U-Haul says TN saw the most one way rentals in 2020

[Erich]

31 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/608-S-Gallaher-View-Rd_Knoxville_TN_37919_M77996-31597

We looked at that house yesterday. Nice place. Amazing what they can hide in pictures though. Decided to pass. When we were there another realtor showed up to do a virtual showing for someone moving from out of state. I couldn't imagine trying to buy a house without seeing it in person. 

It does present well in the pictures. What kind of things did you find in person? 

Good luck in your search. The couple folks here who bought that I messaged with had very good agents who seemed to find listings that I did not run across with my MLS search (thru an agent) or Zillow / Realor.com searches. Those were listings with 5+ acreas of land though.

Looks like land size isnt a key factor so that is on your side. I'd guess a good portion of the folks coming in from out of state are trying for the larger lots. Lots with land have insane markup factors as a result, and my searches moved from being within 30 minutes out to closer to an hour before I stopped my search.

[peejman]

1 hour ago, Erik88 said:

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/608-S-Gallaher-View-Rd_Knoxville_TN_37919_M77996-31597

We looked at that house yesterday. Nice place. Amazing what they can hide in pictures though. Decided to pass. When we were there another realtor showed up to do a virtual showing for someone moving from out of state. I couldn't imagine trying to buy a house without seeing it in person. 

All white with bunches of can lights. I hate can lights. Clearly a remodel/flip not too long ago. What did you see?

[TechAlG]

I am currently in the "Remote Worker looking to move in" boat.  We are also looking for 5+ acres (preferably 20+).  And yes, high speed internet is at the top of my list.  However, I have technical knowledge and am able to make HSI appear where none exists.  No need to worry about "Californication" here; that's why we're leaving PA.  We are struggling with the "not seeing it in person" bit as well.  We are likely taking a trip in June or so, to look at a few places.  We've been watching listings for awhile now, so we have a good idea what we want, what we can work with, and especially what we don't want.  And yes, we would also be having a mover move the big stuff, and bringing some stuff with a Uhaul.

[Erik88]

1 hour ago, Erich said:

It does present well in the pictures. What kind of things did you find in person?

The house was actually very nice overall. The 2 guest bedrooms upstairs were tiny and one of them didn't have a closet. The biggest issue was the backyard. They photographed it in a way that made it look private but there is another house that is right on top of you with zero privacy. The yard was also steeper than it looked and water runoff was concerning. The retention wall by the driveway was leaning and likely needed to be replaced. It also had an ancient HVAC system and 20 year old water heater. I don't mind replacing both for the right house but the back yard was a deal breaker. 

The house barely shown below is looking right down on the back porch.

41 minutes ago, peejman said:

All white with bunches of can lights. I hate can lights. Clearly a remodel/flip not too long ago. What did you see?

Really? I've never heard anyone say they hate can lights. What do you prefer? I find most people choose light fixtures that are appalling. It sold for $162K in 2019 and then $265K later in 2019 so someone definitely flipped it.  We actually like white. I want something with good natural light that doesn't seem dark. Dark cabinets and bathrooms are not our scene. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Erik88

[Erich]

20 minutes ago, TechAlG said:

am able to make HSI appear where none exists.

Outside of Satellite hookup, what is the method?

I was looking at this for a home in South GA and max down was 25 mbps, which is kinda meh to me.

And....you should really think about South GA, I have a great deal for ya

 

[Erik88]

We went out and walked 6 acres we found for sale in South Knoxville. I think 2-3 of it might be buildable but there is a giant sinkhole towards the bottom. It was in the county so I could shoot on my own land and not pay city taxes.

Here is what the topo map shows with big sinkhole in the middle. Property line is in blue. I'm not sure how I would feel about building on land that is prone to swallowing the earth. 

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/Daniel-Rd_Knoxville_TN_37920_M85213-48019

[TechAlG]

4 minutes ago, Erich said:

Outside of Satellite hookup, what is the method?

 

 

I've only ever been successful with 4G cellular, but the methods are similar (with different hardware) for 5G.

Edited January 27, 2021 by TechAlG

[Erich]

24 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

The yard was also steeper than it looked and water runoff was concerning. The retention wall by the driveway was leaning and likely needed to be replaced. It also had an ancient HVAC system and 20 year old water heater. I don't mind replacing both for the right house but the back yard was a deal breaker. 

 

Those wide angle lenses really do great for traffic, no doubt. That whole thing screams overpriced to me. LIke $500+ 9mm ammo! If you absolutely need it now.

I didnt look at the history. When I saw the pic, I was thinking, that is the common format house small lot house in Chattanooga that was selling around 200k when I stopped looking in the burbs at the end of 2018 before thinking land and build before I hung that up.

I'm hope this is not too personal a question to ask, but what is your driver to buy in the current market in that area with your concerns about the alarming rate of increase over such a short time? Is it the concern it will continue to escalate without adjustment and you want to stay there?

 

[Erich]

9 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

I'm not sure how I would feel about building on land that is prone to swallowing the earth. 

 

Oh I suspect you really do!

[Erich]

12 minutes ago, TechAlG said:

I've only ever been successful with 4G cellular, but the methods are similar (with different hardware) for 5G.

Ah. The predicate being you have strong 4G. That's kind of a similar issue, they don't put lots of towers out in the boonies either. Its an interesting thought though if you have a way to check all carriers actual signal strength in an area.

