Fairfield Glade, TN (Knoxville, Cookeville, Crossville: car rental, taxi, cost)

[followthegold]

I am hopefully narrowing my list down as to where to visit for my move. I have found some very reasonable condos for sale. What are the pros and cons of a condo in the Glades? I would rather hear from someone who has experienced life there rather than a gimmicky sales ad or RE sales agent. They want to sell it, not be honest about what the pitfalls are. Been there, done that.

1. I know there are condo assoc fees, sanitation fees and also the Glade fee.
2. Does anyone live in the condos who can fill me in on how they are run?
3. I have read some pretty bad information about the HOA but it was from a few years back. Have
things changed for the better?
4 Are the condos maintained well? I would certainly like to see a copy of the HOA before ever making a
decision
5. Are the HOA fees raised often? When was the last time? How much? Rising fees can price you right
out of your home
6. After all is said and done, are you happy living in a condo there?

I have steered clear of anything with an HOA due to the restrictions and hassles. It seems like there are a lot of condos on the market for a long time with several price decreases. Actually, the older homes are that way too.

Thanks for any opinions on this.

[Sparkman]

I am a condo owner. I will message you later.

[echoautumn]

Hi, my husband and I are looking at moving to Fairfield Glade, Tennessee after he retires in 12/31/2018, we are looking to buy a home sometime from now until his retirement date. Can anyone tell me anything about living in that community? We are looking for helpful information that you can't find on standard sites. Is it a friendly, welcoming environment? We are looking for a nice quiet gated community that has security and lots of amenities. My husband loves golf, fishing, boating,and we both love hiking through scenic places, I have had horses since I was 3 years old and I would like to have access to horses where we live, I cannot imagine my life without horses. He is retiring early at age 63 after working for United Airlines for 29 years and I am a retired RN, I have been retired for 10 years, I wanted to have time to do as much horseback riding as possible and was fortunate enough to be able to do so. The questions we have are many since we were both born and raised and lived our entire lives in the same state, California, but California as changed drastically in so many ways, politically and it is just so crowded, we live in the California central valley and my allergies are out of control. We are choosing Tennessee because of the beauty, the people and politics. We are constitutional conservatives, we love our country, we love God. We want to live in the best place possible for our remaining years.

So if anyone would like to share their experience of living in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee we would so appreciate it, good or bad. I am hoping someone would be willing to share their experience living there.

Are there any things that are concerning such as molds or any other illnesses common to that area? Is there anything that we should be worrying about or anything that would change our mind about moving to this beautiful place? Is the fact that we are from California going to make any difference with how local people will treat us?

Thank you so much for you time and I would like to thank anyone in advance for any helpful information they can provide us and help us with this important decision of where we are going to retire.

Thanks again, Donna and Scott Barnes

[loonyrich]

To the best of my knowledge, FFG is not gated.

[Sparkman]

No parts of FFG are gated. It is a community with residential, timeshares, and retail. During the summer months it has many visitors who are timeshare owners there. It has all kinds of recreational facilities, including some of the best golf in TN, boating & fishing in man made lakes, hiking, and a great rec center. However, as an owner, none of the cost of the facilities are included in your dues, you pay to use everything you choose to use. At a lower rate than a guest would pay, put you still pay.

The majority of the retirees are from the Midwest, middle class to upper middle class and have moved there to get more for their dollar than they could in the states the moved from, plus a milder climate.
You also find many half-backs you retired to FL and didn't like it and came half way back. You are within a 1 day drive of so many places and that is part of the draw.

But the only way to experience FFG is to spend time there, at least 2 weeks to get a feel. Go into Crossville & Cookeville because those towns will be your source for what you need from a city. FFG has a grocery store a Dollar store and banks, and not much else.

I have owned a condo there for 16 years but never lived there full time. But I know the area pretty well. You may love it, you may not, but you have to go there to get a feel for it.

[jon313]

For your consideration: Learned the hard way that Crossville Tennessee is called the "allergy capital" for good reason. My Doctor coined that phrase.

They do have a horse riding stable on the extreme south end, however, it is very limited. Welcome to Wildwood Stables Ticks are out of control throughout the Glade also.

I have also watched the Glade turn into a two class society. There are the wealthy, which control most everything and lately youth in some of the older homes as they have become affordable with age. If you are comfortable with a being "proper" it may be for you. A lot of the infrastructure is aging and dues have skyrocketed.

Have lived there for 18 years.

[Kmclark1953]

Yes, I have searched the forum for info in Fairfield Glade but most threads I've located are many years old so I am looking for current input (2017) vs. that of several years ago.

Husband and I recently scoured east TN and parts of NC for retirement. We favor a planned community to have instant access to social circles/clubs as newbies to an area. We looked at Tellico Village and Rarity Bay and Fairfield Glade. FG seemed most suitable but the distance from Knoxville or Nashville or even Cookeville seems a bit daunting once we are in our upper years, mid 80's and such (currently we are in our 60's).

Questions about FG:
What is the status of the HOA now in terms of financial stability and general smooth operations? Some Old threads indicated potential problems or offered criticism of the HOA.

Have read there are shuttle services to Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville airports....anyone have experience with these? Quality of service? Driving I-40 is daunting with all the trucker traffic and 70 MPH.

Is highway 70 a good option to I-40 for those of us who may want to drive slower?

I understand Cookeville offers the closest better shopping options....is Crossville improving at any rate? Is Ruby Tuesday (old forum info) still the only best restaurant option in Crossville?

How often might there be a major ice storm in FG? Every Winter? Multiple times each winter? I've never lived in a snow or ice storm area.

