Gayle's Blog

We have had snow on and off all day today and I am ecstatic!  We don't get snow often here and so I anxiously await some each uear.  The last significant snow was in 1993 the Blizzard of '93.  Oh what I would give for a nice big one like that. Mostly what we get are teases.  I grew up in snow country and I miss an occassional storn during winter about as much as I miss my ocean.  The forecast is for snow and freezing precipitation through mid morning tomorrow.  I won't get my hopes up though.  It is sounding more like sleet and ice than snow and no one likes that!

I remember the first time that I knew that I was coming to Chattanooga, Tn. for an extended time period.  I thought "Deliverance" then I came; with reservations, and never left!  This is a remarkable microcosm of larger cities, but, with the friendliness and familiarity of a nice town.  Chattanooga caters to so many areas of interest that it becomes mind boggling!

I would have to write a 200 page travel guide to cover things fully, but, just to start things off, here are some of the broad reaching activities that the area offers.

• Outdoor Activities  - Hiking, boating, kayaking, swimming, camping
• Crafts- Numerous craft festivals and a cluster f crafts businesses in ST. Elmo, North Chattanooga and Southside just to name a few
• Health Care- Large hospitals such as Erlanger and Memorial as well as specialized clinics for heart, physical therapy, acupuncture as well as holistic and alternative medicine practitioners.
• Shopping- Hamilton Mall, Downtown and all types of mom and pop independent businesses that provide everything from canvas awnings to trophies.
• Pet Care -  Many veterinary establishments as well as pet boutiques whether it be the exotic or a dog or cat. 
• Cultural-Tivoli Theatre, Chattanooga Symphony or dinner theatre as well as the Hunter Museum and Battlefield Park.
• Community Events - Riverbend, and any number of picnics, street festivals and fund raisers.
• Golf- There are at least 6 courses locally that I can think of as well as a few driving ranges.
• Schools-Many excellent school districts as well as specialized magnet schools.  Two renowned private schools are also located here; Girls Preparatory and McCallie.  There are also several community colleges as well as University of Tennessee Chattanooga and several parochial and public private universities and colleges.
• Housing - From apartments to condos to single family to downtown lofts.  There is a wide choice of affordable housing of any shape and size including even houseboats. 
• Industry    TVA, Volkswagon, McKees and the list goes on.
• Airport - Chattanooga has a great airport for easy travel in and out and also a smaller affiliate for private aircraft.
• HistoryIt abounds here from Native American culture to the civil war legacy.

So, as you can see, there are many things of interest worth coming to Chattanooga to investigate.  It is an excellent place to raise children or to retire.  If you would like a more detailed list of events or activities with dates, please contact me to inquire and I will be sure to send you a packet.

There is a new trend in housing that has been showing up in Collegedale, Tennessee for a while and I see it beginning to trend elsewhere.  Like the name implies, Collegedale is a college town; home to Southern Adventist University, a large religous university.

University housing is spread out throughout the town of Collegedale including dormitories, graduate student housing and faculty rental units.  A lot of real estate is owned by the university.  Students are required to live in supervised housing until they reach a certain age, however, most of them flee immediately, upon making the cut off, to independent housing. 

Due to the continual influx of students and faculty, Collegedale is a terrific rental market, and many long term residents invest in real estate in the area and use it as rental property.  There are a wide variety of housing opportunities.  Duplexes are prevalent as well as converted single family homes.  Apartment buildings with sixteen to eighteen units are also scattered around town.

What I have seen for a while is a growing trend for parents of college age students coming to the university, to purchase local real estate, a house, a condo or perhaps a duplex, and have their child reside in the property and then rent part of it out to other students. 

It makes good sense.  Often the mortgage payments are not nearly what the university charges for housing and then the student gains extra income from renting out rooms.  This is a win-win for parent and stuudent.  After the student graduates the parent will either sell the property or continue to keep it on the rental market as an investment. 

I see this happening in downtown Chattanooga now and also in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Vols.  It is  good strategy to consider to offset the cost of college housing.

If you are interested in exploring this type of opportunity anywhere in East Tennessee or specifically Collegedale or Ooltewah Tennessee; please call me.  I'd love to help!