10 Biggest Regrets After Moving to Nashville Tennessee (And How to Avoid Them)

Thousands of people move to Nashville every month. Most of them love it here. But after helping hundreds of families relocate to the area, my team and I keep hearing the same things: I wish I had known that before I moved. I wish someone had told me. I wish I had done more research.

Today I'm breaking down the 10 biggest regrets people have after moving to Nashville Tennessee. These are real issues that catch relocating buyers off guard, from traffic patterns and humidity to school zones and builder quality. If any of these are deal-breakers for you, it's better to know now than after you've already packed the moving truck.

I'm covering Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Fairview, Nolensville, Mount Juliet, Lebanon, and Columbia. Each of these communities has a different vibe, and choosing the wrong one is actually one of the top regrets I hear. The average relocating family sells and moves again in about two years, which is expensive and frustrating. You don't want to uproot your family across the country just to realize six months in that you landed in the wrong place.

Let me walk you through what people wish they had known before relocating to Nashville.

Table of Contents

• Traffic Is Worse Than You Think
• Nashville Is No Longer Cheap
• The Humidity Will Test You
• Nashville Is More Spread Out Than You Expect
• School Zones Require Serious Research
• Don't Buy Too Quickly
• Not All Builders Are Equal
• Nashville's Growth Has Changed What's Available
• The Biggest Regret: Waiting Too Long to Move
• Murfreesboro: Growth and Traffic You Need to Navigate
• Franklin: Luxe Lifestyle at a Premium Price
• Brentwood: Another Williamson County Premium
• Fairview: More Rural Feel, Dollar Goes Further
• Nolensville: Wonderful Community, Different Vibe
• Mount Juliet: East of Nashville, Different Vibe
• Lebanon: East of Nashville, Another Option
• Columbia: Investment Opportunity, Research the Schools
• Which Nashville Suburb Is Right for You?
• Conclusion

Traffic Is Worse Than You Think

Most people move to Nashville thinking it's a smaller area. More rural. Lots of farms and wide open spaces. And that is true in many parts of the greater Nashville area. But we are seeing such an influx of people that traffic has gotten tremendously worse than in years prior. If you're not researching the areas you're moving to and where you're going to do life before you make the move, you might find yourself spending way more time in the car than you ever anticipated.

Here's the thing: Nashville is not a city where you can just hop on back roads and avoid the interstate. You're going to be on I-65, I-40, I-24, and the 840 loop a lot. And certain corridors are congested almost all day, not just during peak hours. Highway 65 south of the June Lake Boulevard exit is a perfect example. There's a traffic jam that happens almost every single time of day, and it continues well beyond morning and evening rush.

If you're someone who's very hypersensitive about spending too much time in traffic, we can help you determine areas where you can take alternate routes or get off the 840 corridor instead. We can help you find communities north or east of Nashville where you have opportunities to get in and out of the city using back roads and other thoroughfares, so you're not spending hours every day away from your family sitting in traffic, miserable, wondering why you moved here in the first place.

Nashville Is No Longer Cheap

Listen, the opportunity to get in while Nashville was cheap expired about five years ago. Five to ten years ago, yes, Nashville still had tons of opportunities. You could get here when different communities were getting started or being built out, and your dollar was going to go a lot further. But that's just simply not the case.

For example, if you want Williamson County, you're going to pay an average sales price of about $900,000. Just shy of a million dollars. Now that does not sound affordable to many of you relocating from different parts of the country, like our folks coming from Texas or Florida. But if you're from California or New York or New Jersey, an area where your dollar is already not going very far, then that may just be music to your ears.

The cost of living in Nashville has climbed significantly. A lot of people call us looking for those hobby farms with five-plus acres, a four- or five-bedroom house, a three-car garage, and outbuildings, thinking they're going to spend $500,000 or $600,000. Guys, those opportunities don't really exist in the majority of the greater Nashville area anymore. We can help you figure out if you really want to go further out and look at the outskirts, or if you're looking to up that budget a little bit. But you need to come in with realistic expectations about what your dollar will buy here in 2025, not what it would have bought in 2015.

The Humidity Will Test You

I'm going to be honest with you: the humidity here is real. I'm somebody who doesn't mind it. I actually like the humidity. But I'm an anomaly. Not everybody feels the same way. A lot of you, especially if you're from drier climates like California or Arizona, the whole western part of the United States, you're not used to this.

