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I grew up in Nashville, graduated UT and have lived and worked in 7 states from Calif to Alabama and built or bought homes in each of them. In 2001 my wife and I moved back to E. Tennessee. For the past 15 years we lived across the lake from Rarity Bay and in 2015 we bought and built our FINAL home, in Rarity Bay. Our lot is on a point with 400' of shoreline looking at the main channel. Having lived in the area for so long we were aware of the difficulties Rarity Bay and other communities suffered from the 2008 recession. And yes it has new owners. But the community and home owners are GREAT! The basic amenities include, a gated community with a golf course, clubhouse and restaurant, pool, exercise facilities, tennis & pickle ball courts, community center, both community and individual docks for boats and an equestrian center. There are over 50 active clubs ranging from boating, hiking, card groups, shooting sports, bible study, pool, bowling and more. The people are very friendly and welcoming. Bottom Line: WE LOVE IT HERE!! And would encourage anyone considering a new home in an active lifestyle community check it out. I am not a realtor, builder, just a home owner but if you have questions about Rarity Bay, please feel free to contact me.
We visited all over the south (Ga, SC, NC, Tx, Tn) looking at swim/tennis/golf communities on a lake for retirement. We have narrowed to Tellico, and have visited Rarity Bay, WindRiver, Tellico Village, and Tennessee National. We ruled out WR for 3 reasons: no natural gas, expensive lot prices, and the clubhouse was disappointing. We ruled out TN for 3 reasons: we heard negative stories regarding boating/Watts Bar, the marina was disappointing, and the clubhouse grill reeked of mildew. Therefore, we are debating between Rarity Bay and Tellico Village. We currently live in a s/t/g neighborhood that has young families, middle-age workers, and retirees... but want to get back south where we grew up. Does anyone have info re: average age of residents at either TV or RB? i.e., will either community offer diversity of young families, middle-age workers, and retirees?
For TV, the breakdown is: people under 49 represent only about 10% of the population, (4% being under 21), people in their 50's are 12%, people in their 60's are 41%, people in their 70's are 28%, people in their 80's or older are 7%.
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I've noticed that more people in their 50's to early 60's are moving in lately. Also many of the new homes being built are smaller, and lower priced, than was typical for TV in the 90's.
I'm afraid Rarity Bay data is not available, probably due to their smaller population. TV is over 6000 people, and has been around longer so I think, due to size, we are included because population-wise we are as big as many Tennessee small cities. Maybe some Rarity Bay folks will chime in with their stats.
We have owned a place in Tellico Village and also Martha's Vineyard for years. We fell in love with East Tennessee and decided to "go all in" by selling both properties and upgrading into Rarity Bay. We love it. I wish we had made the move earlier, but the pure beauty of the peninsula and people are outstanding.
Martha's Vineyard (MV) and Tellico Village (TV) are great as well, but it was nice to leave the high total cost of ownership in MV and when we decided to live year round in East Tennessee, Rarity Bay was the best fit for us.
Internet speeds in TV or RB are not comparable to what we had in Martha's Vineyard (fiber optics), but we have the exact same service in RB as we did in TV. It should be noted that we live in Loudon County on Rarity Bay, but I am not sure if that makes a difference or not.
Here is my recommendation for what it is worth. If you are at the stage in your life where you are considering a place such as Rarity Bay, Tellico Village...or even a similar place in another part of the country altogether....just find a home and location that feels comfortable and that you will enjoy. If you look out your back windows and say "this is beautiful"...or you have neighbors who you like and wave as you drive by....and you feel safe and comfortable...and you think I will be content for as long as I live here....then make the move and consider yourself lucky to live where you are living.
Rarity Bay - Convenient to Amenities? Good Social Calendar?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveBestToday
We have owned a place in Tellico Village and also Martha's Vineyard for years. We fell in love with East Tennessee and decided to "go all in" by selling both properties and upgrading into Rarity Bay. We love it. I wish we had made the move earlier, but the pure beauty of the peninsula and people are outstanding.
Martha's Vineyard (MV) and Tellico Village (TV) are great as well, but it was nice to leave the high total cost of ownership in MV and when we decided to live year round in East Tennessee, Rarity Bay was the best fit for us.
Internet speeds in TV or RB are not comparable to what we had in Martha's Vineyard (fiber optics), but we have the exact same service in RB as we did in TV. It should be noted that we live in Loudon County on Rarity Bay, but I am not sure if that makes a difference or not.
