Yankee Doodle Relocating (Memphis, Clarksville, Murfreesboro: sale, real estate, credit)

[Shino306]

Being originally from the South and having lived in Philadelphia for 5 year prior to moving back, I found the humidity worse in Philly than I do in Nashville.

I also don't find people in Brentwood/Franklin snobby. I think that's a preconcieved notion from people, who don't know anyone that lives there. However, I found plenty of people with no reason to be snobby, to be snobby in Philly.

You have nothing to worry about in regards to being a Northerner and moving to Nashville, as others have said, the population growth is due to Northerners, Midwesterners, and West Coasters.

Basements are expensive due to having to blast through rock plus some areas of Nashville have Radon issues, so it's better you don't disturb the ground more than you need to.

[Why_Am_I_Here]

I feel as a recent transplant here (Jan., of 2009) from Vermont (how much more North can you get?!?!) I can give good input. Anyway, everyone I have met have been great. I get good natured kidding/picking, but they mean nothing by it.
The home price you mention, will buy you twice to thrice the house that you buy up north. I recently purchased and I could not find a similar home anywhere in Vermont for less than 3 times the price I paid. And taxes are even higher.
The tornados are here, but they are few and far between. And actually, the people here worry more about snow that tornados. A few other things to understand...

A "coke" covers all sodas...Pepsi...Coke...etc...
Sweet Tea is everywhere..and it is really good!!
The Vols (Univ. of Tenn' sports team are a religion here) but people will have no problem with you rooting for another team..
Nashville is not all about country music (we all know that, but others don't),
There is a growing problem with gangs...

Overall middle Tennessee is great! My spouse and I fell in love with the area 6 years ago while on a day trip from visiting family in Kentucky. You will not be disappointed!

[mgoosten]

Originally Posted by Why_Am_I_Here

I feel as a recent transplant here (Jan., of 2009) from Vermont (how much more North can you get?!?!) I can give good input. Anyway, everyone I have met have been great. I get good natured kidding/picking, but they mean nothing by it.
The home price you mention, will buy you twice to thrice the house that you buy up north. I recently purchased and I could not find a similar home anywhere in Vermont for less than 3 times the price I paid. And taxes are even higher. !

Wow thats great. I am from outside Buffalo, NY and the opposite is true with housing :-( For me I can't even touch anything decent n Nashville for what I will sell my house here for. Which is why it is taking me so long to get there. It is hard selling a house that has no mortgage and having to rent instead of owning :-(

[ThirdCoaster]

The reason houses are more expensive up North is simple--supply and demand. Plus, they have basements. The rents here aren't much cheaper than big cities--but you do get more space for the money. In big cities people sacrifice house space for other things that they want--like mass transit.
Do be careful about the cookie cutter starter houses in the newer sections of town. They go up quick and fall apart easily--the walls are thin and the front doors are like closet doors. Cheap becomes expensive real quick. They look great but they are like a delicious looking cake that looks good on the outside and tastes bad when you eat it.

[jenntenn]

Not sure if anyone else answered your pool question. So the answer is yes, you will have to blast for most inground pools. It was strange for me when i moved here from the midwest (and having an indround pool) that very few people had them. If they did then tended to be fairly shallow and small, compared to the massive backyard pools i was accustomed to.

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by ThirdCoaster

The reason houses are more expensive up North is simple--supply and demand. Plus, they have basements.

Just to add a little to that: where population density is very much higher, land prices are higher. Where government unions and heavy duty regulatory bureaucracies exist, the bureaucrats have to justify their existence with high permit fees, high taxes, and stringent rules to coerce compliance. This entrenched system is much more in place up north, and drives up building costs. It finally did in one major metro, Detroit, and the industry that built it, where the local bureaucrats got help from historical U. S. labor policy - for doing in their city.

One of the reasons Texas home prices are so reasonable is that there is a lot of land here, completely surrounding the four major metros, except for the Houston~Galveston corridor. Also Texas has a lower regulatory/tax burden, lowering the costs to developers. As a result, Texas (like Tennessee) has what is called a business-friendly environment, and the best economy in the nation right now.

Here are a couple of pieces on the success of the pro-business model, as compared to that paragon of heavy taxes and regulation, CA:

California VS Texas: The Verdict Is In – Power Line « Snow Report Blog


The Golden State isn't worth it - Los Angeles Times

[rossc]

The best plan if you want a pool is to buy a house with one. You will never get back what it costs to install at resale, and in some cases it actually hurts resale. If you buy a house with a pool you won't really be paying for the pool. Houses with and without pools comp for about the same.

[Coney]

Originally Posted by mgoosten

Wow thats great. I am from outside Buffalo, NY and the opposite is true with housing :-( For me I can't even touch anything decent n Nashville for what I will sell my house here for. Which is why it is taking me so long to get there. It is hard selling a house that has no mortgage and having to rent instead of owning :-(

I would think that the cost of living in general will be higher in Nashville than a Buffalo suburb. Certainly, housing will be higher. However, you won't have NYS income tax or the inept NY legislature. It's been a couple of years since my last visit to the Buffalo, western NY area so things may have changed, but I recall that Buffalo housing was cheaper than even northern New England. Be advised that Nashville has sales tax on food items in the grocery store.

[mgoosten]

Nope, housng aside the cost of living is quite a bit cheaper in Nashville. I have a few friends that moved down to Nashville and have confirmed this. Gas, Car registrations, utilities, etc are all cheaper. NYS is horrible.

[gumpop]

Well; thanks for all thre great advise! I have also lived in upstate NY. Yes, houeses are a bit more in Nashville from what I have seen; but the property taxes are low low low! Just wish there were more with basements.