Moving from Los Angeles to Nashville area (Brentwood, Green Hill: fit in, real estate market) - Tennessee (TN) - Page 7 - City-Data Forum

sliverbox · 05-01-2007, 12:23 PM

It makes more sense to rent at this point. I have been studying the MLS and as far as median homes go ( 150k max) the supply is fairly large and the appreciation rate is low. But if you are looking for an upper end home, these are showing the most depreciation at this point. So by renting for a time, you have several ways of judging the market and choosing something that works well for you. Areas that had high appreciation but are now showing depreciation are areas like Brentwood and Franklin where homes can easily be over 500k each.

As far as lifestyle, it is going to be drastically different from LA and California in general. Even though I am from TN, I live in CA now and the biggest difference between the two is that California cities in general are more 'metropolitan' in nature. In Nashville, as soon as the ending bell rings for the day, everybody goes home and the city is abandoned. Literally.
There also exists the prevalence of chains and "clover leaf malls" which are basically shopping centers situated around cloverleaf freeway exists. They have a similar pattern: wal-Mart, Home Depot, Waffle House and Cracker Barrel sprinkled with a few other things like a KFC, bank, and so on. Get used to it because virtually every freeway exit is just like this. You can get world-class food in Nashville, but don't expect to see it on the same level as it would be in LA.

Much of Nashville is brand-spanking new: Two new art museums, a new symphony hall, a new country music hall of fame, and freshly restored historic neighborhoods. This is the same story with many southern cities these days as more and more people like yourself move in after years of economic hardship.

Weather-wise... yes it does get cold. You can expect sporadic colder weather starting in late October and reliably colder weather from November through early March, and sometimes into April. Expect more rain. Lots more than LA. Summers get hotter and with the addition of humidity, people who've never lived with it sometimes find it hard to deal with. But most get accustomed to it.
Culture-wise, Nashville feels sort of like any other city. Lots of people from all over the world. The difference is that you can travel 20 minutes out of town and be in the sticks. Nashville has somewhat more of a 'rural' character. But there is something refreshing about it compared to most other metros. It has character for sure.

showbiz1 · 05-01-2007, 12:46 PM

Thanks for this. My wife is from Boston and complains all the time about no change of seasons. I have spent extended time in cold climates, but have never lived where it gets cold. Im a big boy and can handle it. The humidity might be difficult, but I can handle that as well if the people are nice!

Your take on high end homes seems correct as some that we have been shown on e-mail have dropped in price just in the time we have been looking.

I'm pretty sure Davidson county is our best bet as it seems much more urban than other counties. We are very excited to come for our visit......

sliverbox · 05-01-2007, 03:18 PM

My wife is from Boston and complains all the time about no change of seasons. I have spent extended time in cold climates, but have never lived where it gets cold. Im a big boy and can handle it. The humidity might be difficult, but I can handle that as well if the people are nice!

Trust me- the weather is not NEAR as cold as Boston. I made the move from TN to Boston and frankly- I nearly keeled over at hoe freezing it was in MA. I hated every minute of the winter up there. Nashville winters will never get near as miserable as most of the Northeast where the freezing temperatures can be debilitating. TN winters tend to be cold at times, but usually brisk. Actually, the winters in TN for the last 2 years have been warmer than the winter I've experienced in CA. But if you're from LA and never lived in a place that gets cold, it will take some getting used to.

Barbara McGuire · 05-03-2007, 08:46 AM

I moved from San Pedro CA to a small suburb of Nashville in Williamson County called Fairview back in 1995. My husband and I have never regretted the move. However, I do miss Trader Joe's (I've investigated and found out there may never be one here because Trader Joe's sells liquor and the "sin" tax is high here). The closest Trader Joe's to us is in Indianapolis IN, about a 6 hour drive from here. Personally I'm making a long list and headin' north! I think it's worth the gas! Anybody need anything? I'll be happy to pick it up for you! Fellow transplants...do you not also miss our beloved INN-N-OUT burger!!!??? I am a realtor here in Williamson County with ERA Pacesetter Partners and I have investigated that as well. According to their real estate department INN-N-OUT is family owned and will never be franchised. The closest one to us is in Utah. I won't give up...I'm going to keep workin' on 'em!