Here is my recommendation for what it is worth. If you are at the stage in your life where you are considering a place such as Rarity Bay, Tellico Village...or even a similar place in another part of the country altogether....just find a home and location that feels comfortable and that you will enjoy. If you look out your back windows and say "this is beautiful"...or you have neighbors who you like and wave as you drive by....and you feel safe and comfortable...and you think I will be content for as long as I live here....then make the move and consider yourself lucky to live where you are living.
Thank you for this helpful information.
My husband and I are considering Tennessee (and South Carolina) for our retirement in four-ish years. I really like the looks of Rarity Bay and Tellico Village - but RB seems to be more our style.
My main question is around proximity of RB to amenities - nice grocery store (like Publix or similar), medical facilities (hospital) and casual restaurants/movie theaters. I'd prefer to not drive a great distance (10+ miles) just to grab groceries and catch a movie. Also - as we age - I worry about distance to an emergency room and/or memory care docs.
My second question is related to the social life at RB. Is there a social director and active calendar of events? We'd be relocating from the Midwest and we won't know a soul when we move. It's important for us to live among like-minded folks who want to live on a lake surrounded by natural beauty.
That's all for now...thank you in advance for your insight.
Thank you for this helpful information.
My husband and I are considering Tennessee (and South Carolina) for our retirement in four-ish years. I really like the looks of Rarity Bay and Tellico Village - but RB seems to be more our style.
My main question is around proximity of RB to amenities - nice grocery store (like Publix or similar), medical facilities (hospital) and casual restaurants/movie theaters. I'd prefer to not drive a great distance (10+ miles) just to grab groceries and catch a movie. Also - as we age - I worry about distance to an emergency room and/or memory care docs.
My second question is related to the social life at RB. Is there a social director and active calendar of events? We'd be relocating from the Midwest and we won't know a soul when we move. It's important for us to live among like-minded folks who want to live on a lake surrounded by natural beauty.
That's all for now...thank you in advance for your insight.
Hello. Here is our experience/thoughts on your questions:
1) Shopping - If you live in either Rarity Bay or any of the Tellico Village communities, then shopping excursions are more of an "event" that you make a part of your day. I say this because you will need to drive up to West Knoxville to get to the Costco, Turkey Creek shopping area, etc. There is certainly shopping available closer, but that drive is what we find we do the most often...and it becomes part of an event. Personally, this becoming an activity instead of a drive-by is part of what we have learned to enjoy about the lifestyle here.
2) Groceries - on the other hand, who wants to make going to the grocery store an "event". There are plenty of grocery stores within a drive...but I guess most would prefer to get to the grocery store and get back to put the food in the refrigerator or freezer ASAP. As a result, I wish there were better options close by. I hope you are fine with a Food City. Of course, we buy the bulk items when we are at Costco, but we find we do the quick drive-by runs at either a convenient store or Food City. Not my favorite thing to do, and I wish there more close-by options.
3) Amenities - for us, we find we are doing more entertainment here than we ever did than when we lived in places such as MV, Atlanta, Charlotte, or Chicago. It may be more miles, but we find the amount of time it takes to actually get to Point A from Point B is a fraction of the time it took us to do so elsewhere. As a result, it is not a question of how many miles, but how long does it take. Compared to Atlanta and Chicago, you can access entertainment (movies, restaurants, concerts, sporting events) much more conveniently and considerably less time than we could in in those other places...and we find we live a much more active lifestyle as a result. For example only, is it a problem to drive 20 miles instead of 10 miles if it takes half the time to complete the drive and actually get into and enjoy the destination?
4) Medical Facilities - this is one you will need to decide for yourself. We have found the medical treatment in Knoxville to be on par with other places we have been. The difference is we can get an appointment much quicker on average. With that said, the distance to top notch emergency rooms is something you need to consider. They are further away...and unlike amenities...distance can be a major issue when you need medical attention at 2AM in the morning. Others may weigh in on this one though because we have fortunately not had such a need, and we have not met anyone where this has been an issue...but that is only because there has not been a need.
5) Social - this is where you cannot go wrong in either RB or TV. There seems to be endless opportunity for social and interest oriented opportunities. There is a coordinator and the residents themselves coordinate also. If this is an important factor, then just check that box as a "pro" on your list, and know it is there for you. I can provide specifics if you have specific areas of interest.
