Asheville, Raleigh or Knoxville

General Real Estate Investing
1

I am just new to REI, and plan to ramp up fast. But something came up today that may change things for me.

We had planned to move in 1.5 years, but something came up today that may have us moving this summer. That will change our whole investment strategy.

Having said that, does anyone know if Asheville, Raleigh or Knoxville offer any advantages over the others when it comes to REI. Since we are still unsure which area we like, it may help sway us a little.

Thanks
Vince

2

The Raleigh real estate market has not boomed like so many of the East Coast markets have during this runup. I think it still has possibilities for a cash flow investor. It is a neat town with several good universities nearby and a pretty good job market.

Asheville has had a strong real estate market. It is a popular retirement area so it should continue to be solid based on that trend. Asheville is a cool town with a bit of a hippie flavor. The mountains and whitewater are attractions.

I live on the coast of NC so I am not an expert on either area. One of my real estate agents moved here from Raleigh. Another recently bought a lot in Asheville. So I have mostly secondhand info.

3

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. I visited Raleigh and Asheville, and liked both of them. But Asheville was especially exciting with its vibrant downtown. There was just something unique about it.

Vince

4

Yeah, you gotta love that hippie vibe.

5

The Knoxville Area is experiencing growth from retirees and industrial growth. Its a short drive to the tourist areas of the Smokey Mtns. Lots of people that vacationed in the mountains are deciding to relocate here. Real estate is still affordable.

6

The real estate prices were one reason I looked at Knoxville. I didn’t know much about the area, but after the trip to Ashville, I was looking around on the map to cities close to the mountains. The prices in Ashville seemed a bit high, although I loved the area.

Knoxville seemed much more reasonable in their real estate prices. It just never showed up in any of the “greatest places to live” lists, so I had little information.

I am going to take a trip there in two weeks to see what it looks like, and maybe get some information on the real estate market.

7

Knoxville Ranked Best Place to Live

The metropolitan Knoxville area was recently ranked the “best place to live in the United States and Canada” among cities with a population of fewer than 1 million. The ranking came from the Millennium edition of “Places Rated Almanac” published by IDG Books Worldwide.

8

You are right. Knoxville shows up a lot more than I thought. I was looking at a site that showed it ranking high in a lot of surveys. I don’t know how I missed it before.

Vince