Relocation (Franklin, Brentwood: renting, houses, find a job)

[Ebbo82]

Hello, I am currently in the beginning of relocating from GR in MI. I have never been to TN before and I am looking to buy a house. Can anyone recommend some areas to look in.
My wife will be moving with me. We are in our late twenties, early thirties. Do not want to be far away from Nashville, 20 minutes max. Love old style brick houses but want completely updated inside. Want a good school area with lots to do.
Any help is gratefully appreciated.

[nashvols]

20 minutes...normal drive, or commute? You could be just outside the city limits (they are huge) on a few 20 minute drives. In a commute, you would have to be well within the city.

Old style brick houses that are updated are generally in nice areas and quite expensive. Good schools within the city are a matter of perspective. There are a number of decent to good elementary schools. Middle schools and high schools are where there are more differences of opinion. There is an excellent magnet school program in the city, but enrollment is based on a lottery and not guaranteed (the best magnets also have entrance requirements in terms of grades/test scores).

To be honest, what you are looking for is hard to come by. You might have to give on one or more of your preferences -- most basically, it's probably going to come down to school district vs. housing preference & cost. Most of the suburbs don't have much in the way of old brick homes. The ones that do will be similarly expensive as in the city.

What you are asking for isn't impossible. Just expensive.

[N.Cal]

Do you have a job? I would definitely consider that location when deciding where to live.

What is your housing budget? See Nashvol's post.

[Ebbo82]

Yes I have a job. I need a base as I work the state of TN so want to be centralized. I understand about the money situation and what I want being expensive that's why I wanted to see if there were any hidden treasures.

[nashvols]

We need at least a ballpark of your price range and size needs. "Hidden treasures" are probably still going to be $200-300k+ depending on the size, location, and condition.

The problem is Nashville is a hot market. There's not much that seems to be hidden these days.

[Ebbo82]

Budget is around 250k
Hoping we can Find something. I know what we want is going to cost money though. Where around Nashville can you get the most for your money. Like I said we don't mind being about 20 minutes away from downtown.

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Ebbo82

Budget is around 250k
Hoping we can Find something. I know what we want is going to cost money though. Where around Nashville can you get the most for your money. Like I said we don't mind being about 20 minutes away from downtown.

That's the thing....20 minutes from downtown puts you at the county line (maybe) without rush hour traffic.

The older brick houses available in your price range seem to be in the 1,500-2,000 sq ft range. If you're looking for the most for your money (and keeping the good schools criteria), you're looking at least 30-40 minutes from downtown (non-rush hour). I think you might want to reconsider that aspect, and just look for whatever you can find to fit your size needs in a good school district. It will be easier to search for the 'right' house when this is your home base.

You might also consider renting for the first year before you buy.

[Drake744]

Originally Posted by nashvols

That's the thing....20 minutes from downtown puts you at the county line (maybe) without rush hour traffic.

An issue I think a lot of people new to town (and probably still plenty who aren't) have a hard time getting used to is how spread out everything is in and around the Nashville area for the most part. It's very common for people to have a long commute, especially in miles driven, even if they aren't slowed down by traffic. The more the area grows, I think the more people may try and centralize where they work/live, but I think for a lot of people who have lived here for a long time it's not uncommon at all to live nowhere near your job. For example I work in Donelson and work with plenty of people who live in Franklin. That's pushing 30 minutes start-to-finish even without traffic. Just based on mileage alone. I lived in Mt. Juliet and worked in Cool Springs for the better part of 5 years, and Brentwood for an additional one. Same thing.

A few years ago I read some sort of statistic about Nashville drivers having the "longest" average daily commute in the country based on their round-trip mileage. Doesn't shock me a whole lot to be honest. Our traffic may not be that of a major city (although we've got our spots), but plenty of people have a commute time of one.

[Anony-Momma]

Grand Rapids has a more compact feel to it than Nashville. I've visited Grand Rapids several times. Nashville is really spread out compared to GR - it's not as spread out as Metro Detroit, but it is much more spread out than GR.

You really need to consider changing your "20 minute drive" expectation for Nashville.

[Ebbo82]

Ok if we change to 30-40 minutes what does that do for us? We really are wanting our dream home. Building is also an option. My wife is a teacher so good schools is a must as she needs to find a job down here to. Thanks for all the input so far. Much appreciated!!