Seeking Advice Regarding Schools & Rental Costs

[CountryGirl116]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Thx. I wondered! You don't just "end up" there. LOL

LOL, yea, it was a pretty good hike. Beautiful though. So much different than here...I wanted to stay right then and there, lol.

[CountryGirl2b=]

My sister just moved up from New Port Richey, FL . . . I think the biggest thing that was cheaper for her was car insurance. Housing was a bit 'cheaper' in that she was underwater with her house there. And property taxes. BUT you have to pay for heat up here part of the year which you don't in FL. She really loves it here - more culture and things to do that she enjoys, concerts, etc. But I'm not sure about the cost of living being that much less. We moved from CT and really found a difference.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl116

We pay $1150 for a 2 bedroom house in FL.

You won't get much of a house here for $1150. There are 5 rental properties listed in Williamson County on Realtracs in your price range, and only one is a single-family home.

I guess my point is that everyone and their mother and her brother want to move to the Nashville area right now, and that demand is causing rents to spike.

I still think Murfreesboro is the best combo or price and schools. Here are some 3-bedroom properties there in your price range.

RealTracs Real Estate Mid-South Search Results

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl116

Thanks for the reply....I have been researching Hendersonville a lot, but I don't know that we can afford it. Are the schools good there? We definitely need 3 bedrooms. We were mainly in downtown when we were there....we did go into Thompsons Station but that's about it. We were not interested in Murfreesboro from what we say when we drove through it.

My husband would work off Perimeter Hill in Nashville (south of downtown, off I-24 if I am thinking correctly) but he only needs to commute to the office 1 time per week...it would still be nice to be within 30-40 min of this location.

Hendersonville has great schools but 1000 per month is going to be nearly impossible for a 3 bedroom...especially in the top elementary districts. Hendersonville is also not the most ideal commute for a job in Antioch

There is a 3 bedroom on realtracs for 1200/month but it is located in the weakest elementary school district (by Hendersonville standards) but the middle and high school are excellent.

You may want to consider Smyrna in Rutherford County.

[CountryGirl116]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl2b=

My sister just moved up from New Port Richey, FL . . . I think the biggest thing that was cheaper for her was car insurance. Housing was a bit 'cheaper' in that she was underwater with her house there. And property taxes. BUT you have to pay for heat up here part of the year which you don't in FL. She really loves it here - more culture and things to do that she enjoys, concerts, etc. But I'm not sure about the cost of living being that much less. We moved from CT and really found a difference.

New Port Richey....
We live about 45 min from there in Pinellas County.
Car insurance here is insane.
We pay $150/month for state required minimum on a 14 year old minivan.

[a84c72]

You wouldn't know there is a rental crisis in the Nashville area with all of the rentals available on Zillow!! Granted, they aren't all in great school districts, but I thought TN had open enrollment school of choice? That was one reason why we were considering TN over NC....open enrollment. There is an area I saw south of Nashville but just to the east of Brentwood. They are Brentwood schools (HIGHLY rated) but the housing was in another town (which city has lost me now)...But, point being, you can pick an area that is lower in rent but close to a higher rated district where you are able to utilize school of choice within a reasonable distance. Obviously, you would have to arrange drop-off and pick-up for the kids.

I am A LOT like you in the sense that there is NO WAY I would send my kids to a district less than a 7 or 8 rating.

[CountryGirl116]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

I would not rule out Murfreesboro. Not sure where you drove while you were there, but it probably offers the largest selection of schools and affordability.

I dunno where we were in Murfreesboro, but I don't want to go back.
I know that we were leaving Nashville and took a "scenic" route (according to the GPS...) and it avoided highways. We went to Lynchburg from Nashville.
I'm not sure what the GPS's definition of "scenic" is, but it's not the same as mine, LOL.
There were a lot of dirty looking shops, used car lots, lots of run down duplexes....I won't go on. I wasn't thrilled to stop at the gas station.


**I looked on Google maps cause I know the road ran along with the interstate...I am almost positive it was Nashville Hwy/Broad St.

[CountryGirl116]

Originally Posted by a84c72

You wouldn't know there is a rental crisis in the Nashville area with all of the rentals available on Zillow!! Granted, they aren't all in great school districts, but I thought TN had open enrollment school of choice? That was one reason why we were considering TN over NC....open enrollment. There is an area I saw south of Nashville but just to the east of Brentwood. They are Brentwood schools (HIGHLY rated) but the housing was in another town (which city has lost me now)...But, point being, you can pick an area that is lower in rent but close to a higher rated district where you are able to utilize school of choice within a reasonable distance. Obviously, you would have to arrange drop-off and pick-up for the kids.

I am A LOT like you in the sense that there is NO WAY I would send my kids to a district less than a 7 or 8 rating.

Do you use GreatSchools.org? My kids go to a school with a 6 rating right now and I am not happy with it. The district we live in is #49 or something out of 67 districts in the state . I was asking about open enrollment, cause we have that in FL (as long as there is room at the better school being requested).

[brentwoodgirl]

Originally Posted by a84c72

You wouldn't know there is a rental crisis in the Nashville area with all of the rentals available on Zillow!! Granted, they aren't all in great school districts, but I thought TN had open enrollment school of choice? That was one reason why we were considering TN over NC....open enrollment. There is an area I saw south of Nashville but just to the east of Brentwood. They are Brentwood schools (HIGHLY rated) but the housing was in another town (which city has lost me now)...But, point being, you can pick an area that is lower in rent but close to a higher rated district where you are able to utilize school of choice within a reasonable distance. Obviously, you would have to arrange drop-off and pick-up for the kids.

I am A LOT like you in the sense that there is NO WAY I would send my kids to a district less than a 7 or 8 rating.

Williamson County does not have open enrollment. In fact, they are very strict about people going to their zoned schools. I don't know of any counties in Middle TN that have open enrollment. Davidson County has a lottery system where you can try to lottery in to some of the schools that have open spots (or special schools, like magnets), but those spots in good schools have lots of applicants and only a few get lotteried in each year.

Is the little town that you like Nolensville? If so, it's in Williamson County and has good schools as well, should all be 9-10s on greatschools. You would have to go to your zoned school. If the houses you like are in Cane Ridge, then you would be zoned for Davidson County schools and the zoned schools would most likely be less than a 7-8.

Originally Posted by CountryGirl116

I dunno where we were in Murfreesboro, but I don't want to go back.
I know that we were leaving Nashville and took a "scenic" route (according to the GPS...) and it avoided highways. We went to Lynchburg from Nashville.
I'm not sure what the GPS's definition of "scenic" is, but it's not the same as mine, LOL.
There were a lot of dirty looking shops, used car lots, lots of run down duplexes....I won't go on. I wasn't thrilled to stop at the gas station.


**I looked on Google maps cause I know the road ran along with the interstate...I am almost positive it was Nashville Hwy/Broad St.

I'm not sure what part of Murfreesboro you were in, but there are some really nice areas. I really like the new area that is around Blackman High School. You will have much more luck with your budget in Murfreesboro, so I would definitely give it one more look. It has plenty of restaurants and shopping and the largest university in TN is there. Murfreesboro City schools ranked really high in math TCAPs either last year or the year before. I don't know how the zoning works between Murfreesboro City and Rutherford County, so you would need to check on that if you decide to move there.

[ahope1980]

I would look at Smyrna or maybe Wilson County. We live in Williamson County where the schools are excellent but it is the most expensive suburb. We considered Wilson County before we moved b/c the schools were so good but the costs were much lower. I don't know about rental prices but that's my opinion on schools and cost of living.