Does Knoxville have typical suburbs? What's a good area for a single guy to buy house? (days on market, transplants)

[Kitties of Domination]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Hey hey hey!!

j/k

I haven't received a "present" in a long time. I think someone's been sleeping all day.

[hiknapster]

Joe-Joe Jingles must be taking everybody's prizes.

Everyday there is a new mouse or bird. I hate it when he kills the birds. I can't even put out feeders. I call them bird concentration camps.

[Kitties of Domination]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Joe-Joe Jingles must be taking everybody's prizes.

Everyday there is a new mouse or bird. I hate it when he kills the birds. I can't even put out feeders. I call them bird concentration camps.

My strangest prize was a headless dove

[BRH]

I really like the looks of the house at 1715 Edgewood. This is one that I had looked at online several times myself. It looks like the seller has done some nice updates on the interior (especially nice looking kitchen and bathroom).


I was just wondering if that area is pretty safe. I know Ftn. City is safe, and the North Hills area looks to be as well, but after driving around a bit, I had some worries about some of North Knoxville in that area just off of Bdwy. I know several people here live pretty close to that area, so would you say that the house on Edgewood is on a good street and pretty safe area? Just wondering, as I'm also looking for an older bungalow type house like that, and this one had caught my eye as well. Thanks.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by BRH

I really like the looks of the house at 1715 Edgewood. This is one that I had looked at online several times myself. It looks like the seller has done some nice updates on the interior (especially nice looking kitchen and bathroom).


I was just wondering if that area is pretty safe. I know Ftn. City is safe, and the North Hills area looks to be as well, but after driving around a bit, I had some worries about some of North Knoxville in that area just off of Bdwy. I know several people here live pretty close to that area, so would you say that the house on Edgewood is on a good street and pretty safe area? Just wondering, as I'm also looking for an older bungalow type house like that, and this one had caught my eye as well. Thanks.

I love that house, too! I kind of wish I was in the market for another house myself. My parents have said the same thing, they wish that house was for sale when they moved to Knoxville 6 months ago. The craftsman architecture is fantastic, the inside looks wonderful, and the yard has been very well kept.

I live just a few blocks from there, and I consider my neighborhood to be very safe. Last summer I was out of town for an entire month and accidentally left my front door wide open before I left. When I came back, everything was exactly as I had left it.

I know of a minister and his young family who recently bought a house a few doors down from that house on Edgewood and love it. While I don't know if I'd wander around the street at night if I were a single female, I would definitely say the neighborhood is safe for an inner-city neighborhood. Being just a couple hundred feet away from public tennis courts and a library are a big bonus for me. It's also a couple hundred feet from the WBIR-Channel 10 studios.

If you do go and look at the house, I hope you'll give us a report on what you think of the house and of the neighborhood.

[hiknapster]

I think it's very nice in the area of 1515 Edgewood. Nice people live in that neighborhood and it oozes charm. My husband works about a block or two from there on Broadway.

[BRH]

Thanks for the info. I'll have to drive back through the area and take a look at the house and neighborhood. As I said in an earlier post, I currently live in Sweetwater and work in Knoxville, and am looking to move a bit closer to work. I also, really like older homes (bungalows, Victorian cottages, cottages, farmhouse style, and colonials). Ideally, I wish I could find a place on the other side of town (West) or in Loudon County since it would be closer to friends and family in Sweetwater, but there really are no older houses like I like in West Knoxville, and not many on the market right now in Loudon Co.

So I am considering Fountain City and North Knoxville (as almost every home I love is in that area). Also, having spent some time in the area, I really do love the feel of Fountain City. (Now if I could just pick it up and plop it down in west Knox county that would be perfect ) Also, I'm looking for something around the $90,000 to $140,000 price range.

But the home at 1715 Edgewood is one that definitely caught my eye immediately. It has the Arts and Crafts bungalow features I love, plus the inside looks immaculate and very well maintained and upgraded. As I said, I haven't actually toured the house, but it looks to be a very good price from what I see online.

Others, that I have thought about and looked at online include 1915 Edgewood Ave. (North Knox.), 1209 Oglewood Ave. (North Knox), 2235 Fair Dr. (Ftn. City), 2100 Houstonia Dr. (Ftn. City), 2408 Highland Dr. (Ftn. City), 534 Farragut Ave. (North Knox.), and 1804 North Hills Blvd. (North Knox.). I also liked the house behind Ftn. City park at 131 Evergreen Dr., but I noticed the listing is gone now, so I assume it finally sold.

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on any of those properties I listed above. (Good vs. Bad locations, safety, neighborhood, look of the property, any I may have missed, etc.) I know JMT and Hiknapster are both very familiar and helpful with N. Knox and Ftn. City, and I always love to read your thoughts, so any comments would be appreciated and helpful. Thanks in advance.

Also, sorry for asking a different question in this thread, but these houses seem to be the kind that the original poster is interested in too, so hopefully it will help him with his decision as well.

