Family Moving to Nashville area questions... (Franklin, Brentwood: real estate, 2013, foreclosure)

[rainedancer1]

My family is planning to the Nashville area hopefully in the summer of 2013. We are planning on having my daughter attend Benton Hall Academy in Franklin. We have 3 children 11, 6 and 4 months and would like to adopt 1 or 2 more children. So we need a house with 4 or more bedrooms and would like 1 or more acres. We would like to spend about $300,000 on a house. Work is not an issue I work from home and telecommute to my company. Where is the best place to find a house with that criteria close to Franklin, I didn't know if Franklin was more expensive then that. Thanks for the input.

[DonCorleone]

I'm not a Franklin expert (there are others on the forum who are and will be by shortly, I'm sure). In the meantime, I'll point you to Realtracs.com to search for real estate. Search for Williamson County and/or Franklin and your price point, bedroom needs, etc and it will show you what is available. Definitely the best website in our area for real estate inventory.

[brentwoodgirl]

You can definitely get a 4 bedroom house in Franklin for $300,000. Just doing a quick search of what's available now: Founders Pointe is a great neighborhood. Forrest Crossing has tons of families. They have a big pool and their own neighborhood swim team. Sullivan Farms is also a big neighborhood full of families.

The best deal on the market right now is 3400 square feet in Ivy Glen. Looks like it was a foreclosure that originally sold in 1997 for $302K. Ivy Glen has a neighborhood pool, park, etc. We know several families that live around that house, and it would be a great place for a family. They all meet in the common area behind the house and play every afternoon. But I doubt this will still be on the market next summer.
RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

If you want to get more house for you money, you could look at Thompson Station. It's the town just south of Franklin, between Franklin & Spring Hill. It is still in Williamson County school, as is a lot of Spring Hill. I would recommend starting out looking at Franklin, then Thompson Station, and then if you are still not happy, the Williamson County part of Spring Hill.

[CountryGirl2b=]

I am not a Franklin expert either but I do really love living here! Not sure what is available with 1 or 2 acres though - in that price range. Brentwood girl is right, best to search on Realtracs. You can even put in the number of acres you want. I used $280,000 to $320,000 and only came up with one that was 1 acre:

RealTracs Mid-South Real Estate Property Finder Listing Details

Why do you think you need that much room? I wanted a big yard but with the heat down here a small yard is more than enough to keep mowed!

Summers are pretty hot down here and I (sadly) seldom see kids playing outside anymore.

I see you are from Torrington, CT - any problem with Hurricane Sandy? I guess the CT shore got hit - Stonington and Old Saybrook? Scary weather. I moved from Simsbury, up by Bradley Airport.

I love it down here. Property taxes much less. Electricity maybe 1/3 the cost of CT?

Why Tennessee, may I ask!!! (good choice of course!)

[rainedancer1]

Thanks for the responses. I'm actually originally from Old Saybrook and my cousins house sits on a marsh and he had to evacuate. We had minimal house damage but nothing compared to the coast, we didn't even lose power.

Thanks I'll check Realtracs. My husband wants a little land to ride his ATV around but it doesn't make much difference to me. We chose Tennessee because we wanted a place that was warmer and I heard great things about it. Also we want to send our daughter to Benton Hall Academy because she has ADD and we were looking at private schools up here and they are very expensive but the price is great.

Thanks for all the info, I can't wait to move!

[BirdieBelle]

You should be able to find something in you price range. A 1-acre lot is not uncommon here, but it may not be enough to ride an ATV. You'd need to check HOA restrictions etc. to be sure it would be allowed in any neighborhood you decide on.

I know Benton Hall is VERY small and selective, with tuition at about $13K per year. Is that much more affordable than private schools in your area?

[CountryGirl2b=]

I would think ATV riding within Franklin city limits might be a no-no. There are unincorporated sections where it might be allowed? But it might not be in your budget - you could get the land but not a nice 4 bedroom house. And HOAs would probably prohibit ATV use? Just guessing.

But here is a link to a website of places that he CAN ride . . .

Tennessee ATV Trails

Or as Brentwood Girl suggested, Thomson Station.

I have a friend who built out there because she was tired of the restrictions of where she lived in Franklin and although they have a beautiful house, she does miss the convenience of living closer to Franklin. Her girls are in high school and she does a lot of driving them back and forth to events, dance classes, etc.

I would think Old Saybrook was hit hard. Maybe not as hard as the Jersey Shore . . . we don't hear much about Sandy and CT . . all the focus is on Lower Manhattan and the Jersey Shore.

[brentwoodgirl]

Sorry, I missed the one acre part in your first post. Thompson Station, Fairview, College Grove, Arrington might all give you a little more land for your money and be within commuting distance from Franklin for school. All of those areas are 17-25 miles from Benton Hall. Thompson Station and Fairview are the most suburban. College Grove and Arrington are a bit more rural. All are nice areas. College Grove is the furthest from your school. You might also be able to find an older house on the southwest side of Brentwood for around $300,000, there is one on the market now.

[septimus]

I would look out toward's leipers fork too since Benton Hall is basically on Old HIllsboro where it meats HIllsboro so look up Old HIllsboro south of 96 (The stretch btwn 96 and Hillsboro is pretty schwanky). Also Grassland might meet your needs.

FWIW I live inside the city limits on a postage size lot and I hear/see ATVs and dirt bikes when I got hiking behind my house.

[rainedancer1]

Thanks for all the information, I am going to look in the areas that you listed. Even though we are from CT we are used to living without too many people around. I grew up on a road with only a few houses and my husband grew up being the only house on his road.

Compared to schools up here Benton Hall is definitely less expensive. A montessori school we were looking at up here was $22,500 and it only went to 8th grade. The Forman school where I went to high school would be a great school for my daughter however the tuition is around $40,000 a year for a day student. I spoke to Benton Hall and we are going to see it in the spring. We are just so excited to get out of Connecticut, the taxes are HORRIBLE and they are going up. Taxes on my house our "starter home" we bought 9 years ago and is worth about $150,000 are over $4,000 and my car taxes per year are about another $1,000. Not to mention oil and everything else. Tennessee sounds like a great place to us!