So far Neighborhood of the Week has only focused on older, historic Knoxville neighborhoods, but it’s time to see how the other half lives. This week, I’m going to do a 180 and look at a community of newer, bigger, and more expensive, homes: Gettysvue. I think it would be fair to say that Gettysvue is more than a residential community - it’s a lifestyle.

A country club community, Gettysvue includes an 18 hole golf course; polo facilities; two swimming pools and it’s own swim team; tennis courts complete with tennis pro; a clubhouse with fitness center and restaurant; various children’s camps; and numerous social events throughout the year.

A lot or home purchase in Gettysvue gets you an automatic social country club membership, but golf memberships, though varied, are extra. You can learn more about country club amenities and memberships at the Gettysvue Country Club website.

And while there are condos in Gettysvue, I’m only going to be looking at the houses, and then only on the Polo and Golf side, not the Racquet Club side. With that said, here’s Gettysvue by the numbers-

Gettysvue*

Current On-Market Listings - 16
Average Asking Price: $1,346,225
Median Asking Price: $1,294,500
Most Expensive: $2,295,000 (5 BR, 6 1/2 BA, 10,000+ sq ft custom built home with 8 fireplaces)
Least Expensive: $748,500 (4 BR, 4 BA, approx 3700 sq ft, overlooking 11th green)

Current Pending Sales -1
Average Asking Price: $987,500
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q1 2007 - 3
Average Asking Price - $1,004,933
Average Sales Price - $947,700
Median Sales Price - $890,000
Average Days on Market - 142

Closed Sales - Q1 2008 - 3
Average Asking Price - $1,015,667
Average Sales Price - $930,333
Median Sales Price - $1,055,000
Average Days on Market - 150

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 5/12/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties just give me a shout.

Think your neck of the woods is Neighborhood of the Week material? Let me know and you might just see it here next week.

Is your neighborhood walkable? I don’t mean taking an afternoon stroll walkable, I mean being able to walk to the grocery store and to restaurants walkable. If you’re curious how a neighborhood ranks on the walkability scale, check out Walk Score.

The setup is simple: you enter your address and Walk Score will rate the walkability of your location on a scale of 1-100. Here’s the breakdown:

• 90 - 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

My home address scored a miserable 14, making it a driving only area. My work address, however, right next to West Town Mall, got a much higher 75.

Unfortunately, one thing Walk Score does not take into account is how pedestrian friendly an area is. For example, in order to walk to some of the businesses that are very close to my office, I would have to cross very busy and very non-pedestrian friendly streets such as Kingston Pike and Montvue - not something I relish doing.

But all walking aside, Walk Score is also simply a nifty way to scope out nearby shopping, parks and restaurants when moving to a new area.

So check out Walk Score - enter your own address and then come back and let me know how walkable your neighborhood is in the comments. Walk on!

This week’s poll is up for you to enjoy at the top left of the page.

And as an extra special bonus this week, I’m asking you guys to answer another, more open-ended, question:

If you could live anywhere in Knoxville, where would it be? A part of town? A specific house? A certain neighborhood? Maybe just a really nice street? Tell me all about where and why in the comments.

And don’t forget that while subscribing to All Around K-Town is both fun and free, following me on Twitter is equally cheap and enjoyable.

No, seriously, they’re tiny. Like 100 sq ft tiny. And sure, they’re environmentally friendly, but I got so claustrophobic watching the video, I had to turn it off. Now I’m getting light headed just thinking about watching it. So go ahead, you try to watch it. I dare you.

A lot of these are portable, so they’ll build them and send them out to your little corner of the woods. Just don’t invite me over, k? K.

Welcome back, fellow Foreclosure Watchers and thanks for your patience with yesterday’s technical difficulties. We’re a day late, but not short on foreclosures. Although listings are roughly the same and pendings are down, closings are way up. Oh, and average DOM is way up too. Let’s get to the numbers:

Knox County Foreclosure Property Statistics as of 5/08/08 *

Current On-Market Listings - 157
Average Asking Price: $128,732
Median Asking Price: $89,900
Most Expensive New Listing: 4 BR, 2 BA, approx 2400 sq ft in Seven Springs off of Middlebrook
Least Expensive New Listing: 2 BR, 1 BA, approx 1200 sq ft in Mechanicsville
New Honorable Mention: 3 BR, 3 BA on 1.6 acres with 4 car garage in Fountain City

Current Pending Sales -95
Average Asking Price - $94,927
Median Asking Price - $74,900

Closed Sales April 29, 2008-May 6, 2008 - 17
Average Asking Price - $106,929
Average Sales Price - $102,897
Median Sales Price - $97,000
Average Days on Market - 55

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 5/08/08 for Knox County single family residential properties only, and does not include condos or PUDS.

As always, if you have any questions about any of these properties, feel free to drop me a line.