6) Neighbors - you did not ask, but I cannot tell you how friendly Rarity Bay is. It is off the charts. I guess because it is on the peninsula and is more open versus segmented by neighborhood, but people actually wave. People actually want to talk. They want to know each other. It was actually weird for us at first (which is sad), but now we would find this is the number one thing we would miss if we had to move away...even more than the incredible beauty of the peninsula and surrounding waters and mountains.
I hope this helps. Also, and I know you know this, but we were reminded of this when we were considering moving out of Tellico and into Rarity Bay...but regardless of where it is, if you can see yourself enjoying that morning or evening walk, and you enjoy water activities, and you lose your breath when you can look from your home and see the beautiful lake within steps of you and the gorgeous mountains in the distance...and you want to live an active lifestyle where you can make a day of going to the mountains and having a picnic and then eating at a restaurant or catching a movie...and then be back looking at the gorgeous lake from your home in the evening...then many of the things I worried about previously interestingly melted away.
Last edited by LiveBestToday; 12-04-2019 at 05:10 AM..
I'd add to #6 that, as a resident of TV this last 6 years, I've never found a place where people (neighbors, service people, clerks, and servers included) are as friendly as they are here. I can't speak to RB, but the neighbors here in TV are incredible. We met our new neighbors at the home we rented for 4 months before buying immediately. The 2 families that lived behind us, and our next door neighbors, invited us to a BBQ held at their home to introduce us to everyone on the street. We are still close friends with those folks, and have shared many events including their family Thanksgiving dinners, and gone on long vacations with them. At the home we bought, our new neighbors invited us and another new couple to a wine and cheese get together to allow us to get to know all the folks on our new cul-de-sac. We see these folks frequently and have had other events in both our home and theirs. We know our neighbors well, and they know us. We're very comfortable knowing that we have each others best interests at heart.
In TV there is a group known as New Villagers that is open to all residents during the first 2 years of residency that allows new people to meet other new people, make friends, and get plugged into the social groups, clubs, outings, and other activities of the village. It really allows you to discover other new people with similar interests and to participate in activities to allow you to get to know one another without awkwardness. Everyone in the village seems to be so outgoing and ready to converse. It's easier to make friends here than anywhere I've ever lived.
I have no doubt that in either TV or RB you will find making friends and finding activities very easy.
Agree with the above comments. The area is very beautiful and you can be as social as you want to be. The people are extremely friendly. There is a lot to love about Loudon and Monroe Counties.
With that said, we moved to Charleston SC. What we gave up in TV, we gained with more convenience here in Charleston.
Also more humidity and a lot more traffic! But the movie theater is around the corner as well as Publix, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's...
I only mention this because you are also considering SC. Best of luck with your retirement plans!
For anyone considering the Rarity Bay community for your residence, you must give careful thought to such a decision if your property is encumbered with the Country Club’s Mandatory Social Membership. A real estate agent can inform you as to whether such a restriction is contained in the property deed, or if a membership is required under an amendment to the By-Laws.
Mandatory social memberships do not expire. Memberships currently require a non-refundable $5,000 initiation fee. Besides the monthly dues, you will have to subsidize the Club’s restaurant, currently set at $900 annually. I’m not sure how this is invoiced to Club members, but this is owed whether or not you dine at the Club. Last year, some Club members paid $450 not to eat at the Club. There is no restriction on the amount charged for Club Membership dues.
Upon further interest, you should seek information about current lawsuits and how they may affect your investment and overall property values. Research readily available information on properties sold and compare to original cost and prior sales, if any. Property Assessments and taxes are also readily available on the internet. If you want to view a property deed, or associated documents, this information can also be found, for cost, on the internet; just search for, “property title search.” WARNING: The Mandatory Social Membership restriction may not appear in the most current deed; it may be found in a prior deed, so it is important to conduct a thorough search.
Property owners are members of the Association, RBCAI, which has a Board of seven Directors. Currently, the Board is comprised of four residents, the Declarant, and two appointed by the Declarant. The Declarant holds dominion and control over the community, and can overrule Board decisions. Recent laws created through the Tennessee judicial system include guidelines to determine when a Board obtains its independence, but the Declarant has refused to turn over the community to resident control. As the Courts recognized, conflict will continue to be likely when a Developer/Declarant holds on to such power over a long period of time.
Rarity Bay is beautiful, people are friendly, and one can find happiness in various ways. I have stopped recommending Rarity Bay because it is now clear that one person will continue to control the community in perpetuity. If the Declarant feels he is exempt from Tennessee law, I have doubts that property owners can expect he will ever act contrary to his own self-interests.
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