Highland Park in Brentwood (Franklin, Green Hill: sales, foreclosures, houses)

[user123455]

Hi,
is anyone here familiar with the Highland Park subdivision in Brentwood ? I was driving there a few weeks ago and I was impressed how nice the houses looked and how all the lawns were so well manicured.

Is this subdivision considered above average in Brentwood ? How does it compare to adjacent subdivisions such as Raintree and Oakhall, which also have similar style houses and were built in the 90's.

Also how does it compare to newer subdivisions such as Shadow Creek and Brookfield which are further east ? I really liked the exterior style of the houses in Highland Park, but I'm not sure if they have the same modern interior (e.g. stainless steel kitchen) like in newer homes.

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Thanks !

[Marilyn Bell]

I'd say it's about average for Brentwood. All of the subdivisions you mentioned are relatively similar. 3,000-5,000 sq. ft. houses, similar sized lots, similar ages (except Brookfield), similar school ratings, and similar sales prices per square foot. Among the subdivisions you mentioned, I really think personal preference is what sets them apart.

Most of the homes in Highland Park have been updated. You can expect to pay about $128 per sq. ft. there. That's about the same for Shadow Creek as well. Oakhall and Brookfield sell for a little more per sq. ft. (about $137-140 per sq. ft). Raintree is priced a little lower with sales at around $109 per sq. ft.

Highland Park, Raintree and Oakhall should be zoned for the same schools - Kenrose, Woodland and Ravenwood. Shadow Creek and Brookfield are also zoned for Ravenwood, but zoned for Edmondson and Sunset at the lower levels. The schools have the same greatschools.net ratings, but the parent ratings for Sunset are higher although the student to teacher ratio is much higher there. In my experience people tend to think Kenrose and Woodland are better schools. I've never heard anything bad about Ravenwood yet. You can read more reviews and things at greatschools.net.

Typically, the older more established neighborhoods have been doing better in this market. A large part of the problem is that the easy financing of the recent years leads to a lot of foreclosures in the newer subdivisions. However, in this case, it can mean you can get a great deal on a much newer house in Brookfield. Keep in mind, if more foreclosures happen there (Brentwood is not immune) that could keep your value flat or even declining a little. If you were planning to move for atleast several years, I would try to get a Brookfield home for the price of an older home. It's possible.

I have one caveat though. Brentwood is going to be widening Concord Rd (it's about time), so that will make traffic a mess over there. If you're familiar with all the backroads around Brentwood, it probably won't be a problem, but all those backroads will probably see more traffic. With the new shopping and dining popping up on Nolensville Rd (the Kroger and Publix at Nolensville and Concord are Brentwood addresses) going a bit east can give you more amenities without the traffic on the west side of Brentwood.

It really comes down to what is most important to you. Make a list of pro's and con's and go from there.

[user123455]

Thanks !

Which of these subdivisions has the most convenient location with regard to downtown Nashville and Cool Springs / Franklin ?

[user123455]

btw, what exactly do you mean by "Most of the homes in Highland Park have been updated" ?

Is this a unique thing to Highland Park or to other older subdivisions ? And why do the homes need updating ? Is it because the original features such as kitchen were not very good ? From driving there this neighborhood looks like (to me at least) it was built to be an upscale neighborhood, so I assume the houses and their interior features are also of high quality. But they're probably different than newer homes which have open floor plans and stainless kitchens. Is that about right ?

[denawilliams]

They were all built around the same time, in just about every year of the 90s, with a few in Raintree spilling over to 2000 slightly. Highland Park will have more in the mid to late 90s. Raintree Forest is typically less expensive and not quite as high end. While there are similarly priced and comparable homes in that neighborhood, you can find smaller and less expensive homes there. Essentially, there's more of a range of options in Raintree Forest. Highland Park and Oakhall extend higher in size and price. They are connected to one another in the same neighborhoods so there's not too much difference between them. Highland Park has a clubhouse, pool and walking trails. Raintree has a pool, tennis, park, walking trails and playground. Oakhall has a clubhouse and pool.

As for being "updated", since most of these homes in all these neighborhoods were built in the 90s, you will not always have the latest and greatest kitchens, baths, fixtures, hardware, etc. Brass was popular then. All white kitchens were popular then, etc. Some owners have updated. Some have not. The layouts won't be quite as open as one built today, but some are more open than others.

[user123455]

Thanks Dena Williams !!

