Dena Parker Williams

You absolutely CAN find something with that criteria! Within Franklin, you might see something in Cheswicke Farm, Redwing Meadows, Indian Meadows, Callie Estates, Ivy Glen, Forrest Crossing, Ralston Glen, Buckingham Farms, Sullivan Farms, Founders Pointe, Cedarmont Farms, Harpeth Woods, Spencer Hall, and even one or two in Fieldstone Farms. You may only find one or two actually available that meets your criteria in each area, but altogether it presents some good options.

In Spring Hill, you might try Belshire, Benevento, and a few in Campbell Station and maybe 1 or 2 in Glennmont. The newer phase of Cherry Grove might have a couple as well.

You could also find something outside of a subdivision in Thompsons Station as well as something in a community like Campbell Station (also Spring Hill), Crowne Pointe, and maybe Canterbury.

Good luck! You shouldn't have any problems finding something in one of these areas though. - Tue Jul 22 2008, 21:09

In addition to craigslist and other online listing services like oodle, you would definitely want to add your listing to popular rental sites like: Hotpads, MyNewPlace, Rent.com, Zilpy, Intronin. I'm not sure how accurate "Rentometer" is, but it might be fun to play with their property analyzer tool in determining rent prices. - Wed Jul 16 2008, 05:11

There are only a few that come up in either Woodbine or Inglewood as was previously mentioned that are under or right around $100k. I did see one in Inglewood that looked to be updated and "by pictures" looked good, but it was $109k. It is a really tough range to find many options for you, but if you are flexible on your criteria - you won't get everything you're searching for in an area or home -- you still may be able to come up with something. It may be better to continue saving and then wait until you can go up in price a bit. Between $125k and $150k you will increase your options quite a bit. - Tue Jul 15 2008, 11:26

Thanks. As was stated, just ask your realtor for the comp sales in the last few months. I know those changes do not seem like much, but you'd be surprised at how many times I've heard someone walk in a house and say, I don't like the colors and then walk out without being able to see past that. Painting a dinosaur room would be so easy for someone to do that didn't have children, but sometimes people just can't see past the rooms as they are. So great job on painting and the few updates you've done. You just need to update your pictures now. As for your master, I do see there's not much you can do there, so you'll probably want to make sure you're priced accordingly. Other than that, making your master seem larger might help a little. If you have large pieces of furniture, consider moving one or two of them out in storage so there seems to be more space in the room itself. If you have large chunky furniture in other rooms, it might help to move a few things into storage to make the whole house seem a little more spacious.

Glad to hear you got some additional showings...good luck to you. - Tue Jul 15 2008, 08:29

Oh no...Don't give up just yet. That makes me depressed :) Do you know how similar homes in your area are priced or what they have recently sold for? If you are priced just under the market, you should get more attention. Don't forget that many people watch for "price changes" and that is certainly a way to get attention to your home if it is priced more aggressively. That's not to say it has to be the lowest priced, but it may be time to get more aggressive with the price considering it has not received many showings.

If I were you, I'd also take a look at the other competition homes on the market. See what may be making them stand out. For the ones that have contracts on them or just sold, what made them stand out? Are there other things you can do to improve the curb appeal and interior condition of the property? Most people are not prepared to put a little money into their home before selling, but there are lots of affordable ways to make the home more crisp, clean, wowing without spending a ton of money. Sometimes just a few updates, the way your home is staged, making small repairs or changes could be the winning combination to make your home differentiated above the rest...and the home of choice. That differentiation could make the difference in having a sold sign in your yard in the next few weeks. - Mon Jul 14 2008, 17:34

JB,
Williamson County as a whole has given good returns to homeowners over time. For any real estate investment, 5 years is probably where a better minimum would be set for the intention of selling. Five years allows time for appreciation, but it's not so soon that if a period of decline or flattening occurs that you're in trouble with your investment.

At this particular time, parts of Nolensville have really experienced quite a bit of growth. While we can't take a look at the past in such a new area to make educated guesses about the future, you can look at an alternative investment criteria...and that is motivated sellers. Sometimes, new home builders become motivated as they struggle to unload their inventory, but many times their price is your price. If you found a new home in that Nolensville area that the builder just absolutely had to sell fast, that might be a good deal for you. However, without looking up the current listings, my gut tells me you'll find more options for a good deal with resales right now in some of the areas of Williamson County. One listing actually does come to mind for you. There is a subdivision in Brentwood called Shadow Creek that until recently has been mostly in the 600k range with a few in the upper $500s. There is one there now listed just under $400,000 and it's been reduced at least 100k since it went on the market. That's a pretty good value. For me personally, that is the kind of house I would buy if I were buying right now (significantly undervalued either new or resale). You'll find motivated sellers all over Williamson County that may allow you to purchase a home in an area that might have been off limits for you until now. I love finding those needles in the haystacks for my clients! That's what you need to get the most from your investment because the investment is made when you buy not when you sell..so work to get good terms for your financing and buy a home that you know is under market value. - Mon Jul 14 2008, 17:59