So it may be something that you get out here, you go through a summer, and you just feel miserable. If that's you and you're concerned about that, I definitely recommend coming out to check out the area at different times of the year. That is so important before you start pulling kids out of school, making travel plans, paying movers, doing all those things, and selling houses wherever you're coming from. Because it is a real concern.

Now, a lot of you guys are from further southern states such as Texas. Some of y'all are coming from Florida, Louisiana, even Alabama. We're seeing a big influx of people who are migrating north but still want to be more in the center of the country and not true north where they're getting a ton of snow. So Tennessee is one of those wonderful places that's really very centrally located. If you're like me and the humidity doesn't bother you, then great. But if you're someone who's very hypersensitive to the humidity, then you might find yourself pretty miserable all summer long, especially after we get those rainstorms that just come and go throughout the summer.

Nashville Is More Spread Out Than You Expect

You can go anywhere in and around Nashville and end up in a community where you feel like you're going to be able to hop in the car and tap into different areas and different things that are offered. But the reality is everything is very spread out. You don't have this massive urban sprawl, which a lot of you guys appreciate. It's something I appreciate. But just keep in mind that you're going to have to get on the interstate, and you're going to have to get around on the interstate quite a bit more than what you may have had to do in different places you're coming from.

I know for me, being from Sacramento, we could get all around Sacramento with the back roads, and we really enjoyed having that freedom because the back roads connected and it was a really nice drive and a great way to stay out of traffic. But a lot of places in and around the Nashville area, you're actually having to connect to the interstate systems and go that way, as opposed to just hopping on a back road and going on another back road, unless you want to add twenty, thirty, forty minutes to your commute or more.

Ditching the traffic for the back roads is not always going to be the best course of action. So really figuring out where you want to live, work, and play is very, very vital prior to coming out here and deciding where you want to settle. If you have not scheduled your one-on-one buyer consultation, guys, we love all the reach-outs we're getting. Our phones are going nuts and we absolutely love it. Days, nights, evenings, weekends, we are getting the calls, we're getting the emails. You guys are calling and we love it, and we are here for you to help you dial in this move way ahead of you actually coming out here and figuring out that you landed somewhere you did not want to land.

School Zones Require Serious Research

This is one that I am personally guilty of. My family and I bought our first home here in 2020 in Columbia. We did not do any research on the schools. Now you guys, this is a very personal conversation, so check out your GreatSchools ratings and look to see if the schools in different communities that I name off are going to be right for you.

For us, the community of Columbia was wonderful, but it did not have the education opportunities that we were looking for in the public education system. So for us that was not where we wanted to raise our family long term. We invested in the community, we still have homes there, we absolutely love having that investment in the community, but again, it was just not the right move.

Our mistake was thinking that the schools were going to be pretty top-notch because we came from an area where we had wonderful schools, and we just kind of assumed that we were going to find the same thing just haphazardly. Yes, it was probably something that we should have put a lot more thought into on the front end, but my mistake is your win because I can advise you how to not do that and make sure that you're not making costly mistakes when it comes to your children's education. Public education quality varies significantly by community in the Nashville area, so do your homework before you buy.

Don't Buy Too Quickly

But Mitzi, you're a realtor, so why would you tell me not to buy too quickly? Listen, I do not want you guys to call me and tell me that you made a mistake. That is not what I want. I want you to be happy. I want you to feel protected, and I want you to find what you're looking for.

So I'm going to take my time, and so is my team. We're here to help guide you in this process and help you guys to really get crystal clear on what you're looking for in your next home, in your community, and really capitalize on the fact that you don't have to jump two feet in tomorrow. We can take it slow and really help you dial in where you want to be and dial in the builder that you want to work with, especially for those of you that are buying new construction in Nashville.

The average relocating family sells and moves again in about two years. That's expensive. That's frustrating. You don't want to relocate your family across the country just to get here, just to start integrating in the community, getting settled, and figure out it's not really where you want to live. So take your time. Get clear on what you want. We'll help you with that.

Not All Builders Are Equal

Choosing the wrong builder is one regret I cannot recommend enough that you do research on. My team and I are here for you. We can help tell you what builders we shy away from, and I don't think it'll be any surprise if you look back at our videos: you're going to see we don't just feature any community that has a staged model that's beautiful. We really hyperfocus on quality.

