quote:
My son will be moving to Knoxville for his residency this summer at U of Tenn. What are good area's to buy a starter home not too far from campus and not more than 200K? What are areas to avoid due to declining value, crime, etc.

Thanks!

My daughter and SIL started residences in Knoxville last June. They bought in what I believe is the Bearden (Wedgewood Hills?) area of west Knoxville. They talked to other residents before buying and many, if not most lived out west of downtown. In fact, they bought a house from a guy who was finishing his surgical residency. It takes my SIL less than 25 minutes (This was extremely important in his buying decision. He wanted 20 minutes, but I think he settled on 21 from the house they bought because he loved the neighborhood) to get to UTMC, and they are 6-7 minutes from every dining and shopping option imaginable.

One of the residents connected them with a realtor who frequently assists incoming and outgoing residents. (He claims it is one of his specialties, but you know how realtors throw BS). They fired the agent they were using and hired him. The dude was great. Kind of a cocky young guy, but constantly accessible and very knowledgeable. Fantastic realtor for dealing with young buyers.

They also looked in the Westlyn and Rocky Hill areas, which are also out that way. They even looked at a couple of gentrified areas in town but decided against those.

Frankly, I love the area where they live. Fantastic neighborhood, convenient to everything, and easy commute for each of them. Also, they're about 5 minutes away from the best shawarma I've ever eaten.

This post was edited on 1/22/20 at 8:58 pm