New to town - will $200k buy us a home in the areas we'd like? (Murfreesboro: wood floors, real estate market)

[watchinthesunbake]

Thank you for reading. I apologize for the length.

My husband and I are in our early 30s, professionals, no kids (yet), and moving to Nashville in mid June for his new job in Murfreesboro. We originally thought we'd rent for a year before considering a home purchase but rents are so high and inventory so low that we're now planning to get a 6 month rental lease and shop for a new home during that time. First time home buyers. Very green. Budget is around $200-220k for a 2/2 or better, >= 1,200 sq ft.

Compared to where we are from, the N'ville real estate market is pricey so I'm already apprehensive. I am trying to set my expectations to avoid disappointment. Would you say it's a buyer's market?

We're looking for these things, pretty much in this order, in a SFH:
1. safety
2. neighborliness - would strongly prefer walkable amenities but they may be out of price range; "front porch" type neighborhood socialization of folks in our age bracket is a VERY high priority
3. comfortable home - doesn't have to be huge or fancy. moderately updated. we're not very handy.
4. lots of natural light in the home (we're excluding from our search townhomes and condos with attached properties on both sides)
5. easy access to I-24 for M'boro commute
6. good school system a big plus for future kids and/or resale value

Do you think $200-220k can get us this without having to go too far outside the hub of the city? We're basically looking for a small, decent house in a lively, sociable neighborhood not too far away from things to do (like N'ville downtown). 15 minute drive is fine. We like to feel connected to the community and find suburbs kinda boring. The best communities for us seem to be above our price range (12South, etc.). Not sure where that leaves us.

Suggestions for how to frame our search, or names of areas to look at, are appreciated. I guess you could say we're looking for a second (or third?) tier 12South. Or maybe East N'ville, though I don't know if we can get on a decent street for this budget?

Sorry if this is not specific enough. I'd love to be more specific (that's the goal!) but right now the picture is just not that clear.

Many thanks!

[CountryGirl2b=]

Are you looking in Murfreesboro or in the Nashville suburbs? Yes, you can get a house in the $200,000 - $225,000 range very easily in Spring Hill (about 20 minutes south of Franklin) or even in Franklin itself that tick most of your boxes. Although commute would be long and I think you'd have to go down 65 and across on 840? Or maybe 96 over to 840? I think it might be a 40 minute commute. Are you sure you want to do that? I live in Franklin and love it - about 20 minutes to the heart of Nashville, 10 minutes to Cool Springs (mall and mega shopping area).

But you really need to think about that long commute . . . . Someone from Murfreesboro might be able to help as well. Also, perhaps Nolensville would be a good match????

[watchinthesunbake]

Thanks, CountryGirl, for your help.

We're interested in Nashville, not so much Murfreesboro, because we plan to take frequent advantage of the amentities of a larger city.

He's expecting a 45 minute commute, based on what we've read, so as long as we can find a house location that doesn't lengthen that time, we're ok.

Franklin is a possibility but may be a hard sell to DH, since he'd like to be closer to the heart of N'ville. Sounds like Spring Hill would be too far south. Thanks for all the suggestions, though. This is exactly the kind of process I'm looking for - help discovering options.

I may be dreaming, but I'm looking for an area with a lot of character, that doesn't have a planned subdivision feel, where neighbors chat over a beer on the lawn after work. And houses for <$220k. Does this exist in N'ville?

[ariesjow]

You have plenty of options even though you don't have a huge budget. You should be able to find a home rather easily for $220k in the city. Are you focused on 12South and East Nashville? I've been looking at homes for the last couple of months in those areas. I think you may get a little more bang for your buck in East Nashville. Price points seem to be higher around 12South and even Melrose already which I am also considering. There is a development of new, craftsman bungalows in Melrose called Gale Park which may be just over your range. You may also be able to find a nice townhome around West End Park too. Also, you may want to check out Salemtown and Sylvan Heights. I mention these neighborhoods because they are adjacent to Germantown and Sylvan Park respectively and I've noticed some really nice homes around your range that would easily be a short drive over to the more popular 'hoods.

In regards to East Nashville, I know for a fact that there are homes around East End, Eastwood, Rolling Acres, Greenwood, etc. in East Nashville that are in your range. In fact, I've been selfishless hoping no one buys this mid-century ranch that's I've been looking at near Eastland for about a month. Just check out realtracs, put in the zip code and price range, then you should have a host of options. Just make sure you check out your location on a map to make sure the neighborhood is good. I hate to generalize, but the neighborhoods east of Gallatin Pike tend to be the "trendy," more revitalized ones if you are focused on East Nashville. But there are still some nice 'hoods west of Gallatin Pike as well. You may want to consider Inglewood as well which is just north of East Nashville and has some nice homes.

[CountryGirl2b=]

I totally understand about wanting 'character' but please don't assume that sub division type places are unsocial. Because we have two pools, a book club, walking club, summer movies by the pool called "Dive In" night, Memorial Day Cookouts, Halloween parties, Neighborhood Watch, etc. and it's VERY friendly and also feels very safe.

I spent 6 months looking for a house, flying down from CT every few weeks and looking on realtracs.com (working with a RE agent) and I DID look at a lot of older homes with great character and big lawns! Crieve Hall hasn't been mentioned but I looked there as well. At the end of the search, however, we ended up with a 14 year old house in a sub division. NOT at all where I thought I would end up. The tipping point for me was the work involved with an older home . . they are labors of love, to be sure. I have spent a bit of money on THIS house (roof, hardware, kitchen faucet, paint, carpet, new garage door opener, etc). Can't imagine adding refinishing wood floors, adding A/C unit, replacing windows, new cabinets, etc. Just be aware that older homes with character get that character with some hard work.