Not every builder is going to make the cut, and that is by design. We don't want to promote a product to you that we would not buy for our own families and that we ourselves would not invest in. So if you're wanting the inside scoop on which builders are quality and which ones are cutting corners, you gotta call us because we're going to tell you all about it.

Builder quality matters. It affects your resale value, your maintenance costs, and your day-to-day happiness in the home. Don't just fall in love with a model home. Ask about the builder's reputation, their warranty, their customer service after closing. We can help you navigate that.

Nashville's Growth Has Changed What's Available

If you're looking for that small quintessential southern area, lots of rural farms, lots of hobby farms, you're going to have to get really intentional with what you really want and where we can find it for you. Because a lot of people will call us and you guys are wanting those hobby farms with five-plus acres, a four- or five-bedroom house and three-car garage plus outbuildings, and you're thinking that you're going to spend $500,000 or $600,000. Guys, those opportunities don't really exist in the majority of the greater Nashville area.

We can help you kind of figure out if you really want to go further out and look at the outskirts, or if you're looking to kind of up that budget a little bit. We can help you figure out where your dollar is going to go the furthest and help you dial in on what you're really looking for in the place that you call home so that you're not coming in blind with the expectation that you're going to pay just a little bit and you're going to have all these things that maybe existed five, ten years ago, but simply do not exist here in Nashville now because of all the growth and development.

Nashville is the fifth-fastest-growing metro in the country. That growth brings jobs, culture, and opportunity. But it also brings higher prices, more traffic, and less availability of large rural parcels close to the city. You need to know what the current market looks like, not what it looked like when your friend moved here in 2018.

The Biggest Regret: Waiting Too Long to Move

This is absolutely my favorite, and we hear this all the time. So many people will actually say when we ask, what do you think, how are you liking Tennessee, and they will say the only thing I regret is not moving sooner.

And that's for several reasons. Whether that's because they were looking to capture a different part of the market where they could have their dollar going further early on, whether they could get in on the ground floor of some of the communities that they wanted to be a part of, such as Westhaven or Reidsville, places like that that have just simply either become far too expensive or are now completely sold out. Or just wanting to get their family moved out here sooner so that their kids are actually moving out and staying local, or so that their retirement dollars are going further earlier on.

If that's you and you don't want to miss the opportunity, do not hesitate to reach out because we're going to help you figure out what's going to make the most sense when it comes to timing this move. Most people moving to Nashville start exactly where you're starting now, and that is the gathering of the information. We love being part of this stage of your journey right alongside you.

Murfreesboro: Growth and Traffic You Need to Navigate

Murfreesboro is south of Nashville and it is the fifth-largest city in all of Tennessee. It's a growing city, and that growth is both a blessing and a challenge. A lot of people are drawn to Murfreesboro because of the affordability compared to Williamson County, the strong job market, and the sense of community. But many of you guys are figuring out that you do not want to be anywhere off that Highway 24 corridor, especially during peak hours for traffic.

The traffic on the 24 corridor can be heavy, and it catches a lot of relocating buyers off guard. If you're someone who's trying to get away from a daily grind of traffic in other areas you may have lived in prior, you need to be strategic about where you land in Murfreesboro. My team and I help people navigate the traffic patterns and figure out which back roads are going to be most beneficial for different places that they need to go, whether that's work, school, church, those types of things.

Murfreesboro is growing rapidly, and that means new construction in Murfreesboro is booming. There are new builds in Murfreesboro popping up in multiple communities, and the inventory is strong. But you need to know which areas are going to give you the best access to the rest of Nashville without sitting in traffic for an hour each way. We can help you with that. We know the area. We know the commute times. We know which neighborhoods are going to work for your lifestyle and which ones are going to leave you frustrated.

If you're relocating to Murfreesboro, do your homework on traffic and commute times. It's one of the top regrets we hear, and it's completely avoidable with the right guidance.

Franklin: Luxe Lifestyle at a Premium Price

Franklin is in Williamson County, and it offers that luxe lifestyle and high-end feel that a lot of relocating buyers are looking for. It's one of the most desirable places to live in the entire Nashville area. But you need to know what you're getting into. Williamson County has an average sales price of about $900,000, and Franklin is a big part of that number.

Franklin is accessible via Highway 96, the 840 loop, and Highway 100. It's a beautiful area with a historic downtown, local schools, and a strong sense of community. But it's expensive. If you're moving to Franklin, you need to be prepared for the cost of living in Franklin and the competition for homes. New construction in Franklin is available, but it's priced accordingly. New homes in Franklin are not cheap, and the resale market is competitive.

