Want to know more about Lexington for a possible move from Atlanta. Help! (for sale, foreclosure) - Kentucky (KY) -Fayette County - City-Data Forum

gemkeeper · 08-03-2007, 10:23 AM

There is so much information on the forum,but without having spent any time (other than overnight pass-on-thru visits), we don't know much about the neighborhoods in and around Lexington. We are ready to explore!

We now live in a suburb of Atlanta and want to get further north so we can be within 6-8 hours of our families (MI, PA, CT), but still be in the milder climate of KY or TN and still enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the South.

We have spent a bit of time in the Knoxville area looking because it is an easy 4 hour drive from our current home, but are not convinced the Knoxville area is what we are the most comfortable with.

We want to spend a lot more time in the Lexington area to house and lot hunt, but right now with my husband commuting out of state to work it is difficult, so the forum is very important to me.

We enjoy being in and around mid-size cities with entertainment, shopping, cultural events of all kinds, good health care, etc. without the oversize everything of another Atlanta. I would like to be able to substitute teach or volunteer after-school tutoring. Lexington seems to fit the bill, plus having the friendliest people we have met anywhere is a wonderful plus!

My husband will be retiring at the end of the year and we would like to find a small piece of property to build the house that has been rattling around in my head for about 15 years, and be in a friendly active community with lots to see and do, with diverse age and cultural groups, and the opportunity to make lots of friends of all ages.

We are not retiring wealthy; don't want a McMansion, but are planning on $350K or so. Can anyone steer us to some stable, pleasant areas where we might find a 1/2 to 3/4 acre lot and build a home in this price range? Can you suggest builders in the area who are well-respected?

Also, following the various threads, it sounds like there are plenty of established areas that would a good fit for us. Our primary goal is to find a friendly neighborhood in which we can become active, contributing neighbors and that will be convenient to all that Lexington has to offer - which seems to be an endless variety of wonderful things!

easydoesit · 08-04-2007, 01:22 PM

Too many to list. Can you come up with some ideas and list the areas you have in mind and we could give you feedback then. Just get on lbar.com and look around...

gemkeeper · 08-04-2007, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by easydoesit

Too many to list. Can you come up with some ideas and list the areas you have in mind and we could give you feedback then. Just get on lbar.com and look around...

Thanks for the link, easydoesit. I am not surprised at your answer. Some common sense on my part would have let me realize that there are many, many areas that would fit the bill. I'll get onto that link and come up with 5 or 6 that look good and then ask you all what the general concensus is.

Thanks again for the help.

easydoesit · 08-04-2007, 05:51 PM

gemthornton -

Don't forget to look at some neighborhoods going up right across the Fayette County line in Jessamine Co. Some of those neighborhoods are pretty nice and on average, you will be able to get more property for your home there and from what I know, lower property taxes there as well. From there Lexington is just as close as some of the outlying areas of Fayette Co. Given that you don't have kids to raise (I assume), it may be a better deal for you as the public schools are not quite as good in Jessamine as they are in Fayette. Good luck house hunting and post some ideas when you have 'em.

ic-epi · 08-04-2007, 06:14 PM

A suggestion for you... this is a GREAT time to buy an existing home and there are so many for sale here in the Lexington area (and surrounding areas) that you should be able to find a beautiful existing home in your price range. I know some people absolutely want to build and that's fine, but I thought I'd suggest it because I believe you can get more house and land for your money right now if you buy existing, and there are some beautiful houses to choose from. Lexington is filled with beautiful subdivisions.

I've only lived here for a couple of weeks but have done a lot of research and looked at literally hundreds of houses for sale in this area over the past couple of months. My guess from your post is that you would prefer to live in Lexington proper, not the surrounding areas (Woodford, Jessamine counties etc) to be near entertainment and amenities. School districts may not affect you directly but they will affect your resale so I think that should be a consideration for everyone. Right now we're living temporarily in the Beaumont area of Lexington and it's near everything and it is very beautiful and a highly desirable area (and it's a newer area), but if you prefer closer to downtown or campus there are other neighborhoods that are nice. Hope this is somewhat helpful.

gemkeeper · 08-04-2007, 06:42 PM

Both great ideas. I will check out neighboring counties as well. We do prefer to live in a small sub - I crave neighbors, young and older. We have built before a couple of times and after those experiences I have in my mind the "perfect" house for 2 young seniors that will also handle a ton of visiting friends, grown children and grandkids.

