Knoxville Tennessee Real Estate Blog

If you’re home shopping in or moving to the Knoxville, Tennessee area information about the areas you’re looking in, what sort of schools do they have, crime rates, etc., are probably a high priority item for you.

Here’s a few local and national websites that can help supply you with useful home buying information.

My website, www.KnoxvilleHomeCenter.com for sale in the greater Knoxville area including single family homes, condos, and land for sale.

Family Watchdog has a sex offender registry. A sad commentary that we even have to have such a thing but any method to keep children safe is a good thing.

National Center for Education Statistics provided by the Federal Department of Education.

Lots of good, factual articles about schools and the homebuying decision from the National Association of REALTORS®

eNeighborhoods.com have great local data including schools, home prices, and other useful data

Right now the west area of Knoxville is dealing with a huge, high school rezoning issue.

A new high school, Hardin Valley High, is scheduled to come on line in the Fall of 2008, and not surprisingly a lot of local residents are unhappy about their neighborhoods being rezoned for other schools including the new one..

Here’s a link to a local news story about the issue and some links to proposed rezoning maps.

And of course there are many other sources. In fact there are so many sources and so much information available it’s very easy to become confused and have difficulty interpreting it.

If you need some guidance in any area of the homebuying (or selling), put my nearly 30 years of “Knoxville Knowledge” to work for you.

I’ve been a Knoxville resident since 1964 and will help you make the best homebuying decision for you and your family.

Like my website says, Knoxville is “A great place to live, work, play, and raise a family”

Our Knoxville Area Assocation of REALTORS® has been working on a project for a couple of years which now includes close to 70 streaming video clips of area attractions, historical sites, local events, parks, sports, shopping, things to do in the area, and interviews with local persons of interest.

To get a great flavor of what Knoxville is all about click Views & Visits to watch some short film clips about whatever you might be interested in around the Knoxville area.

I like the Knoxville Opera Company clip; careful if you click on this one, it opens up with an aria.

And I also like UT Sports, Haw Ridge Mountain Bike Park, and………………..well, I lilke them all  but Bill Landry below is a Knoxville icon and he tells the best stories about the area with his Heartland series.

Bill Landry

Give Views & Visits a look and see for yourself why Knoxville, Tennessee is “A great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

If you want to pick out a nice house while you’re visiting, www.KnoxvilleMLS.com is the place to go.

Please call with any Knoxville area questions or to request a complimentary package of area information.

Have a blessed day,

Jim

 

The March 2007 Sales Report for Knoxville Tennessee real estate has just been released by the Knoxville Area Association of REALTORS®.

It shows an increase in volume from the previous months; total residential units (single family homes & condos) jumped up to 1,346 compared to February’s 1,114 and January’s total of 958.

That’s still down from the same time period last year when we had sold and closed 1,493 but any increase is a good increase.

Days on the market has increased too. In January of this year it took an average of 91 days to sell a Knoxville area home; in February that number jumped up to 94, and for March of 2007 it has jumped again to 96 days.

Debbie Nieto

I talked with my favorite Knoxville mortgage banker, Debbie Nieto of CTX Mortgage Company and she says their benchmark 30 year fixed rate product is still hovering around the 6% or so range.

 

There are currently just a little over 11,000 single family homes and condos on the market in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee area so if you’re thinking of buying now would be a great time to get in the market.

You can view all these homes online via my website, www.KnoxvilleMLS.com

If you see one or two you’re interested please give me a call or email and we’ll go have a look; it might be just the one you’ve been waiting.

If you want to talk about buying or selling just give me a call or email; I’m here to serve you.

According to Forbes Magazine’s annual survey of US cities for the best business and career climate; Knoxville, Tennessee ranked number 5 for the second consecutive year.

“Metropolitan areas were ranked based on their job and income growth, business and living costs, education of the work force, migration trends and quality of life issues such as crime rates and cultural opportunities.”

No surprise there for the local residents; we’ve known Knoxville was tops for a long time now.

We have a great quality of life here, lots of stuff to do, and best of all, friendly folks all around that wave and smile when you pass by.

