Nashville Neighborhood Advice (White House, Green Hill, Forest Hills: for sale, real estate, leasing)

[sucrose]

Hi. I'm new to City-Data Forum so forgive me if this sounds way too familiar (or was answered just yesterday). My fiancé and I will most likely be moving to the Nashville area within a few months. I work in the music/record biz (fortunately I'm getting a much welcomed job transfer from my native Los Angeles) and Chris will be a retired/partially disabled house husband (no kids). We want to lease for awhile and then buy if all works out. I'm trying to narrow down my neighborhood search. I'd like to be no more than 20 minutes from Music Row if possible, prefer rivers & greenery to walkable shops and cafés, peace & quiet to vibrant night life, old and/or interesting houses to Stepford tract homes, and while I'm comfortable with gentrification-in-process Chris is not so much (picture cranky man shaking rake at neighbor with untended yard). We're thinking maybe in the $2500 mo. (lease) range. All tips, leads, ideas welcome. Thanks so much.
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[alleycat]

The first areas that comes to mind are the Hillsboro Village and Belmont areas (which are basically next door to Music Row); or possibly even a little further out somewhere near West End Avenue. The Edgehill area might also be a possibility.

[denawilliams]

Close to the city, but with nice large treed lots set among nice hills you might try the small communities of Oak Hill or Forest Hills. There is a natural and protected area called Radnor Lake that is very close to those areas, and some homes may back up to the property. You can be in Green Hills and the Music Row area quickly as well. They are beautiful areas that have both new homes and older ones. In a little less expensive area, you have West Meade, which is, again, an area where lots are large, treed, and beautiful. The houses are mostly built between 1950s and 1970s and will mostly be ranch style homes. A quick drive down the street and you run right into West End. One last area is an area called Crieve Hall, which is South just off I65 and East of Oak Hill/Forrest Hill. It will be a little like West Meade in that you'll find a good number of large, treed lots as well as many ranches. However, you'll be able to find two stories there too, if you want. Same aged homes as West Meade, for the most part. It is less expensive than Oak Hill or Forest Hills.

[sucrose]

Thank you both for your thoughts. "Large treed lots" is exactly the term I was looking for. We both prefer pre-'40s homes so hopefully we'll find something within those parts you mentioned. For better or worse, Chris is a bit of an architecture snob and since he's packing up and moving to a city of MY choice I'm trying to find more reasons for him to eventually make it his choice as well.

Dena: I'm noticing a lot of lingering "For Sale" listings (same in L.A. but probably not as bad). Do you think many sellers in this market are open to leasing until we've firmly planted our feet in that region?

[alleycat]

Sylvan Park might also be a consideration. It's within a short commute to Music Row and, since it's near I-440, it's a convenient location to just about anywhere. Most of the houses there were built prior to WWII. Some of them are just nice bungalow type houses and some of them are what a real estate would probably describe as "charming". They also have a neighborhood association that hosts get-togethers and that sort of thing. I have a best friend who lives there.

[denawilliams]

Originally Posted by sucrose

Thank you both for your thoughts. "Large treed lots" is exactly the term I was looking for. We both prefer pre-'40s homes so hopefully we'll find something within those parts you mentioned. For better or worse, Chris is a bit of an architecture snob and since he's packing up and moving to a city of MY choice I'm trying to find more reasons for him to eventually make it his choice as well.

Dena: I'm noticing a lot of lingering "For Sale" listings (same in L.A. but probably not as bad). Do you think many sellers in this market are open to leasing until we've firmly planted our feet in that region?

Hmmm. The architecture and age might present a challenge if you want large treed lots a little bit away from it all. Pre-40's homes will mostly be near the center of town where it will be closer to action, a little more walkable, etc. in areas like Waverly, 12 South, Belmont, Vandy/Hillsboro Village, Edgehill, Richland and West End on the West side. As alleycat mentioned, you also have Sylvan Park on the West side, which is very close to everything but a little off to itself. There's Cherokee Park also. Lockeland Springs, Historic Edgefield, Eastwood Neighbors, and East End will offer charming options in East Nashville. Inglewood is probably not that walkable, but it is also on the East side with some real charmers. You might have a better opportunity for larger lots there.