akm4 · 05-03-2007, 09:42 AM

Ah yes, the old In -N- Out. Mmmmmmmmm!

showbiz1 · 05-06-2007, 11:25 AM

Luckily for me, we dont use TJ's (I know how shocking that must sound!) and very rarely eat at In-N-Out, so it doesnt worry me. Also, I'll be traveling back to LA on business frequently so if I get that urge for a Double Double, I'll be all set! Thanks for your comments. We're really excited to come to nashville next week and check things out....

alleycat · 05-06-2007, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by showbiz1

Luckily for me, we dont use TJ's (I know how shocking that must sound!) and very rarely eat at In-N-Out, so it doesnt worry me. Also, I'll be traveling back to LA on business frequently so if I get that urge for a Double Double, I'll be all set! Thanks for your comments. We're really excited to come to nashville next week and check things out....

I hope you enjoy your visit. If there's any additional information I can provide, just send me a PM or post it on this thread.

jcwm · 05-06-2007, 02:29 PM

Hi...
We moved to Nashville from San Diego in January, 2006. The reason: a new grand-daughter (now 16 months, and delicious)!

For our first six months, we rented a fully furnished executive condo in Green Hills (the la-di-da) section of Nashville...and fully agree that renting first is the way to go. After our San Diego house sold (much angst about that), we started looking for a home here. We had expected to downsize from 2800 square feet, but aside from condos that are generally too small for us, homes here tend to be huge. We ended up with 3400 square feet on three levels.
Another surprise was: I wanted one of the Tudor or English Country House style houses with real gaslamps, but ended up in a California-style contemporary home in a unique hillside neighborhood called Harpeth Trace. About halfway between the communities of Green Hills (where the condo was) and Bellevue (where our granddaughter is). We call our place a "treehouse on steroids"...it's in the middle of the woods (so, we have amazing nature views every season, from our three decks and banks of windowed walls), but on a street with lovely neighbors, many of them artists or in the music business.

Nashville is amazingly friendly. You meet someone, and before you know it, you're invited for dinner at their house.

Also, fyi, we're Jewish, and have found the Jewish community to be fabulous! It's small (8000 people???), so you keep bumping into people you know from one venue in another venue...which is actually nice. The Jewish entities (synagogues, Federation, JCC) are collaborative, rather than competitive.

We joined one of two Reform congregations (Micah); it's called "the Music Congregation" for good reason: a fabulous cantorial soloist, many newly composed melodies to the traditional prayers. Our two rabbis are husband-and-wife job-sharers in their mid-30s (she's a California "girl," actually) and are amazing.

What else? I'm relishing the change in seasons. I love the cold (get to wear cashmere sweaters and scarves), but hate-hate-hate the hot and humid summer. Well, we got through last summer, so we'll get through this one, too. I think the trick is to plan a few trips to cooler places.

There's so much going on here: more live entertainment than in any city I've lived, great special events, fabulous symphony, opera and ballet companies...and lots of art. Okay, the restaurants aren't fabulous, but you can get a good meal relatively inexpensively.

Oh, yes, gas last week was $2.74/gallon. On the other hand, for us (we enjoyed rock-bottom property taxes in San Diego for decades), property taxes are way higher, but utilities are lower, so it's probably a wash.
We didn't come here for economic reasons, but, hey, it doesn't hurt to live very nicely on lower expenses.

Sigh: I do miss Trader Joe's.

Hope this is helpful...

showbiz1 · 05-10-2007, 07:16 PM

This is so very helpful! Thanks. Were coming to Nashville next week. Cant wait...

showbiz1 · 05-29-2007, 11:21 AM

Well, we have been to Nashville and we love it! I have listed my house for sale in LA and we looked at more than 30 homes while we visited Nashville. While we saw great homes in some fantastic neighborhoods, we are also thinking of buying a lot in Green Hills and building. Any thoughts??