Let’s face it – we know how great Chattanooga is. Even if you haven’t lived in Chattanooga long, it’s easy to see why we love our town so much.
But sometimes it’s important to get an outside perspective to see how others view our town. I recently read an article from Anthony Sanfilippo at the National Association of Realtors in which he discusses how great our city is, how far it’s come and why so many people are moving here.
People have different reasons for wanting to buy a home in a certain city or town, or even as specific as a community or a neighborhood. Whatever the reason for moving might be, finding the right place to live is important for a would-be homeowner, but it’s also not the easiest task.
Home prices and mortgage rates are set to rise this year and the available housing supply within a buyer’s parameters might shrink.
But some markets are better than others. Realtor.com recently released its hottest markets list for 2019, and Chattanooga is No. 4. The city has remade itself over the past decade or so into a vibrant community attracting a younger, hipper generation into its environs.
NAR economists continuously track home prices, availability and how quickly homes will sell. To make this list, they combine that data with markets that are hotbeds for job growth, are experiencing an influx of new construction and are flush with millennials – the generation making up a majority of buyers in the U.S.
“Though Lakeland, Florida, Grand Rapids, Michigan and El Paso, Texas ranked ahead of Chattanooga, this up-and-coming Tennessee city that has a lot of momentum,” Sanfilippo writes for Realtor.com.
“Chattanooga continues to expand its downtown with new restaurants and amenities, such as the popular Chattanooga Film Festival. It has also a lively nightlife scene, which is attractive to millennials – whether they’re looking for a place to dance or simply chill.
“Although Chattanooga still maintains a small town feel in many places, it has also been reshaped by the tech boom. It now houses the fastest internet broadband in the country and has attracted tech businesses both of the homegrown variety (like Bellhops) and outside companies (like Carbon Five) which are making Chattanooga their new home.
“It has easy access to lakes and mountains for those that love the outdoors and still maintains weekly farmer’s markets and a wide assortment of small-town mom-and-pop shops that give it a traditional look and feel.
“Chattanooga also offers a diverse cross-section of communities, with more than 40 unique and welcoming neighborhoods. It’s also an especially affordable city, with an average median home price of $161,595 – nearly $100,000 below the national average.
“What makes Chattanooga’s affordable prices so attractive is that new construction can also be purchased for very reasonable prices.”
Isn’t that great to read? As Realtors, we have pride in our community.
We love where we live and we’re thrilled to help our community find the property that works for them, whether it’s for a business or for a home. That’s who we R.
Greater Chattanooga Realtors is The Voice of Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with more than 2,000 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is one of some 1,300 local boards and associations of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors.
Greater Chattanooga Realtors services Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties in northwest Georgia.
Information, visit www.gcar.net or call 423 698-8001.