That said, if you're coming from California, New York, or New Jersey, Franklin might feel like a bargain. If you're coming from Texas or Florida, it might feel like sticker shock. Either way, you need to go in with your eyes open. Franklin is worth it for a lot of people, but it's not for everyone. We can help you figure out if Franklin is the right fit for your budget and your lifestyle, or if there's a nearby community that gives you a similar vibe at a better price point.

Brentwood: Another Williamson County Premium

Brentwood is also part of Williamson County, and it shares that same average sales price of about $900,000. But Brentwood has a different vibe from Franklin and other Nashville suburbs. It's a little more residential, a little more established, and it has a reputation for local schools and a residential atmosphere.

New construction in Brentwood is available, but like Franklin, it's priced at a premium. If you're looking at new builds in Brentwood, you're going to be competing with other buyers who have significant budgets and high expectations. Brentwood is a wonderful community, but it's not the most affordable option in the Nashville area.

If you're relocating to Brentwood, you're probably looking for top-tier schools, a safe neighborhood, and proximity to Nashville without being in the city. Brentwood delivers on all of that. But you need to be prepared for the cost. The pros and cons of living in Brentwood come down to this: it's a premium community with a premium price tag. If that fits your budget and your priorities, it's a great place to call home.

Fairview: More Rural Feel, Dollar Goes Further

Fairview is near Franklin, and it offers a more rural feel while still giving you access to that upscale Franklin lifestyle. Your dollar is going to go further in Fairview than it does in Franklin, but it still feels very high-end in a lot of places in and around the Franklin area.

You can make a short drive right down Highway 96 or hop on the 840 loop and come into Franklin, or go right up Highway 100 and go into Nashville that way. So you're not sacrificing access to the amenities and the lifestyle you want. You're just choosing a community that's a little more spread out, a little more rural, and a little more affordable.

New construction in Fairview is strong, and there are new homes in Fairview that give you that high-end feel without the Franklin price tag. If you're relocating to Fairview, you're probably looking for more land, more privacy, and a quieter lifestyle. But you still want to be close enough to Franklin and Nashville to tap into the restaurants, the shopping, the culture, and the job market.

Living in Fairview is a great option for buyers who want the best of both worlds. You get the rural feel, the space, and the affordability, but you're still close to everything that makes the Nashville area so desirable. The pros and cons of living in Fairview come down to this: you're trading a little bit of convenience for a lot more space and a better price. For a lot of buyers, that's a trade-off worth making.

Nolensville: Wonderful Community, Different Vibe

Nolensville is south of Nashville, and it's a wonderful community with a different vibe from other Nashville suburbs. It's growing, it's got a strong sense of community, and it's attracting a lot of relocating buyers who want something a little different from the Williamson County premium or the Murfreesboro sprawl.

New construction in Nolensville is booming, and there are new builds in Nolensville in multiple communities. The area is accessible, the schools are solid, and the community feel is strong. If you're moving to Nolensville, you're probably looking for a place that feels a little more tight-knit, a little more neighborhood-focused, and a little less cookie-cutter than some of the bigger developments.

Relocating to Nolensville is a great option for buyers who want to be south of Nashville but don't want the traffic of Murfreesboro or the price tag of Franklin. Living in Nolensville gives you access to Nashville, access to the job market, and access to a community that's still building out and still defining itself. The pros and cons of living in Nolensville are pretty straightforward: you're getting a strong community at a reasonable price, but you're also in an area that's still growing and still developing its infrastructure.

Mount Juliet: East of Nashville, Different Vibe

Mount Juliet is east of Nashville, and like Nolensville, it's a wonderful community with a different vibe from other Nashville suburbs. It's a little more established than Nolensville, and it's got a strong reputation for local schools, safe neighborhoods, and a residential atmosphere.

New builds in Mount Juliet are available, and the area is popular with relocating buyers who want to be east of Nashville instead of south or west. If you're relocating to Mount Juliet, you're probably looking for a community that's a little more suburban, a little more traditional, and a little more predictable than some of the newer developments.

Living in Mount Juliet gives you access to Nashville without the premium price tag of Williamson County. The cost of living in Mount Juliet is more reasonable, and the community feel is strong. The pros and cons of living in Mount Juliet come down to this: you're getting a solid, established community at a fair price, but you're also a little further from the heart of Nashville and the job market.

