Looking for some guidance on Nashville housing. (Franklin, Hendersonville: for sale, real estate)

[fiskkm]

My wife and I are due for a transfer and Nashville is one of the locations on our list. I don't know a lot about the city as I have only visited briefly. So, we are looking for some quick assistance to narrow our list of transfer options. I am hoping all of you can help.

We are in our early 30s, have one kid, and expect another. We want to live in an area with great schools, a real community feel, and be no more than a 45 min commute of downtown. Ideally, we would like 2,500 sq ft or more in a 4BR/2BA house with character. Think something unique, either new or very old. I don't need a huge yard, but room enough to kick a soccer ball or throw a football would be nice. Our budget is no more than $450K.

Can you guys point me in the right direction to start my internet search so we can see if we like the looks of the housing/area? Thanks.

[DonCorleone]

Definitely...there are several good choices in that price range.

Generally speaking the more popular options for people looking for good schools are Williamson County (Brentwood, Franklin...south of Nashville) or Sumner County (Hendersonville...northeast of Nashville). Both areas are great as far as schools go and have lots of other amenities (shopping, parks/recreation, community involvement). You should be able to find houses in your price range in Hendersonville, certainly, and are more likely to find them in Franklin. Brentwood is by no means an exclusive community...but generally speaking it is a little more expensive than other parts of town. My guess is you'd find more inventory in Franklin or Hendersonville than Brentwood in your price range.

The commute from Hendersonville to Nashville is generally anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on what part of Hville you live in. There are good interstates and a large state bypass that are nearby and makes for a fairly easy commute most mornings. Franklin to Nashville is probably about the same...30-45 minutes. Brentwood would be a little closer...probably 20-35 minutes.

I can't really suggest any specific communities in Williamson County, but as far as Hendersonville I would look at Mansker's Farm (lots of different architectural plans in that community despite being new), the Indian Lake area (older homes...15-25 years old...but a very nice neighborhood, convenient to everything), and maybe some of the communities off of Long Hollow Pike towards Big Station Camp. Some of these are cookie cutter, but have loads of ft/sq.

Definitely check out www.realtracs.com as you do your search. It is a clearinghouse of all real estate listings in the area. Search by county, city, or even by elementary school zoning. Plus it is not affiliated with any real estate company so you get unbiased listings.

Best of luck and let us know how we can help!

[fiskkm]

Thanks for the help. It looks like there are many great options for newer housing stock. That has me excited. But, what about older unique neighborhoods with character? I visited Franklin once and LOVED that old town area (the look, the convenience, the walkability, etc). Are there classic old home around there, or in other locations, that would be a good fit?

[BirdieBelle]

There's not much in that price range, unfortunately.
Here is one example:
906 Fair Franklin TN Home for Sale - Real Estate Listings - MLS #1199931 - Realtor.com®

With your criteria, I found 6 listings, with three located on major busy roads.
Most are 3 bedroom, 2 bath.

[Kevin south of Nashville]

It’s tougher to find the unique bungalows and Victorians of Franklin and West End at reasonable prices that we all might like, but you are definitely seeing the new construction stock correctly. You’ll have a lot of national builders to choose from in Williamson County in your price range (this year, you’ll even have some of the local, semi custom builders to choose from as well).

Your 2,500 square feet for around $400-450,000 is a safe bet for most of the new construction projects in Franklin, Brentwood, and Nolensville but many of the choices will actually be a little larger – pushing 3,000 and 3,500 square feet – and so asking a little on the high side of your search.

[[Disclaimer: Information below is to help with your search, not a solicitation and not my homeowners listed below]]

Some distressed homes can also be at impressive prices for you right now - like 617 Firefox Drive (MLS # 1222169) that previously sold for $570k, now asking $449,900. A FSBO home in the same neighborhood at 305 Shadow Creek Drive at $379k, or just a well priced neighborhood like Bridgeton Park in Brentwood (1256 Bridgeton Park Drive MLS # 1230880 for $359,500).

There are a numbers of realtors on the forum if you are looking for that sort of help and Wmsn4Life can probably answer any of your Williamson County Schools questions better than all of us :-) For general community questions – this forum helped us a ton when we moved years ago and continues to be the best resource I can recommend to folks like you considering the move. Good luck!

[sucrose]

I'm not sure about schools in Hendersonville but there are some good deals on interesting architecture there. Unfortunately, this is a relatively newly-developed part of the country and most people here prefer cookie-cutter new housing (15 years is considered old and outdated, and 50's is treated as teardown--which is probably somewhat accurate since it's mostly brick ranches with as little character as possible). My point: unique is hard to come by in areas with good schools and decent size yards. The Craftsmans and Victorians are clustered on tiny lots in miserable school districts. We've been searching about three months for something w/similar characteristics and finally found something we like - an unusual 60s contemporary in Brentwood. Good luck with your search.

[jenntenn]

Look at this one
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details
So its under your square footage and ya its a 60's ranch, but its an AMAZING house in an AMAZING location and it meets all of your other requirements

[chrissykirkwood]

Originally Posted by fiskkm

My wife and I are due for a transfer and Nashville is one of the locations on our list. I don't know a lot about the city as I have only visited briefly. So, we are looking for some quick assistance to narrow our list of transfer options. I am hoping all of you can help.

We are in our early 30s, have one kid, and expect another. We want to live in an area with great schools, a real community feel, and be no more than a 45 min commute of downtown. Ideally, we would like 2,500 sq ft or more in a 4BR/2BA house with character. Think something unique, either new or very old. I don't need a huge yard, but room enough to kick a soccer ball or throw a football would be nice. Our budget is no more than $450K.

Can you guys point me in the right direction to start my internet search so we can see if we like the looks of the housing/area? Thanks.

Hey there! If you want houses with character, check out East Nashville or Inglewood -- about 10 minutes from downtown Nashville! zipcodes: 37206, 37216 and 37207.