 

[TechAlG]

Just now, Erich said:

Ah. The predicate being you have strong 4G. That's kind of a similar issue, they don't put lots of towers out in the boonies either. Its an interesting thought though if you have a way to check all carriers actual signal strength in an area.

 

I have successfully gotten strong 4G signal where minimal signal existed.  Generally, if you can get a weak 3G signal, you can turn it into a strong 4G signal with the right equipment.

[Ronald_55]

16 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

 

Here is what the topo map shows with big sinkhole in the middle. Property line is in blue. I'm not sure how I would feel about building on land that is prone to swallowing the earth. 

 

@Erik88

You should know in East TN pretty much everything is going to be swallowed by a sink hole at some point. 

Construction company I used to work for hit one on a piece of property they were grading to build on in VA. They decided to fill it with gravel. After 50+ tandem dump loads of gravel they still could not see any in the hole. They still ended up building the project on the site, but not sure how they solved it. 

 

 

[Erik88]

13 minutes ago, Erich said:

I'm hope this is not too personal a question to ask, but what is your driver to buy in the current market in that area with your concerns about the alarming rate of increase over such a short time? Is it the concern it will continue to escalate without adjustment and you want to stay there?

We are currently renting an 840 sq ft home with 2 big dogs and we both work from home. My wife is going nuts here. You are correct that in 2018 this type of house would have been significantly cheaper. With the rate people are moving here, I don't think home prices will drop in Knoxville. 

[Erik88]

I forgot to mention. Our realtor was telling us he(his clients) made 4 offers of the weekend and 3 were rejected. For one of the houses they went $20K over asking price. Cash offer. They waved the inspection and offered to buy as is. They still didn't get the house. 

[Erich]

Appreciate your sharing. That does sound cozy for living and office space. Good that you may have options working form home.

[Erich]

31 minutes ago, Erik88 said:

I forgot to mention. Our realtor was telling us he(his clients) made 4 offers of the weekend and 3 were rejected. For one of the houses they went $20K over asking price. Cash offer. They waved the inspection and offered to buy as is. They still didn't get the house. 

 

[peejman]

1 hour ago, Erik88 said:

The house was actually very nice overall. The 2 guest bedrooms upstairs were tiny and one of them didn't have a closet. The biggest issue was the backyard. They photographed it in a way that made it look private but there is another house that is right on top of you with zero privacy. The yard was also steeper than it looked and water runoff was concerning. The retention wall by the driveway was leaning and likely needed to be replaced. It also had an ancient HVAC system and 20 year old water heater. I don't mind replacing both for the right house but the back yard was a deal breaker. 

The house barely shown below is looking right down on the back porch.

Really? I've never heard anyone say they hate can lights. What do you prefer? I find most people choose light fixtures that are appalling. It sold for $162K in 2019 and then $265K later in 2019 so someone definitely flipped it.  We actually like white. I want something with good natural light that doesn't seem dark. Dark cabinets and bathrooms are not our scene. 

Mostly because of having installed a bunch of can lights in my parents' house. Frequently they're not installed correctly, crooked, wired wrong, etc.  It takes a bunch of them to light a room, so they're very inefficient energy wise. 

I also like good natural light that's relatively bright. I just prefer more earth tones than stark white.   Too sterile for me, but easy to paint over. And white walls and kids don't mix.

[DennisG]

2 hours ago, TechAlG said:

I am currently in the "Remote Worker looking to move in" boat.  We are also looking for 5+ acres (preferably 20+).  And yes, high speed internet is at the top of my list. 

HSI is actually pretty available in places. Most of Smith County has fiber available, and DTC has fiber to parts of Dekalb County with a nice map showing where it's coming in the next 24 months or so (https://dtcfiber.net/front_end/zones)

I currently have 25/3 aDSL, having given up gig fiber in the move from Virginia, and it's bearable - I can stream 4k shows fine.

[Swamp ash]

2 hours ago, Erik88 said:

We went out and walked 6 acres we found for sale in South Knoxville. I think 2-3 of it might be buildable but there is a giant sinkhole towards the bottom. It was in the county so I could shoot on my own land and not pay city taxes.

Here is what the topo map shows with big sinkhole in the middle. Property line is in blue. I'm not sure how I would feel about building on land that is prone to swallowing the earth. 

 

Yeah, sinkholes are considered earth movements and are usually not covered by homeowners insurance.

[TechAlG]

30 minutes ago, DennisG said:

I currently have 25/3 aDSL, having given up gig fiber in the move from Virginia, and it's bearable - I can stream 4k shows fine.

We have only ruled out a few small areas due to lack of HSI, mostly due to topography.  I would like to have 100 Mbps minimum, but I'd actually be willing to settle at 25.

[Jeb48]

8 hours ago, Swamp ash said:

Yeah, sinkholes are considered earth movements and are usually not covered by homeowners insurance.

When we bought 6 years ago and got our house insurance with Farm Bureau, I asked about coverage for sinkholes and they said it was automatically included in all of their policies unless they were asked to leave it out. I think the savings was less than $50 to leave it off. Earthquakes and floods are natural also and you can get insurance for those.

[Swamp ash]

1 hour ago, Jeb48 said:

When we bought 6 years ago and got our house insurance with Farm Bureau, I asked about coverage for sinkholes and they said it was automatically included in all of their policies unless they were asked to leave it out. I think the savings was less than $50 to leave it off. Earthquakes and floods are natural also and you can get insurance for those.

Yep, you are correct. Apparently TN and FL actually allow for sinkhole insurance, but, it may be limited to only catastrophic coverage.

Thanks!