Also, mowing the grass. I thought it would be no big deal. I have a small yard and a pretty garden BUT mowing is tough in the summer. It gets hot very early (like 5:30 AM). I thought I wanted a big yard. Now I am thinking about paving the entire back yard!! (just kidding) You know what else I had to buy besides a lawn mower? Tools!!! A drill, weed whacker, hammers, screw drivers, wire cutters, chisels, spackle, paint brushes, garden tools, . . I have (no lie) a PILE of receipts from Lowe's!

My sister wants to move here next summer and is ALSO looking for a place with character and she looks at houses in East Nashville online a lot and to be sure she has found some charming homes. Be aware that it's a neighborhood in transition and you need to make sure your house is on the same . . . level . . as others in the neighborhood. There is one house that has been all redone and they want $130,000 for it! Very nice BUT all the other houses on the street are on Zillow as being worth about $60,000. Don't buy the most expensive house in the neighborhood!

I am THINKING that East Nashville might be more of a commute than say, Franklin, but I could be wrong. Not sure about the traffic flow. There are lots of pockets of entertainment and not ALL are in downtown Nashville.

Also, are you at all concerned about SCHOOLS? Generally Williamson County schools are better though of than Davidson County . . . but maybe that is a long way off for you???

Are you planning to come and look around? Where are you moving from? Do you watch HGTV? There is a show called "Property Virgins" you should check out!!!!

[ariesjow]

^ I totally missed that the OP is commuting to M'boro. That would be quite a commute. It's manageable, but I think I would concentrate south of downtown if I had to make that commute each day.

[BirdieBelle]

Lenox Village in South Nashville might work. The homes are newer, but they are more of a vintage architectural style and the community is mixed-use.

You also would have a reverse commute to Murfreesboro, which is optimal.

You could drive down Nolensville Road to Burkitt Road and across to I-24 instead of navigating Bell Road to the north. It's a beautiful country drive.

[Hey_Hey]

The commute to Murfreesboro from Nashville will be going against the grain, so it won't be nearly as bad as commuting to Nashville from Murfreesboro.

My wife and I just bought a house in the Music Row/Hillsboro Village area of Nashville. We also looked at Green Hills, Cherokee Park, and East Nashville. We were looking at primarily 3 and 4 bedroom houses, so a little bit different than you are but a lot of the metrics should still apply. In general, I think you can count on houses costing somewhere in the $140-180/sq ft range in those neighborhoods. It will be significantly more expensive than the suburban places of Nashville. Even the most expensive suburbs (Brentwood and Franklin) seem to be selling for $110-130/sq foot with Hendersonville, Mt Juliet, Murfreesboro below that. However, it's more expensive for a reason. Those neighborhoods clearly offer something that the suburbs simply don't. For some people (like me and you) we're willing to pay a little more or get a little less house for the older neighborhood, proximity to entertainment, and the vibrancy of an urban neighborhood. For others, that's the least important thing for them.

If you're looking for a 2/2, then there probably won't be many single family homes since most single family houses are built with 3 bedrooms. There will be a few available, but most will be townhomes, condos, or semi-detached.

Here are a few that I found, all within walking distance or a very short drive of shopping/restaurants/entertainment:

East Nashville:
1015 Fatherland St APT 305, Nashville, TN 37206 MLS# 1360257 - Zillow
939 Russell St APT 13, Nashville, TN 37206 MLS# 1336271 - Zillow
914 Boscobel St, Nashville, TN 37206 MLS# 1364008 - Zillow

West End:
3818 W End Ave APT 107, Nashville, TN 37205 MLS# 1364393 - Zillow
4225 Harding Pike APT 404, Nashville, TN 37205 MLS# 1367222 - Zillow

Green Hills:
2025 Woodmont Blvd APT 232, Nashville, TN 37215 MLS# 1367664 - Zillow

12South:
817 Battlefield Dr # 817, Nashville, TN 37204 MLS# 1326826 - Zillow
2310 Elliott Ave APT 715, Nashville, TN 37204 MLS# 1355107 - Zillow
2825 Hazelwood Dr # 2823, Nashville, TN 37212 MLS# 1346850 - Zillow

Of course, that's just a few. There's several more that I didn't include. And it goes without saying, of course, that the price will also vary significantly with how updated the property is. Good luck with the house search.

[airen123]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Lenox Village in South Nashville might work. The homes are newer, but they are more of a vintage architectural style and the community is mixed-use.

You also would have a reverse commute to Murfreesboro, which is optimal.

You could drive down Nolensville Road to Burkitt Road and across to I-24 instead of navigating Bell Road to the north. It's a beautiful country drive.

I second this. It's pretty much where we live and my husband commutes to M'boro for his job, about 35-40 minutes and I to downtown Nashville-20-25 mins. It's pretty much the closest point to M'boro in Davidson Co.
Look in zip codes 37211 and 37027 in Davidson Co.

[watchinthesunbake]

I appreciate all the help - thanks to everyone who has responded.

Thing is, we would strongly prefer a SFH over TH or condo and almost all of what has been recommended has been TH or condo. Should I infer from this that my SFH "with a lot of character, that doesn't have a planned subdivision feel, where neighbors chat over a beer on the lawn after work" for under $220k can't be had?

Hey_Hey has given me some hope with his price per sq ft estimates, so the challenge may simply be finding a property (seems like listings in the areas I might like sell very quickly)?

Side note to Hey_Hey: we're not looking for a 2/2 per se, but a 2/2 or better. So a 3/2, etc. is fine.

I am sure Fieldstone Farms is a great place to live but it doesn't speak to us, our vibe is different.

I really wish I liked tract homes, as it would make my search a lot easier!