Our area has always had very affordable housing in all price ranges from a modest 2 bedroom condo to a mega mansion on the lake or in the mountains. With a median sale price in the $150,000 for a nice 3 bedroom home you don’t have to be wealthy  to own your own home in the Knoxville area.

Nearby Oak Ridge has lots of good, high paying tech & research jobs, along with the Tennessee Valley Authority, University of Tennessee, Alcoa Aluminum Company, Denso Automotive, and many other employers.

“We have a low cost of living and a great quality of life that attracts people who have options and who have mobility and who are choosing to live in the Knoxville region,” said Knoxville Chamber CEO Mike Edwards. “And businesses are choosing to locate here because this is where the work force is.”

“Consistently landing a spot near the top of the national rankings helps the region recruit new businesses, said Rhonda Rice, the chamber’s executive vice president.”

Scenic beauty, friendly people, low cost of living, and good fishing; what more could a person ask for. 😉

To see all of the greater Knoxville area’s Realtors listings visit my website, KnoxvilleMLS.com , pick out your new home and call me to make it happen for you; what could be easier.

Please call toll free 1-800-662-2488, extension 163 or email with any questions & to get a free relocation package of Knoxville information.

 

 

Recently in The Tennessee Legislature there was a bill introduced to rename State Highway 43 in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee “The Fred Thompson Highway”

Because the bill’s sponsor received the following letter he has now withdrawn the bill and US Highway 43 will keep it’s current name.

“April 2, 2007

The Honorable Joey Hensley
Nashville, TN 37243

Dear Joey,

I read where the naming of a segment of U.S. Highway 43 in Lawrenceburg after me is under consideration. I cannot blame anybody if there is hesitation to name another thing for another politician or former politician. But I must say that I am very appreciative of my friends in Lawrenceburg and Lawrence County who originally had this idea. The fact that they would want to do this is more important to me than the naming itself. My daddy’s car lot was on that stretch of road, so it’s special to me, but the fact is that I didn’t build it and I didn’t pay for it. The taxpayers did. So it is entirely appropriate that it remain U.S. Highway 43 the way I remember it when I was a boy. Therefore, I would request that you thank my friends and withdraw the naming bill.

I really appreciate your work on this and the great job you are doing for our people. All the best to you and your colleagues.

Sincerely.
Fred Thompson”

First the Dogwood trees are breathtakingly beautiful this year, then the Lady Vols bring a seventh national basketball championship home to Knoxville, and now a Tennessee politician (former for now) demonstates a refreshing humility.

Senator Fred Dalton Thompson

If Fred chose Lady Vol’s basketball coach Pat Summitt for his running mate they would be unbeatable. 😉

Pat Summitt, UT Lady Vols Head Coach

If moving to the greater Knoxville Tennessee area is in your future you can get a look at all of the Knoxville area’s Realtor listings at www.KnoxvilleMLS.com

 

The dry spell is over in Knoxville, Tennessee in more ways than one.

We’re having a spring thunderstorm in here in Knoxville tonight; the University of Tennessee Lady Vols created a thunderstorm of their own in Cleveland on the road to their seventh national women’s basketball championship.

Championship tee shirts are already on sale; think somebody knew something? 😉 

The final game was never in doubt, Tennessee dominated from the tipoff until the final buzzer and the final score of 59 to 46.

Stellar play by superstar Candace Parker as well as inspired play from the shortest Lady Vol, 5 foot 2 inch Shannon Bobbitt who knocked down 3, 3 pointers in a row to contribute a total of 13 points.

Bobbitt is the shortest player every to be on scholarship at Tennessee. She may be short in statue but she was 8 feet tall tonight on the court, scoring at will, dribbling at will through as many as 3 Rutgers players at once, and generally being an inspiration to the rest of the team.

Good job ladies, you truly deserved to win tonight and you did.

Read all about it at KnoxNews.com

Good news for next year and there after too; only of the starters is a senior, Sidney Spencer.

Parker, Bobbitt, and all the rest will be back next year.

Will 2008 be number eight?