Moving from Phoenix to Nashville! advice needed. (Franklin, Brentwood: apartment complexes, rental)

[sagex11]

Hello, I am a 24 yr old with a toddler and fiance currently in Phoenix, Arizona. We are looking to relocate to Nashville for a job and also the music scene. My fiance is a engineer/musician. We don't really know anything about Nashville so I am hoping you guys could give us some advice! We are currently paying $750 a month for rent and prefer not to go too much higher than that. We want to rent a house or townhouse/condo somewhere in Nashville(or a close surrounding town) thats safe, affordable, with good elementary schools. I am a SAHM attending college so I would like to be able to go out during the days and keep myself and my kid entertained and not feel stuck in too small of a town. Can you give us some advice on where we should look into/stay away from? What areas sound like they would suit us best? Thank you!!

[alleycat]

Does your husband have a job lined up? Do you know where? Will you be attending college here?

$750-$850 for a 2 BR apartment or a house is on the low end for most of the nicer areas in and around Nashville. You might have to flex on something (for example, you might have to live a little further out than you would prefer, or you might have to take an apartment/house that is not quite as nice as you'd prefer). With a few exceptions, most of the towns and areas surrounding Nashville are close enough and/or big enough that it's not really like living in a small town; they are all part of the Greater Nashville area.

If you've got a toddler, are you really going to need a school within a year? If you do, I probably wouldn't worry too much about the elementary schools/pre-kindergarten at this point as long as you find a reasonably nice area to live (it might be different if your child was middle or high school age).

[alleycat]

You might start by looking in the Donelson or Hermitage area of Metro Nashville. Maybe Inglewood (but I'm not sure about that now; the eastern side of town as undergone something of a rebirth in the past few years). It's possible that there could be something there for around $800 and you would still be within a reasonably good commuting distance for work and play. It wouldn't be the nicest house even there.

The next step would be to find out exactly where you husband might be working, then try to pinpoint a location that is within your budget and where the commute wouldn't be too bad. There are "pockets" of nice areas within what might not be considered the nicest areas in general. Therefore the rents are lower. If that wouldn't work, then you would probably have to consider something of a longer commute; for example, to live in Dickson County, which is not quite as convenient to Nashville as, say, Franklin or Mt. Juliet.

[sagex11]

Thank you for your help. I will check out those areas. I believe the area he will be working in is called Berry Hill and I will be going to an online college. My child's school isn't really an issue right now but never hurts to find a good area for a school ahead of time.

[alleycat]

I was just thinking that if you moved here and rented for a year or two, then you would get more familiar with the area and could make a better decision then about where you might want to live long-term.

Berry Hill is south of downtown. You might look there, and further south around Crieve Hall and Edmondson Pike (even in to Williamson County, or around Nolensville). I don't keep up with house/apartment rental rates, so I'm having to guess a little about where you might be able to find something within your budget. Would a duplex be acceptable to you?

Since you are not familiar at all with Nashville, you probably want to stay west of Nolensville Pike.

By the way, there is a beautiful natural area not far from Berry Hill, Radnor Lake. And the Nashville Zoo is in that same general vicinity.

[brentwoodgirl]

I would try to rent around Nipper's Corner. That would be in Davidson County, 15 minutes from his work, 15-20 from Cool Springs, where there is a ton of shopping, restaurants, Mommy and Me classes, etc. And the Nipper's Corner area has several grocery stores and restaurants, plus the Edmondson Pike Library- which has a great park behind it and story times and other activities for toddlers. If you happened to still be there when your child starts school, you would be zoned for Granbery which is a very good elementary school.

I would look at gated apartment complexes- Keystone Farms, Preserver at Brentwood.

And check out Lenox Village. Not sure if you can find anything in your budget, but if you can, it's a great place to live for families. Lots of parks, you can walk to a bunch of amenities.

[sagex11]

Thank you guys so much for the help. We really appreciate it! We will be visiting soon and will check out all these areas! We are so excited!