your area)
3) Its pretty good here in southern middle tn. I can get both sprint and verizon 4g here. There are many "dead zones" due to the hollows and hills DEPENDING on where you go. If you are near Manchester the flat land would pretty much be perfect for cell phones.
4) No worse than anywhere else.
5) It depends on your area. In general the only problem they would have trouble with is heavy snow. They are better equipped to salt/sand than plow.

[SPLIT]

W.T. : Just noticed your post. Can add a few more comments, or a LINK below.. HAMILTON county which is Chattanooga city & area NOrth , has a yearly $10 cash , emissions / catalic converter inspection at a county run facility.... Other counties near-by have a WHEEL TAX, could be $15 / yr.
. Road utilities are normally Above ground on poles, then Underground on the sub-division streets., Hamilton
county had a BIG county wide ,stimulis upgrade that added Very fast Wi-fi, but the main intention was transformer RE-ROUTE if a tree knocked out a certain section.. When a yearly 6" snow storm goes thru , most people are down for 6 hrs.
. Car shows are very popular around Chatt with Coker Tire business scene.
WATER ,, we are on a town supply, called Bakewell co & excellent quality. Monthly MIN rate is $14/ mo for 2,500 gal, Use over that quantity & pay more. Like summer water gardens / lawn // cars, etc,
LINK for Chatt activities , etc http://www.outdoorchattanooga.com/

[Whiskey Tango]

I think we have narrowed this down even more now after we weeded out the lazy or narrow minded realtors. Even after I repeatedly stated no HOA subdivisions, no gated community property and not in town. We had two realtors that tricked us into coming down and wasting a valuable trip south for nonsense. I don't understand this mentality when we genuinely want to spend money on a decent sized property.

Sorry about the Rant.

My wife and I have narrowed the search pattern down to a tighter area. I have found several properties in the Hamilton County area that have peaked our interest.
1.) Is crime higher around County Park / hiking trail heads?
2.) What is the average home insurance cost per sq ft when the area is service by a volunteer FD?
3.) What areas of Hamilton County would have higher crime? I searched this to no avail with very mixed reviews.

[Whiskey Tango]

Hello All,

Thanks to those on this forum for the PMs, and comments on locations and what's available.

We have found and bought our property in Hamilton Co. We hooked up with a great realtor that had a line on several properties that best suited our desired location. (Sale Creek)

TN Land Consultants in Kimball, went above and beyond helping us acquire the perfect tract of land that fit our needs.

[An Einnseanair]

Thanks for coming back for the update!

[Whiskey Tango]

No problem.

It's been a long April / May so far with travel, arranging a survey, soil tests and the paperwork. This is all been well worth the time and effort, we have found a beautiful property that has a million dollar view. This site has been a wealth of information that we will still need moving forward.

[Whiskey Tango]

OK my wife and I have a few more questions.

We were contacted by the Soddy - Daisy water district and they are planning on extending a water line past our property.

Property located in Sale Creek.

I have looked to no avail for information on the Water district and I'm hoping that some local people can fill in the blanks.

1.) Service quality of the water Dept.
2.) Water pressure. (I don't recall seeing water towers in the area)
3.) Taste of the water
4.) Do you filter your whole house or use water softener

I have already spoken to 3 local well drillers and have their input and prices.

Thanks in advance.

[Bones]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Tango

OK my wife and I have a few more questions.

We were contacted by the Soddy - Daisy water district and they are planning on extending a water line past our property.

Property located in Sale Creek.

I have looked to no avail for information on the Water district and I'm hoping that some local people can fill in the blanks.

1.) Service quality of the water Dept.
2.) Water pressure. (I don't recall seeing water towers in the area)
3.) Taste of the water
4.) Do you filter your whole house or use water softener

I have already spoken to 3 local well drillers and have their input and prices.

Thanks in advance.

I can't speak for your area...."MOST" areas if city water is available, you "HAVE" to tie into it.....