Regional Update - Nashville Tennessee

No matter where you drive in Nashville, heavy road construction is underway and is a clear indication of things to come. We spent four days roaming around in and around Nashville searching for the best master-planned communities in Tennessee. The majority of the neighborhoods were out in the suburbs. New shopping malls, top rated schools and new Nashville real estate developments can easily be found on the north, south, and east side of the city. 

Nashville fascinated us by extremes. Neighborhoods with homes within arms reach of each other, neighborhoods with homes backing up to parks and protected nature preserves and traditional farm land set among rolling hills. People don’t seem to mind zero lot line new home developments. What attracts Nashvillians to these types of neighborhoods? One could assume it’s a shiny new home with all the bells and whistles. Or is it the inexperience of a first time home buyer? It’s hard to say. We wondered if people thought about the risk of a fire in these neighborhoods. To us, the homes are so close together that a fire in one home could take out the entire community quickly. Fortunately, not all Nashville neighborhoods are zero lot line and high density communities but it will cost you to have space.

We observed the same home builders time and time again building new homes across Nashville. Goodall Homes, Ford Custom Classic Homes, Turnberry, and Phillips Builders. National home builders included Beazer Homes and DR Horton. If you can afford to spend $300k or more, you’ll have a variety of choices on all sides of town. If you can spend $500k or more, you’ll have the option of living in Franklin or Brentwood, unquestionably Nashville’s premier address.

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The 12 Communities We Visited in Nashville:

• Westhaven - Franklin
• Berry Farms - Franklin
• Chardonnay - Franklin
• Concord Hunt - Franklin
• Elmbrooke - Franklin
• Highlands at Ladd Park - Franklin
• Fairvue Plantation - Gallatin
• Foxland Harbor - Gallatin
• The Reserve at Stone Hall - Hermitage
• Providence - Mount Juliet
• Burkett Place - Nolensville
• Milky Way Farms - Polaski

WESTHAVEN - Franklin

We never know what kind of impression a first time visitor will have. My mother was traveling with me and thought Westhaven was an apartment neighborhood. Westhaven is not. The 2,600 home best master-planned community in Tennessee is just 3 miles from downtown Franklin. Amenities include a golf course and clubhouse, Resident’s Club, three resort-style swimming pools, tennis courts, community parks and Town Center. We’ve been monitoring Westhaven since 2011.

It was a sunny Sunday and the construction workers were hammering away on new homes and townhomes near the front of the development. We toured the new Westhaven Golf Club. It’s beautiful and is situated on a hill overlooking the golf course. Westhaven’s golf course is special because there are no homes bordering the course preserving the course’s park-like beauty. Golf membership is optional. We felt Westhaven’s roads were worn and in need of repair which commonly happens in neighborhoods enduring continuous new home construction. The Westhaven Town Center Expansion was also under construction. A new hardware store and two new restaurants are being added to the Town Center. 

Westhaven home prices have increased over the past year and averaged in the $530k’s. The new townhomes under construction and are priced just under $300k. Approximately 1,000 homes have been built to date. Westhaven property owners scored the community much higher than us, a 94 verses our score of 80.

As picky as we are about recommending master-planned communities, we are about recommending real estate brokers we trust. Ask us to introduce you to our trusted colleague in Nashville and we’re confident you’ll thank us!

BERRY FARMS - Franklin

We toured Berry Farms for this first time. It is about six miles from downtown Franklin. To us, Berry Farms looks like a copy cat community to Westhaven. The 600 acre master-planned community is being developed by Boyle Development. Approximately 50 homes have been built to date and the homes feel like they are within arms reach of other. In a new community, someone has to be the first home owner. We applaud Berry Farms homeowners for their tolerance and patience to endure massive construction and debris during the process. We hope they will be handsomely rewarded by financial appreciation when they sell which is why most folks jump in and buy early. 

This project has a long way to go and is a mess. The road expansion around the neighborhood added to the construction chaos. We read in the news some folks think Berry Farms might become the next Cool Springs because of the huge retail Town Center Boyle Development is building as part of the neighborhood. We couldn’t envision it on that scale. We’ll keep our eye on Berry Farms and look forward to seeing their progress.

CHARDONNAY TRACE - Franklin

As sweet as the name sounds, this Franklin Tennessee neighborhood is charming with French Chateau inspired architecture and dramatic elevations. Most of the homes back up to a nature preserve giving homeowners the sense of privacy and space. The color palette is mostly chocolate brown and cappuccino with New Orleans-style wrought iron light fixtures and mailboxes. The community has a natural private lake with a gazebo, outdoor community swimming pool and kids pool. Approximately 12 homes were under construction and about 50 are built to date. Chardonnay Trace is located across the street from the new Clovercroft Elementary School. It’s refined and looks great. Home prices begin in the upper $500k’s.

HIGHLANDS AT LADD PARK - Franklin

Our first visit to Ladd Park was in 2012. At the time, there were 150 homes built of the 1,000 planned and the community looked promising. About twice that many homes are now built. People are drawn to Highlands at Ladd Park because of the quick access to Highway 65. Bulldozers were all around us and we could sense the home density on the horizon.

The roads built in the earlier part of the community were worn and are in need of repair. The new community swimming pool was complete and was built in a nice location on the top of hill. We feel the home builders missed the mark by not paying attention to the back side of the homes which face the spine roads. The back side of the homes are unattractive and do not match the price tag. We found resale homes in the $300k’s. The new home builders are offering homes in the high $400k’s. Highlands at Ladd Park is overpriced to us. Property owners scored Ladd Park almost the same as us, a 74 verses our 73 which is a low score.