I’ve had some great suggestions on ways to improve Foreclosure Watch - look for some new features and additional FW posts in the very near future! Have your own suggestions? Let me know in the comments.

Don’t miss a single Foreclosure Watch update - subscribe to All Around K-Town today!

Due to technical difficulties on KAARMLS (Knoxville Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service), I will not be able to gather stats for Foreclosure Watch this evening. Tune in tomorrow, and remember, good things come to those who wait.

Did you know there was a 1929 mediteranean style villa on 6+ acres, complete with guest cottage and gated entry less than a mile from West Town Mall? Well don’t feel bad, because neither did I and I live right up the road from it.

For those of you who are interested, it’s just gone on the market, and can be yours for the low, low price of $975,000. Me thinks that price has more to do with development potential than the 1 1/2 total bathrooms in the place, but take a look and decide for yourself.

If anybody knows any history behind this place, I’d love to hear about it.

Ken Baker was good enough to ask me my opinion of solar powered homes and was also nice enough to post my thoughts over on his blog, Ken’s Business Musings. The short version of my answer is that solar powered homes are still scarce in this part of the world and buyers aren’t exactly clamoring for them…yet.

Check out Ken’s article and then come back and let me know what you think. Would you be more attracted to a home with solar power vs. one with all conventional energy systems? Do you think installing solar panels on your current home would be a good investment both in general and also for resale? Any other thoughts or info on solar powered homes? Tell me all about it in the comments.

This week we’re going just north of downtown to historic Fourth & Gill, a neighborhood steeped in history and rich in architecture. From the Fourth & Gill neighborhood website:

The Fourth and Gill area evolved into a tree lined streetcar suburb, made up of a series of separate subdivisions. These subdivisions were designed in a grid pattern with either narrow lots for greater density, or larger tracts more befitting the desires of the city’s middle and upper classes. As the subdivision streets met each other, sometimes at odd angles, they formed an almost medieval street pattern. Although the size of the houses was fairly consistent within each area, the lot shapes often were not.

The architectural styles present in the Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District are a good representation of the residential architecture popular in America between the 1880’s and the 1940’s…The Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District features over 280 residential structures, including single family houses, duplexes, and apartment buildings. The district also contains one school and three churches. The houses are primarily of frame construction, with large porches and complex rooflines. Most of the masonry veneer and load bearing construction occurred in the 20th Century. Although a number of different styles exist in the Fourth and Gill Historic Overlay District, the majority are Queen Anne and Craftsmen styles.

Many of the houses were designed by some of Knoxville’s most notable architects, including George F. Barber and Joseph Bauman…Historically the area was made up of a varied group of people. Professionals and laborers, families and transients, blacks and whites all lived in close proximity to one another. The neighborhood was home to merchants, mayors and a governor, Robert L. Taylor.

Knoxville annexed the City of North Knoxville in 1897, around the time the automobile was invented. With the decline of the American economy, and Knoxville’s economy, in the late 1920’sd and 1930’s, many of the larger single family residences were converted to duplexes to supplement the income of the property’s owners. The real decline of the neighborhood began in force after World War II, when returning soldiers and their families sought new lifestyles in the brand new auto-oriented suburbs. More single family residences were converted into multiple units or small apartments, in part to meet the demands of the growing student body of the University of Tennessee.

Within the last two decades the neighborhood has begun to reclaim much of its former glory. The district’s name reflects this effort, being derived from the location of a converted house that serves as the neighborhood center. Owners who could foresee the positive social value of cooperative inner city living have attractively restored many distressed properties to comfortable, modern standards. The Historic Fourth and Gill Neighborhood has a proud past and an equally illustrious future.

Fourth & Gill is just a hop, skip and a jump from downtown and the UT campus and is (normally) easily accessible by I-40 or Broadway. For veggies and organic foodies, the Three Rivers Market is located just across the way on Broadway.

Here’s Fourth & Gill by the numbers-

Historic Fourth & Gill*

Current On-Market Listings - 2
Average Asking Price: $262,400
Median Asking Price: NA
Most Expensive: $279,900 (4 BR, 3 1/2 BA, approx 2700 sq ft, 80% renovated)
Least Expensive: $244,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, approx 2100 sq ft renovated Victorian)

Current Pending Sales -1
Average Asking Price: $299,900
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q1 2007 - 5
Average Sales Price - $176,180
Median Sales Price - $155,000
Average Days on Market - 38

Closed Sales - Q1 2008 - 2
Average Sales Price - $220,625
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market - 39

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 5/05/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties just give me a shout.

Think your neighborhood should be a AAKT Neighborhood of the Week? Tell me all about it in the comments.

The new weekly poll is available for your voting pleasure. Look for it in the upper left hand corner.

And please don’t leave without subscribing. That’s just not nice.