Franklin, Hendersonville or Mount Juliet TN (Gallatin, Spring Hill: real estate, HOA, townhouse)

[FP558]

My wife and I are retired now. We currently live in Murrieta, CA which is pretty conservative for People’s Republic of CA standards. And YES we are conservatives. I have done a little research on these three cities and I am open to suggestions as to where we should live. I am looking to expend no more than $525K. I want a single story 3 bedroom 2 bath home. Must have a 2 car garage or more. I like to live near shopping, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. I don’t want to drive too far. Not interested living in 55 plus, HOA or anything like that.

Looking forward in getting some inputs.
Thanks

[CountryGirl2b=]

You have a decent budget for Franklin, but I will warn you that a non-HOA property will take a bit of looking. It’s just the way housing was built from the mid-90’s forward. Not impossible, but fewer options.

[shinestx]

Interesting question as all three have their unique appeal. Franklin, you hear most on this forum, has the 'small town charm' with modern office parks around it. Some people like that 'good' mix but others complain about the traffic. You're going to see bad traffic just about anyplace you go in the ring counties and Nashville. Real estate in Franklin is out of reach for many. Those who still want to take advantage of the well-regarded school system in Williamson County (Franklin has city school system) and pay less expensive housing prices tend to look at Spring Hill and now in the southeastern part of the county. Downside is those schools are having a harder time keeping up with growth, but in your situation as retirees you may not care about the schools. Regardless, your budget could get you a nice townhouse in the eastern part of Franklin if you're inclined to go to that area.

Hendersonville is all about the lake. City grew up around Old Hickory Lake in the 1950s thru 80s. So the housing stock reflects those midcentury modern styles and ranchers. Schools are relatively good for Sumner County, with several Blue Ribbon schools. Once again, you may not care about schools, but they do tend to affect the long term prospects for your housing investment. If you want a yard and a nice 2,000 s.f. house, Hendersonville may be your best bet. However, you won't be able to touch lakefront property with your budget. The shopping is considerably weaker than Franklin but some larger retail hubs have popped up around there and Gallatin in recent years. Gallatin may be a better option for you if you want lake access, but your house will be smaller and adjacent property will be closer.

Mt. Juliet has a Del Webb community if you're interested in that lifestyle (Spring Hill south of Franklin does too). The city has been predicted as the next boom suburb and it's off to a solid start with very rapid growth since 2010. There are some lake-adjacent properties on the northern edge of Mt. Juliet, but they're even more expensive than in Hendersonville. It appears that Mt. Juliet is doing a better job with infrastructure than Hendersonville, and Franklin is mostly developer driven at this point. Media age and income in Mt. Juliet reflect a growing, young population with high disposable income. It also has great access to the Nashville Internation Airport (BNA) just down I-40. If you go to Mt. Juliet, I expect you'll see the best return on your housing investment (over the other two cities), but you'll need to get ready for a lot more growth. Already, there are two new exits underway along I-40.

[Hankbills]

Median Household Income (2019 Census)

Franklin- $98,231
Mt. Juliet- $91,303
Hendersonville- $72,539

The gap between Franklin and Mt. Juliet in MHI has closed tremendously in last 10 years.