CONCORD HUNT - Brentwood

It was a pleasure to discover Concord Hunt. A Nashville neighborhood with spacious yards, mature trees and excellent walking trails within the neighborhood that connect to the Brentwood city trail system. Development began in early 2000 and approximately 130 homes have been built at Concord Hunt. Homes range from 3,500 to 6,000 square feet and have elegant brick exteriors in beautiful colors and long driveways. Amenities include a community swimming pool, children’s playground and covered pavilion. We found several homes for sale priced in the $600k’s.

ELMBROOKE - Brentwood

Situated next door to The Governors Club, Elmbrooke is a beautiful new home neighborhood. Rolling hills give you an immediate sense of space. The executive-style homes with three car garages have dramatic roof lines, classic brick exteriors in earth tones, and estate size lots. This Nashville neighborhood comprises of 53 acres and 30 homes although it feels bigger. The majority of the homes are built. Home prices start just over $700k although new homes are advertised on the entrance sign starting at $590k.

THE RESERVE AT STONE HALL - Hermitage

We were impressed with this boutique-size new neighborhood situated in an older section of the city and near the airport. There were approximately 12 homes under construction and 60 are built to date. The community has quick access to State Road 155 which connects with Interstate 40 and the Interstate 24 & 65 city by pass making it very attractive to business travelers. 

Home styles were interesting reflecting French Country and English Tudor architecture. The majority of the homes overlooked the Ravenwood golf course connecting to the Stones River Greenway. The golf course has been purchased by the county and is being transformed into public green space connecting to the city's Greenway system. In case you don't know, Nashville's Greenways connect 200 miles of biking and walking trails to the city. 

A community swimming pool and tennis courts are planned amenities at The Reserve at Stone Hall. This is the type of Nashville neighborhood we would expect to find out in the suburbs. New homes for sale begin under $300k. In our opinion, this is the best kept secret in Nashville!

PROVIDENCE - Mount Juliet

We’ve been monitoring Providence at Mount Juliet since 2012. When buyers ask about Nashville neighborhoods within walking distance of shopping and restaurants, Providence is the first place that comes to mind. This high density community is comprised of eight small neighborhoods. Amenities include a community swimming pool, kids splash area and walking trails. 

What we didn’t find attractive this year is the number of new apartment buildings under construction at the entrance. Yes, the Providence MarketPlace, new outparcel car dealerships and so forth will benefit from the large number of people living within a mile but Providence lost its small town feel. People like Providence because of quick access to Interstate 40, retailers and because of the affordable home prices.

Newer homes can be found in the $200k’s and Beazer Homes is still building new homes at Providence. Property owners seem happy at Providence scoring the neighborhood at 85 verses our score of 81. If you want to live within walking or biking distance to shopping and dining, Providence is a must see in Nashville.

FAIRVUE PLANTATION - Gallatin

One of the first communities we were drawn to in Nashville was Fairvue Plantation. Its French Country architecture and grandeur are beautiful. The 500 acre lakefront and golf community borders Old Hickory Lake and was once a 2,000 acre working plantation. In fact we’re told, the first Steeplechase in America took place at Fairvue Plantation. Amenities include an 18 hole championship golf course, lakefront clubhouse with dining and swimming pool. A staff member at the club informed us of a rumor going around to add a boat dock with boat slips at the clubhouse. 

The community is well maintained and the roads looked great. We observed about a dozen homes under construction in the final neighborhood, The Enclave at Fairvue. There are 10 neighborhoods in all at Fairvue Plantation. Homes can be found in the $300k’s and lakefront homes can easily exceed $3 million. Property owners scored the community similar to us, an 83 verses our score of 84.

FOXLAND HARBOR - Gallatin

Originally built to be the sister community to Fairvue Plantation, Foxland Harbor seems to be back on track. Construction stalled in 2011 about the same time as when the Fairvue Planation golf club went into bankruptcy to restructure the debt. We didn’t spend a lot of time researching Joe Godfrey’s financial relationship with the Fairvue Plantation golf club. What we do know is Godfrey Realty Group LLC is promoting homes and lots for sale at Foxland Harbor. 

The Foxland Harbor golf course is open, the restored historic golf clubhouse was under renovation and new homes were being built all throughout the community by Goodall Homes. By our estimates, about 30 homes have been built to date. Planned amenities include a 270 slip marina on Old Lake Hickory, swimming pool, fitness center and tennis courts. The roads were in rough shape which is normal to see early in a development. We’re cautiously optimistic and will keep our eye on Foxland Harbor.

BURKITT PLACE - Nolensville

We approved Burkitt Place back in 2012 as a quality master-planned community in Nashville. We were pleased to see not much has changed except the fact that there are more homes completed. Amenities include a community swimming pool, children’s playground and community park. The community is well maintained. People choose Burkitt Place because of the Williamson County top rated schools and because of the affordable new homes. Celebration Homes, Drees Homes and Regent Homes are still building in Burkitt Place. Homes begin in the low $200k’s. The average home price is in the $300k’s.  

MILKY WAY FARM - Polaski

A friend of mine years ago told me about Milky Way Farms in Nashville and said I must see it. The first clue Milky Way Farm would be a waste of my time is that is located 74 miles to the south and is not a Nashville neighborhood. The second clue smacked me in the face when we drove through the entrance. Abandoned equestrian barns, beaten up roads and a Manor House which was suppose to be open and was not. The community hardly looked like the way it is presented on its website. I’ll take the blame for not spending more time analyzing it deeper ahead of time. I believe the new owners are struggling from what we observed. I can’t argue about its rich history and about its famous founder but Milky Way Farm is not a best master-planned community in the making.

We hope you found our notes helpful. We plan on making a trip to Nashville again soon.  If you haven’t already chosen a broker to work with, ask us introduce you to our trusted colleague in Nashville. Like communities, we work hard to find the best brokers in the business and who are going to look out for you.

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