But, you have a good point, ic-epi, that there are so many homes on the market that it is likely that there is a home on the market just for us. We are definitely going to explore both options.

We are still waiting for our house to sell here and it may take a while, so in the meantime, we plan on making as many exploratory trips up to Lexington area as needed to find either a nice lot in a homey neighborhood, or perhaps an existing house in a good school district. Might be able to help someone else in the bargain who is wondering when in the world their house will sell.

Right now, there is a pang of building guilt knowing that there are so many wonderful homes that folks might lose to foreclosure or for next-to-nothing if the market doesn't improve.

Thank you both for some good imput to think about. I will definitely post when we have got some possibilites in mind to get some opinions from those in the know.

atlantagreg30127 · 08-14-2007, 08:40 PM

gemthornton -

Atlanta here, too. I sent you a private msg about the topic with suggestions.

j9ingr · 08-17-2007, 07:01 AM

We have been here since March 07. I am a at home mom, who has a jr. high child. I did lot of investigating the whole time I have been here. Schools, houses etc. Prices are alot higher in Lex. for the amount of house you get. But the good thing is that the taxes are lower. Lexington is surrounded by Fayette county.. Best Schools in area. But no land. Houses are on top of each other. You will be lucky to get a back yard within a throwing stone of your neighbor. Some yards are big but you pay for it. Alot of them have community pools and you have to pay a mandatory assoc. fee. Not all neighborhoods have that though. No basements... well you can find a house with a basement but you pay about 40,000 more. All schools are good. The division of them is like a pie... Lexington being a circle and all. This means you will have alot of all kinds in a school, which I think is good. Tates Creek is very diversified. You will have the very wealthy to the lower income. The campus has all the school around it. Grade, middle and high. It is weird because all subs. housing is around it. Whats kind of nice is that thye have a dress code. You have to wear blk. blue, khaki, pants,shorts, or skirts and plain collard shirts, blue, blk. tan, grey white. All must be worn with a belt and tucked in. This they say will make everyone equal and look successful.Okay... i guess. All Schools in area seem to be good. They only one I have heard and definately have investigated about, to not look into is Brian Station. Sad because alot of nice housing is in that area. If you are looking for land, you will not find it in Fayette county. No land to be had. All the land that is left is/or is being use for building and the rest is preserve Horse Farm/Land Locked. I do know that 19 acres was sold for 500,000 lol
unreal hun. But it had to remain horse farm. Let me know if you want anymore info.. I can give it to you...

LEXpert · 08-17-2007, 09:35 AM

A really neat neighborhood in Jessamine Co. is Crosswoods. It is about 20 years old now. The lots are big. It sits almost on the line with Fayette Co, so you really would feel like you are in Lexington. There is even a shopping center just minutes away, and is very close to the new Brannon Crossing retail area.

Jessamine co is the way to go if lot size is important. That is also where all the big lots are. Fayette Co won't allow anything less than 40 acre lots to be developed outside of the Urban Service area. That is why builders have moved to Jessamine Co for 1/2 to 1 acre lots.

The market for houses in your price range is pretty slow. I would look into existing houses before you commit to building. Alot of these are builder spec homes. They need to sell them to free up credit to move on to the next job, so you have more room now to negotiate than ever.

gemkeeper · 08-20-2007, 05:45 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions. It looks as though to get a good size lot, we will definitely have to be out of the county. We'll definitely take a look at Crossroads in Jessamine Co. It sounds like it may be just what we are looking for, Lexpert.

Another good point, j9ingr, is to look at all of the inventory that speculative builders have sitting. We may find just what we want in an existing vacant new house.

Thank you both for your suggestions. This will help a lot when we get to Lexington next week for a few days to search. We plan on enjoying the local atmosphere while there, too. Not all work!