Beginning to research relocation to Franklin, TN (Hendersonville, Smyrna: real estate, how much)

[ladylonghorn97]

We are considering relocating to Franklin, TN from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I know nothing about the area, so just seeking information.

1. Commute would be a HUGE factor (I currently work from home, but if we relocate, I'd be going into an office in Franklin). What areas would you recommend to look for housing?
2. On the housing front...we have 2 small children...how are the public schools? What are the best districts?
3. Do all houses have basements?
4. We have a boat...what lakes are nearby (not private lakes) that are good for recreational boating (e.g. swimming, tubing, etc)
5. What lake are within a 2 hour drive that people have lake houses on (we have been saving up to purchase lake front property)?

[gbone]

Originally Posted by ladylonghorn97

We are considering relocating to Franklin, TN from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I know nothing about the area, so just seeking information.

1. Commute would be a HUGE factor (I currently work from home, but if we relocate, I'd be going into an office in Franklin). What areas would you recommend to look for housing?
2. On the housing front...we have 2 small children...how are the public schools? What are the best districts?
3. Do all houses have basements?
4. We have a boat...what lakes are nearby (not private lakes) that are good for recreational boating (e.g. swimming, tubing, etc)
5. What lake are within a 2 hour drive that people have lake houses on (we have been saving up to purchase lake front property)?

Depending on where you will work in Franklin, most anywhere in Franklin will be within 5-20 minutes.
The public schools in Franklin/Williamson County are excellent. Williamson County ranks as the highest rated school system in Tennessee.
Very few houses have basements due to a fairly shallow rock shelf.
The closest lake for boating and water activities would be Percy Priest lake, which is about twenty miles from Franklin.
Center Hill Lake(near Cookeville), has lake houses and lake front property. It's about eighty five miles from Nashville and would definitely be less than two hours from Franklin.

How much you want to spend and what house amenities you are looking for will determine how many housing options you have. I would suggest that you search the threads on City-Data for information about Franklin. You can also go to Realtor.com and get an idea about housing in Franklin.
Hope this helps.

[skinem]

Pretty much all of Williamson Co. schools have a great reputation, if not THE top of the list of state ratings, near the top.

Most homes here do not have basements...too wet often, but usually limestone is too close to easily have one. You can find them, but they are not the rule here.

Another popular lake close enough for you to use that also has lake houses/property is Tims Ford Lake.

[denawilliams]

Old Hickory Lake is also in Middle Tennessee and one of the most popular within the Nashville area for recreation. It will definitely be less than an hour drive, but how much less depends on where you'll be coming from in Franklin. Old Hickory Lake has lake homes. Percy Priest does not. Hendersonville, Mount Juliet, Old Hickory, or Gallatin are cities you'd look for lake properties on Old Hickory Lake.

As gbone mentioned, in Franklin, you have quite a few options. Suggestions would depend on some of your other requirements. For instance, is it important to be close to the Interstate? Or do you like more rural settings? Do you need to have easy access to other things....within x minutes of ? (grocery stores, restaurants, work, Cool Springs, Historic Downtown Franklin, Downtown Nashville, etc.) Do you prefer newer or older neighborhoods - how old? Is it better to have large lots and a good bit of room between neighbors or is close quarters better? Do you need a 2000 sf home or a 5000 sf + home? Are there certain neighborhood amenities you'd like (neighborhood pool, playgrounds, equestrian facilities, trails, golf, tennis, clubhouse, gated, underground utilities, etc.) Do you want a custom home or do you have any exterior style preferences? What kind of amenities do you expect in the interior? Do you prefer older charm/character for higher prices and smaller sizes or best price per square foot where size for the dollar is more of the emphasis? Do you need a certain amount of acreage or is a regular lot ok?

Thinking through some of those types of criteria will help you narrow the areas down a bit. Franklin has a little bit of everything mentioned in the line of questioning ranging from $200,000 starter homes to several million.

It is possible to find a basement home in Franklin. They just aren't as common.

[kpellatiro]

We are considering relocating to Franklin, TN from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I know nothing about the area, so just seeking information.

1. Commute would be a HUGE factor (I currently work from home, but if we relocate, I'd be going into an office in Franklin). What areas would you recommend to look for housing?
Commute time and convenience seem to bring the Cool Springs (http://www.coolsprings.com/) area to the forefront from what you have indicated. While this area is generally close to I-65, you may try a simplified search within the 37067 zip code to get started.

2. On the housing front...we have 2 small children...how are the public schools? What are the best districts?
You’ll hear a lot about this on the forum, but the most requested schools are within Williamson County Schools (Franklin is within Williamson County: Williamson County Schools).

3. Do all houses have basements?
No, but a fair amount do. You’ll have the opportunity to choose from basement homes, but they will be sunlight basements on sloped lots as very few basements exist in Franklin on flat lots.

4. We have a boat...what lakes are nearby (not private lakes) that are good for recreational boating (e.g. swimming, tubing, etc)
Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville and Gallatin, or Percy priest Lake near the airport in Nashville.

5. What lake are within a 2 hour drive that people have lake houses on (we have been saving up to purchase lake front property)?
A few popular lakes for weekend excursions are Center Hill Lake, Kentucky Lake, and Dale Hollow. Center Hill is probably the most popular choice for location and second homes. You’ll be in an excellent position to take advantage of the second home market right now as few people have put themselves in your position to buy in secondary markets right now.

[tessied]

HI!

I am from Franklin and hopefully can help:

1) Look for housing in Williamson County/Franklin Area. Gorgeous Area, great housing. Just voted one of America's top 10 Greatest neighborhoods to live in 2009
[url=http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/2009/index.htm#DF]Great Places in America: Neighborhoods[/url]

2)Williamson County schools are consistently ranked the best in the state. Not sure how old your kids are but the Grassland (Elementary & Middle) schools are amazing, as well as Oakview Elementary. Often, real estate in the areas zoned for these schools keeps its value as well.

3)No, all homes do not have basements, it is the exception rather than the rule. search here [url=http://www.realtracs.com]RealTracs Real Estate Mid-South Property Finder[/url]

4) & 5) we have a lake home on Center Hill Lake, 1.5 hrs away from franklin and beautiful. The best and worst part about this lake is that private homes are not allowed docks, as the army corps of engineers has a buffer around the lake. this also makes it the best part since there are no dilapidated docks and the scenery is gorgeous. Tims Ford is a great lake as well, it is drained each year and exceptionally clean and convenient, docks allowed. Percy Priest & Old Hickory Lakes are popular as well, but much more crowded.

also check out [url=http://www.historicfranklin.com]Home | The Heritage Foundation[/url] for more info on what is happening in franklin

[billfelk]

I highly recommend living in Cool Springs or around the Franklin Tennessee area. The quality of life is second to none and everything you could ever need is right at your fingertips. Sometimes traffic can get bad but other than that, life here is good.

[Diane Giam]

Bear in Mind that even though most houses don't have basements, the Majority have huge upstairs Bonus Rooms. IMO, I rather have that than a basement. I also have a good sized walk in attic for storage.
I had a finished basement in the past which I never went down.

Diane G

[NashMike]

Franklin is very nice but a little overpriced and overated, there are other nashville burbs around nashville that are alot more affordable and offer the same lifestyle and are the same distance as Franklin. ( Hendersonville/Gallatin, Mount Juilet, Smyrna/Murfressboro) They all have alot of growth (shopping/resturants )and our great cities

[shinestx]

Most neighborhoods in Middle Tennessee (except for some of the new ones) do not have the sidewalks you are used to in the DFW area. I used to live in Richardson and really miss the sidewalks through my neighborhood.