Oak Hill, Forest Hills, West Meade and Crieve Hall will probably not have anything pre-40s, but they do offer more of the type lots and location you are seeking. Although at a quick glance, I did see one or two pop up in Oak Hill.

One area I forgot to mention yesterday, was Green Hills. It may be a good compromise. It may not have the hills that Oak Hill and Forest Hill has, but there are many great, treed lots there. It is going to be in the hustle and bustle a bit as Green Hills has a center that is very popular and can get congested with cars, but the housing is mostly off from that in what feels like you're away from it all. You will run across homes of all ages there from old to new, but you will find a few pre-40s there. It is even more convenient than the other areas I suggested to Music Row.

As for the for sales turned to leasing, it is hard to say. There are some lingering listings out there, but from everything I am hearing, this month the market seems to be picking up a bit. It will depend on the area and the house itself, as to whether they will consider leasing. Some probably will consider it. I checked the MLS for rentals, and there are a number of options out there. I am surprised there aren't more options though available for lease. With school starting up soon, even a lot of the condos have been filled. Again, there are definitely options, but I don't think it will be as many as if you were looking to purchase because of the timing/school.

I tried to pull as many of the non-condo units available for lease from the MLS around your target price range. I ran it quickly so if I added one in accidentally...sorry. I'm sure there are more out there, but this is just what I found on the MLS at the moment on the West side.

Buyer Full Report

[sucrose]

Thanks again for all the info (and the report, Dena). I may contact you when we get a little closer to moving. I really appreciate the leads. I've only been to Nashville twice and not for long so I'm still a bit baffled by the layout.

[CaliCouple]

Sucrose. I enjoyed your post and writing style. We are in the midst of moving from L.A. too and have done considerable research on the subject. We have settled on the White House/Cottontown/Cross Plains area north of the city, tho it is more that 20 mins from Music Row. Probably closer to 30, but if youre from L.A, then you know your coffee is still hot when you get to work. Let me know what you decide....Im always curious about the California refugees.

[sucrose]

Calicouple: Hi. Nice to meet a fellow future transplant. Why did you choose Nashville? I read some of your earlier posts but didn't see anything on that. I'm a 4th generation Angeleno and I just want to experience something different (more water, less traffic, fewer actors). If I had a trust fund I might choose Europe or throw a dart at a map, but outside of NYC, Nashville is the only part of the country where I won't have to get a whole new career (and 'career' is a bit of a stretch) and the pay that goes with that.

I've seen many posts from fellow liberals, fearing culture shock and idiocy, but not many from those hoping to stake their claim before we all arrive and ruin it. Pimpy's doing his best to keep us away but I'm afraid he'll have to try a little harder! The reality is, idiocy is spread pretty evenly throughout the country (thicker the farther you get from universities I guess). Nashville's biggest problem for me is Christianity being the center of community there. True of a lot of places that never birthed an alternative. I'll have to get over my disdain for mindless adherence to stale mythology. My fiancé reminds me that, as crutches go, it beats heroin or crack. I'm not so sure. Reminds me of a great line in a Nick Cave song about some friends dying of exposure and others dying from lack of it. I'll stop ranting now. Back to your story . . .

[CaliCouple]

Well, you'll find me in the middle of it. I am clearly not a liberal and I'm not a big churchgoer either. But I've been in the Hollywood community a long time and tire of the blatant anti-Christian comments I hear almost daily at work. It's hard to fight that fight every day. Just another form of racism if you want my opinion.

That being said...Primarily we didnt feel a home in L.A. was worth it. Too expensive, too dirty, too dangerous, too congested and none of those categories seem to be improving. Having worked in film production over 20 years, I'm vested in my career. Only a few choices in this country where you can work in high end media, and Nashville is a place that really solves that dilemma.

I have family here, which is nice. I like the area, I find it friendly. I want to have more room around me and fewer people. I want to know that I can pay my mortgage by the end of the first week of the month rather than the last.

My biggest concerns are whether there will be enough work. I think eventually that there will be, but expect some skinny times early on. I was moving into the creative end after a number of years of technical work, specifically directing and editing music videos. The music videos being produced in Nashville for country artists are some of the most creative in the business. That I've enjoyed country music since high school is a big plus, and that the music is often story oriented and offers many visual opportunities puts the cherry on top.