I can't wait to get there (Knoxville, Jackson: real estate, home, buying)

[zakian]

But where shall I look?
I'm a 54 year old male. Single, no family. City life holds nothing for me but I'm not a recluse. I've been looking for info on small towns/cities in Tenn. but it's very hard to come by and time consumming. My needs are simple.
A decent home under $100K, semi rural 1/2 -2ish acres. A job that will pay the monthly bills. Middle- Eastern part of the state. That's about it. Excellent schools, expansion-growth aren't important, safe is. The sites I've TRIED to use direct you to where they want you to go, as in self serving. Therefore I am asking the people of the great state of Tennessee to please help me out. Point me in a few directions. Even realtors knowledgeable of these areas but I DON'T want daily updates,new listings,"I found just what you're looking for".......... etc. I'm looking at areas at this point that I can learn about then make a decision. Thanks for your time.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by zakian

But where shall I look?
I'm a 54 year old male. Single, no family. City life holds nothing for me but I'm not a recluse. I've been looking for info on small towns/cities in Tenn. but it's very hard to come by and time consumming. My needs are simple.
A decent home under $100K, semi rural 1/2 -2ish acres. A job that will pay the monthly bills. Middle- Eastern part of the state. That's about it. Excellent schools, expansion-growth aren't important, safe is. The sites I've TRIED to use direct you to where they want you to go, as in self serving. Therefore I am asking the people of the great state of Tennessee to please help me out. Point me in a few directions. Even realtors knowledgeable of these areas but I DON'T want daily updates,new listings,"I found just what you're looking for".......... etc. I'm looking at areas at this point that I can learn about then make a decision. Thanks for your time.

How can anyone help you if you've told us nothing about what you like to do or want to do when you get here? You know, if you like to do a certain type of activity, one place may be better than another.

[bbkaren]

Want lakes/rivers/mountains?

Younger population/older population?

A certain distance from a particular metro area (i.e. half hour from west knoxville area, east knox, whatever)?

What kind of work you'll be looking for?

Stuff like that.

I like Kingston/Loudon area, but that's just me. Everything I'd need is within 20 minutes or so, but the area we bought in is potentially very rural (or you could choose to be in town, which is nice too). Having Watts Bar lake nearby is nice; although we're not desperate for water access, it's certainly a plus.

I'd suggest determining the metro area you need to be near and draw a circle on the map about the distance you think you're willing to commute to work, and start with towns within that circle. Hey, you might wind up finding work right near where you want to live, which is a bonus! But I'd assume worst case scenario which would be driving into Knoxville (in our case), and go from there to look at towns.

Then as you narrow it down, do searches on this forum on the names you come up with. There is a TON of info already on many towns here; that way you can get info that's already here and then ask questions about additional info you need.

The folks on this forum are some of the most helpful people you could hope for. Do some homework on your own, then use us for the rest!

[zakian]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Want lakes/rivers/mountains?

Younger population/older population?

A certain distance from a particular metro area (i.e. half hour from west knoxville area, east knox, whatever)?

What kind of work you'll be looking for?

Stuff like that.

I like Kingston/Loudon area, but that's just me. Everything I'd need is within 20 minutes or so, but the area we bought in is potentially very rural (or you could choose to be in town, which is nice too). Having Watts Bar lake nearby is nice; although we're not desperate for water access, it's certainly a plus.

I'd suggest determining the metro area you need to be near and draw a circle on the map about the distance you think you're willing to commute to work, and start with towns within that circle. Hey, you might wind up finding work right near where you want to live, which is a bonus! But I'd assume worst case scenario which would be driving into Knoxville (in our case), and go from there to look at towns.

Then as you narrow it down, do searches on this forum on the names you come up with. There is a TON of info already on many towns here; that way you can get info that's already here and then ask questions about additional info you need.

The folks on this forum are some of the most helpful people you could hope for. Do some homework on your own, then use us for the rest!

Thanks BB. Well I have looked and read here on these forums. While there is invaluable info available, most people aren't looking for what I'm looking for.
That's why I gave the backround I did. Sure, who would'nt love a stream/river/mountain view,etc. I started very basically. Anything else is gravy. Having lived in 4 states and been in Real Estate myself, I have a good idea of how to look for property. I guess I wasn't clear enough.
Mid-Eastern part of the state indicates I'm pretty open to an area.Semi rural,1/2-2ish acres -not the sticks or large city. I know about the big cities,info on those is easy to get. I should have added that I'm open to buying a small piece of land and putting a double wide on it. I've looked into that just a little, enough to learn that I can't get any info. That's why I'm asking for help here.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by zakian

Thanks BB. Well I have looked and read here on these forums. While there is invaluable info available, most people aren't looking for what I'm looking for.
That's why I gave the backround I did. Sure, who would'nt love a stream/river/mountain view,etc. I started very basically. Anything else is gravy. Having lived in 4 states and been in Real Estate myself, I have a good idea of how to look for property. I guess I wasn't clear enough.
Mid-Eastern part of the state indicates I'm pretty open to an area.Semi rural,1/2-2ish acres -not the sticks or large city. I know about the big cities,info on those is easy to get. I should have added that I'm open to buying a small piece of land and putting a double wide on it. I've looked into that just a little, enough to learn that I can't get any info. That's why I'm asking for help here.

If you're looking in the Middle - Eastern part of the state, it sounds like the Cumberland Plateau might be something you should investigate. The two larger towns are Cookeville and Crossville. Cookeville is the hub of the region and has the bulk of the jobs, shopping, entertainment, etc. Crossville is a wildly popular retirement destination but has experienced a net decrease in jobs in the last year, so you might have more difficulty finding a job there.

There are some beautiful and inexpensive areas around there. Check Overton, Jackson, Fentress, Clay, and Pickett counties. All of those have beautiful lakes and gorgeous, rugged, hilly terrain.

Good luck!

[zakian]

Originally Posted by JMT

If you're looking in the Middle - Eastern part of the state, it sounds like the Cumberland Plateau might be something you should investigate. The two larger towns are Cookeville and Crossville. Cookeville is the hub of the region and has the bulk of the jobs, shopping, entertainment, etc. Crossville is a wildly popular retirement destination but has experienced a net decrease in jobs in the last year, so you might have more difficulty finding a job there.

There are some beautiful and inexpensive areas around there. Check Overton, Jackson, Fentress, Clay, and Pickett counties. All of those have beautiful lakes and gorgeous, rugged, hilly terrain.

Good luck!

EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for. THANKS.