[Servpro Will]

I toured 2100 Houstonia last Saturday in Fountain City. The stone exterior is really nice if you're looking for that "old world" character. The back yard is large and relatively flat, so definitely a plus. For being built in 1941, the house structurally is in great shape, which is always an important factor on an older home. The three bedrooms were nice. The only downsides were the three bedrooms shared one bath, and the kitchen was a bit cramped and narrow. Although, for the handyman, the kitchen could be opened up by taking down a wall and making a breakfast bar instead, giving a lot more open air feel from the kitchen to the dining room. There is an enormous, very well kept basement that runs the entire size of the upper level of the house with a garage entry, so plenty of storage or workshop/art space.

2235 Fair Drive is in a great location, just off Broadway, close to the duckpond, Panera Bread, and plenty of shopping. It shows well, and has plenty of charm with built ins, orignal hardwoods, and some crafty nooks and crannys that those older homes are familiar for. The backyard is good, fairly private and surrounded by some semi-mature trees, with a detached garage. It has been reduced nearly $20,000, and looks to be a short sale soon, so offers may start to roll on it.

Two good homes with character, taste, and charm though....

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by William Sold

I toured 2100 Houstonia last Saturday in Fountain City. The stone exterior is really nice if you're looking for that "old world" character. The back yard is large and relatively flat, so definitely a plus. For being built in 1941, the house structurally is in great shape, which is always an important factor on an older home. The three bedrooms were nice. The only downsides were the three bedrooms shared one bath, and the kitchen was a bit cramped and narrow. Although, for the handyman, the kitchen could be opened up by taking down a wall and making a breakfast bar instead, giving a lot more open air feel from the kitchen to the dining room. There is an enormous, very well kept basement that runs the entire size of the upper level of the house with a garage entry, so plenty of storage or workshop/art space.

2235 Fair Drive is in a great location, just off Broadway, close to the duckpond, Panera Bread, and plenty of shopping. It shows well, and has plenty of charm with built ins, orignal hardwoods, and some crafty nooks and crannys that those older homes are familiar for. The backyard is good, fairly private and surrounded by some semi-mature trees, with a detached garage. It has been reduced nearly $20,000, and looks to be a short sale soon, so offers may start to roll on it.

Two good homes with character, taste, and charm though....

I haven't been to either property, although I live by both, but on the face of things I would make an offer on the Fair Drive property. That looks like a rockin' deal.

In this market, I found that you wait out the price, and then move on it, and move fast.

[BRH]

Just a quick update. Since I was off work today, and my son and I had some errands to run in Knoxville, we took the time to drive around by the properties I mentioned this morning. It wasn't a great day for looking and we simply drove by but I did have some impressions.

First off, I really prefer all the Ftn. City homes over the ones in North Knoxville. I don't know why, but the neighborhood just feels like a better fit for me. Also, the one that I crossed off immediately after driving by was the North Knoxville house at 534 Farragut Ave. near the foot of Sharps Ridge. Very sketchy looking neighborhood that I definitely would not feel safe in. I did like the North Hills home, but noticed it has now sold (and I also kind of like the Oglewood Ave. home, but I think it may be off the market now too since there is no longer any signage up.)

But as I said, I really preferred the Fountain City homes I drove by. Actually, the one I kind of liked best and would possibly be interested in looking at is the colonial at 2408 Highland Dr. Highland and Maple both seem like really nice streets and are in walking distance to the parks, Kroger, Panera, etc. The same is true for the bungalow on Fair Dr. which is in the same area, but I liked the Highland area better. I also noticed another cute bungalow around the corner from the Highland home at 2406 Maple Dr. that was for sale, but I don't see any info on it on the internet. But those are my two favorites. Also, the home on Evergreen Dr. behind Ftn. City park still seems to be for sale too. The signs are still up but the home is no longer in the MLS listings, so I'm not sure what is up with that. But I had looked at it before and like it too (except for there being no off road parking besides the one car garage in the side of the hill).

I also drove by the Houstonia Dr. home, and it was ok. I do really like the quirkiness and look of the home itself, but I didn't like the location that much. It's a bit farther back in the hills and the neighborhood and houses didn't look as nice to me. (kind of seemed like an old subdivision, and I really prefer more of a regular city street feel).

So overall, after the short drive by, my teenage son and I both agreed that our favorites were 2408 Highland Dr.(the colonial), and 131 Evergreen Dr. (behind Ftn. City Park). We may schedule a time to actually go in and view these sometime soon. As I said, I'm not sure what is up with the listing on the Evergreen home and if it is still on the market, but if it is, it is a great location and a good deal after they dropped the price to $114,000. I think the home on Highland Dr. may be a bit overpriced at $134,900, but it was originally priced at $144,000 a few months back, so it may not drop much more.

But I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the comments and info. Is anyone familiar with the Highland Dr. home and what are your thoughts on that one?