Lebanon: East of Nashville, Another Option

Lebanon is also east of Nashville, and it's another wonderful community with a different vibe from other Nashville suburbs. It's a little further out than Mount Juliet, and it's a little more affordable. If you're looking for more space, more land, and a lower cost of living, Lebanon might be the right fit.

New construction in Lebanon is available, and there are new builds in Lebanon that give you a lot of house for your money. If you're relocating to Lebanon, you're probably looking for affordability, space, and a quieter lifestyle. You're willing to trade a longer commute for a better price and more room to spread out.

Living in Lebanon is a great option for buyers who want to be in the Nashville area but don't want to pay Nashville prices. The cost of living in Lebanon is lower than most of the other communities I've talked about, and you're going to get more house, more land, and more value for your dollar. The trade-off is the commute. You're further from Nashville, and you're going to spend more time in the car if you're working in the city.

Columbia: Investment Opportunity, Research the Schools

Columbia is south of Nashville, and it's a wonderful community for investment. I know this firsthand because my family and I bought our first home here in 2020. We invested in the community, we still have homes there, and we absolutely love having that investment in the community.

But here's the thing: the public education system in Columbia did not meet our family's needs. That's a very personal conversation, and you need to check out your GreatSchools ratings and look to see if the schools in Columbia are going to be right for you. For us, it was not where we wanted to raise our family long term, even though we loved the community and the investment opportunity.

New construction in Columbia is strong, and there are new homes in Columbia that offer great value. New construction homes in Columbia give you a lot of house for your money, and the area is growing. If you're relocating to Columbia, you need to do your homework on the schools. Don't make the same mistake we did. Research the school zones and the districts carefully before you buy.

Living in Columbia can be a great option for buyers who want affordability and space, or for investors who want to build a portfolio in a growing market. The cost of living in Columbia is lower than Williamson County, and you're going to get more for your dollar. But the pros and cons of living in Columbia come down to this: you need to be clear on what you're looking for in schools, in commute, and in lifestyle. Columbia is a wonderful community, but it's not the right fit for everyone.

Which Nashville Suburb Is Right for You?

Franklin, Brentwood, Fairview, Nolensville, Mount Juliet, Lebanon, Columbia, Murfreesboro, even Ashland City, these are all wonderful communities, but they all have very different vibes. If you're somebody who wants more of that luxe life, then there's some different places where you're not going to experience that, and it might not feel the same to you in, say, Fairview as it does in, say, Franklin. But you still have that more rural feel, and it still feels very high-end in a lot of places in and around the Franklin area, like Fairview, where your dollar is going to go further, but you can still tap into that lifestyle.

Here's how to think about it:

• Choose Franklin or Brentwood if you want the premium Williamson County lifestyle, top-tier schools, and you have the budget to support an average sales price around $900,000.
• Choose Fairview if you want that high-end feel and access to Franklin, but you want more land, more privacy, and a better price.
• Choose Nolensville if you want a strong community feel south of Nashville without the Williamson County price tag.
• Choose Mount Juliet or Lebanon if you want to be east of Nashville, you want local schools and a residential vibe, and you're willing to trade a longer commute for more affordability.
• Choose Columbia if you're looking for an investment opportunity or you want the most house for your money, and you're willing to do serious research on school zones.
• Choose Murfreesboro if you want a growing city with strong job opportunities and you're strategic about avoiding the Highway 24 traffic.

The average relocating family sells and moves again in about two years. That's expensive. That's frustrating. You don't want to relocate your family across the country just to get here, just to start integrating in the community, getting settled, and figure out it's not really where you want to live. So take your time. Get clear on what you want. We'll help you with that.

Conclusion

Most people moving to Nashville start exactly where you're starting now, and that is the gathering of the information. We love being part of this stage of your journey right alongside you. My team and I are helping people just like you navigate these decisions every single day. We're here to help you dial in on what it is that you want out of this move so we can really help make it very seamless and walk alongside you in your journey.

If you're thinking about relocating to Nashville, do not hesitate to reach out no matter how early on you are in the process. Days, nights, evenings, weekends, we are getting the calls, we're getting the emails. You guys are calling and we love it. We're going to help you avoid these regrets. We're going to help you choose the right suburb, the right builder, the right school zone, and the right timing. Call/Text 615-845-5569 or book a FREE consultation here and figure out what makes the most sense for you and your family.