Convenience is what sets off the Belle Meade/Green Hills area, namely being close to Downtown Nashville; Belmont, Vanderbilt and Lipscomb universities; and a handful of hospitals or medical centers. Even though it’s near Music City, the area still has a small-town feel and is a premier shopping destination with scrumptious dining options. Who wouldn't want to live there? Lately, "HOW" to best live there has been an interesting question, given that its stable, affluent community amenities are a beacon to people of all different lifestyles and interests.
There are still plenty of original homeowners and longtime residents, but new construction and features attract a wide range of people who want to live in popular neighborhoods.
For example, starter-condo prices make this area affordable for recent college graduates. Additionally, it’s a great place to raise a family, especially when blending people new to Nashville with native Nashvilleans who've lived there for 30 to 40 years.
Many existing residences contain ranch houses built in the 1950s to 1960s on half-acre lots with mature trees. The larger, higher-priced properties are on the west side of the neighborhood, close to Belle Meade, where houses also are grander. Given Green Hills' highly coveted location with beautiful lots, there’s been a noticeable trend there toward tear-downs. Because lots can't be subdivided, developers often are erecting Horizontal Property Regimes (HPRs), which are residential zoning designations that allow property owners to build two new houses on pieces of land that originally only had one house.
On HPRs, two to four single-family homes are built on each property, each of them 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. Most are detached. They're often referred to as "skinny houses."
Smaller lot homes can be positioned in a variety of ways to maximize the land use, which for some, has counterbalanced the desire for large yards. Following are some considerations for both types of living choices:
Large Home/Large Lot
- Privacy and spontaneous availability.
- Room for gardens.
- Play areas for children and pets.
- Nice-sized yards great for entertaining.
- Can add pools, outdoor sports, landscaping, playsets.
- Requires regular upkeep, which can be stressful and laborious for those super busy or who don't enjoy being outdoors.
- Features eventually need replacing.
Townhome/Narrow Home/Condo With Small Yard
- Less or no outside maintenance.
- Frees up leisure time for other interests.
- Could result in lower property tax bills.
- May lead to more indoor space if overall lot devoted to that instead.
- Could be better for those with allergies to pollen, trees, weeds, grasses.
- Tough to host gatherings.
- Prospective buyers in future may shy away if they feel shortchanged.