U of Tenn folks question - Knoxville real estate

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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.

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Depends...what do you consider "not too far".

Time wise, 20 minutes or so?

What type of environment do you guys have in mind?

If you're looking for the suburbs and have no problem with a bit more of a drive, look in West Knoxville.

Catch: 200k out West in the suburbs isn't going to get you nearly the house that it would in the city proper.


If he's looking to be more in the city and closer to downtown then I would recommend doing your homework on North and South Knoxville. There are some great areas to get into in those areas and your $$$ will go farther. You'll also be closer to all of the entertainment venues that comes with living closer to downtown (Tons of Breweries, restaurants, bars, entertainment options, The University/Campus, etc) Even the fringe part of West Knoxville closest to downtown (The Sutherland Ave area the poster mentioned above) has some good spots. It also has some sketchy spots so it's worth doing your homework on.

I have lived in West Knoxville (Hardin Valley & Middlebrook pike areas) during high school and then went on to buy a house in Fountain City (A community in North Knoxville) so I've got a pretty good feel for both. Personally, I love the city and being so close to what people my age enjoy doing. But everyone has their preference.

West Knoxville is more cookie cutter suburbs and the like, but is safe, secure, and still has a lot to do. It's a great place to raise a family with good public and private schools. Drawbacks are your $$$ won't go nearly as far as other areas in the city and depending on what suburb you're in (Farragut, Hardin Valley, Bearden, Karns, etc.) you can have a decent drive to get downtown.

North and South Knoxville proper, atleast large areas of them, feel less suburban and more urban/city. You'll get more bang for your buck on the housing market. The proximity to downtown and entertainment is great (I'm 8 minutes from my house to downtown in Fountain City) but the crime is also higher. There's definitely some trade offs depending on your life style and what you're accustomed to.

FWIW: Knoxville city limits has about 190k people due to an outdated city limits design. Knox County collectively will be at about 475k people in the 2020 Census. I'd say with atleast 250k of those 475k people being in West Knoxville. The Knoxville metropolitan area is around 875k+

The Island home community in South Knoxville would be a good place to look (The South Knox riverfront is starting to boom). Fountain City and even parts of North Knoxville proper off of Broadway have some good spots, but there are some hit or miss areas in North Knoxville proper to be aware of. Due to your unfamiliarity with the area it may be best just to look in Fountain City if you're looking North (Unless he wants to be way out in North Knox county in the Powell, Halls or Gibbs areas) Also, the Bearden area in West Knoxville will be good to look into as it's the closest of the larger West Knoxville suburbs to downtown. West Hills and The Cedar Bluff area are solid too and definitely check out the Sutherland area as well.

Stay out of East Knoxville. Don't even look in that area unless it's back in Holston Hills or further out closer to Strawberry plains. Lot of gang and drug activity.

Good luck and let us know of you have any additional questions

Thanks, great info!

Thanks!

quote:

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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!

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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.

You can find some good real estate in South Knoxville, which pertains to the city limits south of the Tennessee River.

Any area more specific in South Knoxville?