That's exactly what I wanted to know, and it is totally consistent with everything I saw online and driving around.

btw, do you agree with what Marilyn Bell said about Shadow Creek and Brookfield ? That is, that Shadow Creek is about the same as Highland Park and Brookfield is more expensive ?? My impression was that those neighborhoods are not as good because they don't have the same mature look, there are a lot of foreclosures and selling at a loss there, and their location is much farther away to the east. Is that right ?

[Marilyn Bell]

Yes, Dena explained exactly what I meant by updating. Often, a buyer in that price point will actually prefer a home to not have been updated yet. One reason being they can get the home at a lower price, the second being they can choose what gets updated and how.

As for the prices, I pulled the sales for the last year (or possibly 6 months, sorry, it was earlier and I'm not sure which I used) and gave you the actual averages per square foot. The numbers will mean different things depending upon their priorities. Aside from Raintree (which costs less to get into), the locations are all great and the difference in time it takes to get from each to Cool Springs and I-65 is minimal.

As far as locations, Highland Park and Oakhall provide really easy access to Cool Springs and I-65. It's a little harder for me to say for the other locations due to the upcoming road work on Concord Rd. I believe it could be a real pain for a couple years, and then provide a great corridor. I weave down Concord Rd. all the time, and #1 - I see fences get damaged and repaired constantly. My guess is cars are going through those fences. #2 - When I get behind someone driving much slower than I am, it can be a hassle.

My recommendation for Brookfield is a financial one, not an emotional one, which is why it's important to make your list of priorities and pros and cons to see what suits you best. As an investor I like the idea of buying a foreclosure which is harder to do in an established neighborhood like Highland Park. If the mature look is more important to you than what you can currently buy a home for and what it will be worth in several years, then that's all that matters. I look at it from the perspective of in 10 years a Brookfield home will be newer, (and will have a more mature look), and if I got in at the same square foot price of an older home that will be another 10 years older when I resold I would probably make more profit then. I also like the convenience from Brookfield to go down Concord Rd to Nolensville Rd for more convenient grocery shopping.

What is most important is what you want most. It sounds like you value what Highland Park has to offer. The prices are great right now, so you should be able to get a good deal in whatever you decide to do. Good luck!

[user123455]

Thanks Marilyn , that is very helpful .

How would you compare Highland/Raintree to Fieldstone Farms ?

Fieldstone seems to have some upscale areas like black horse parkway, and what I like about it is that there are sidewalks, there is a shopping center right there, it's closer to downtown Franklin (and not far from I-65/Cool Springs), and you can actually reach Nashville (Green Hills, Vanderbuilt) quicker using Hillsboro road. The houses there are also from the 90s but the floor plans seem to be more modern and open than Highland Park.

You mention that many people update the houses in Highland Park to modernize things like kitchens and patios, but I'm not sure what can be done to improve floor plans which are not open or have questionable design such as bedrooms above the garage, and confined rooms ? Do you think that those issues will cause the neighborhood to become less desirable in the future compared to the newer subdivisions ? I know there are many older neighborhoods in Brentwood (esp in the west side) and even though the houses there are probably also older, they are still more expensive because those are established neighborhoods and they have a better location. And the conventional wisdom is that location is more important than the house itself... what do you think ?

[BP300]

Location. Location. Location. The top 3 factors in the value of a home.

[denawilliams]

Since Brookfield and Shadow Creek are mainly accessed through Concord Road, it's more of a question of more of the latest and greatest in interior amenities on smaller lots, or convenience. Shadow Creek is less expensive as a whole, but it does not have its own neighborhood amenities. It shares a pool/tennis court with an older nearby neighborhood. Brookfield has a clubhouse, pool, playground, park, tennis.

When you look at Franklin's Fieldstone Farms compared to the Brentwood neighborhoods, it's really comparing two totally separate markets for the two cities. In addition the neighborhoods are totally different. Fieldstone Farms is like a small city, within itself. It has its own elementary school, a workout facility, pool, park, playground, tennis and a clubhouse. It's just a huge neighborhood with a much different range of prices than any of the Brentwood neighborhoods. Fieldstone Farm's high end is where something like Raintree Forest begins at the low end. Highland Park is still a bit higher than that. You'll have the same thing for interiors in Fieldstone Farms as the Brentwood neighborhoods because they were built at the same time. However, the later the build there, the more chance you have for some of the interior finishes to be more updated.

I know you've been asking lots of questions on here about Brentwood/Franklin for quite some time. I think at this point, you're at the place where finding an agent to help you, represent you and answer the rest of your questions will be a good plan of action. For as much research as you've done over the last few months, you really just need to start scheduling showings to see them so you can make some conclusions about them.