We were impressed with the "aging in place" option in FG at the Good Samaritan facility. We have no family/children to eventually give a hoot about us, so we will have to buy care and support in elder years. Is there any movement in FG to help elders stay in FG and age in place? Tellico seems to have a volunteer organization to help elders do this, with support for grocery shopping and transport to medical appointments.

is life in FG cliquish? We do live in a 55+ community now and still after 4 1/2 years I find it hard to break into cliques.

Please feel free to private message me if you can share your experiences in FG. Thanks for any help.

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by Kmclark1953

Yes, I have searched the forum for info in Fairfield Glade but most threads I've located are many years old so I am looking for current input (2017) vs. that of several years ago.

Husband and I recently scoured east TN and parts of NC for retirement. We favor a planned community to have instant access to social circles/clubs as newbies to an area. We looked at Tellico Village and Rarity Bay and Fairfield Glade. FG seemed most suitable but the distance from Knoxville or Nashville or even Cookeville seems a bit daunting once we are in our upper years, mid 80's and such (currently we are in our 60's).

Questions about FG:
What is the status of the HOA now in terms of financial stability and general smooth operations? Some Old threads indicated potential problems or offered criticism of the HOA.

Have read there are shuttle services to Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville airports....anyone have experience with these? Quality of service? Driving I-40 is daunting with all the trucker traffic and 70 MPH.

Is highway 70 a good option to I-40 for those of us who may want to drive slower?

I understand Cookeville offers the closest better shopping options....is Crossville improving at any rate? Is Ruby Tuesday (old forum info) still the only best restaurant option in Crossville?

How often might there be a major ice storm in FG? Every Winter? Multiple times each winter? I've never lived in a snow or ice storm area.

We were impressed with the "aging in place" option in FG at the Good Samaritan facility. We have no family/children to eventually give a hoot about us, so we will have to buy care and support in elder years. Is there any movement in FG to help elders stay in FG and age in place? Tellico seems to have a volunteer organization to help elders do this, with support for grocery shopping and transport to medical appointments.

is life in FG cliquish? We do live in a 55+ community now and still after 4 1/2 years I find it hard to break into cliques.

Please feel free to private message me if you can share your experiences in FG. Thanks for any help.

I've heard restrictions related to what you can and cannot do with your home's exterior and your yard are very stringent. I like minor restrictions to help protect property values, such as those in Cumberland Cove, but the restrictions in Fairfield Glade are too much for me. We are building in Cumberland Cove.

[llsmith42]

I can’t advise about the HOA, but I do know that FFG regularly uses shuttles for group outings. Regarding health care, there is a small medical center located directly in FFG that allows some residents to receive care without having to travel, but there are more options in nearby Cookeville and Crossville. The Good Samaritan Society has a very nice facility in FFG. It seems that they are always expanding too.


Ice storms would be a likelihood anywhere in TN. Since FFG is at a higher elevation than the other sites you mentioned, temperatures are typically 3-6 degrees cooler than surrounding areas. This is welcomed in the summer and less well-received in the winter. Generally, winters on the plateau are nothing to worry about. There will be a few days each winter with measurable snowfall that will melt after a day or two. Less often, you could get 6+ inches that will last 3-5 days. In my personal opinion, this trade-off is worth it considering how much more bearablethe summers are on the plateau.


Regarding restaurants, the only “chain” restaurants in the county that aren’t fast food are Ruby Tuesday, Cracker Barrel, and Shoney’s. This doesn’t seem like it will improve anytime soon, with so many options to choose from in nearby Cookeville and Turkey Creek. However, local options are expanding and improving in quality.


Personally, I would never take Hwy 70 to Knoxville or Cookeville. Due to the topography of the region, any road that is not the interstate is going to have quite a few curves. Even I-40 has curves, but is much more drivable than surrounding backroads. But,if time is not an issue, this can be done.

[bettye198]

KmClark, it would be interesting to have your input on Tellico and Rarity. We plan on a flight to Nashville and thus to FFG to view homes sometime this month. It is sooo hard to do business 3000 miles away and with our practice still going it is ten times harder. We have friends who live in FFG, moved there last October and love it, love their neighbors and the amenities for the husband who loves bowling, kayaking, fishing. Honestly, we are not into amenities because our dream is to settle down after 47 yrs of hard work. We still will be semi retired to an extent. We are 10 yrs your junior but we hear you. You posed the same questions we had. Our friends say the snow happens then melts. The rain happens but nothing to worry about. Their goal is to upgrade their home which they purchases at $119,000! That is a rarity. But the husband loves woodwork. This week the wife was outside doing major yard work and clearing the bushes and the mess left by the former owner. But they are 10 years MY junior so they have more energy. I just want a home that denotes peace.
Questions for anyone: if you live closer to the lake is there a big bug problem? If the home is older than 20 yrs and no upgrades should we pass on viewing?
I learned that there is a post office in town, a medical clinic, and the sheriff is super great. He came and charged a friends battery that died on the road. I am a little disappointed that the forum seemed to concentrate on an issue with rudeness in FFG. Rudeness is everywhere but if you show your heart, you might be surprised at what comes back, right? I also learned that most of the residents in FFG come from all over the country so I am wondering again about the rudeness factor that is not primarily a section of TN. People mostly are on a strict income if they are buying into a home in the mid range. There is new construction up north I learned, with higher prices and they are putting in a four lane hwy. I do not know the details but I do know this. If you have a yen to go to a safe community of kindred folks, with land and homes around the woods or lakes you are asking for peace and quiet and when you do want to socialize it is available. HOA fees are not the thing to scream about. My Mom lives in a retirement community, she is bed bound with 24/7 care in Southern Calif and she pays over $600/mo in HOA fees! So FFG is a far cry from that. In our lifetime, if we have another 10-15-20 yrs I choose God's country and nature. Haven't we all been tired of road noise, metropolis chaos, family drama and usury high cost of living? I say be grateful there is a place like FFG.