Looks like another Knoxville neighborhood just got Knoxified.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week Neighborhood of the Week heads up north to the Powell community to look at a large, traditional, and fairly new subdivision: Sterchi Hills.

Located just off of I-75 at Callahan Road, Sterchi Hills is a neighborhood of attractive and traditional homes. Most are two stories and ranchers and almost all have brick fronts and vinyl siding sides. Age-wise, they range from about 3-13 years old.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

One great perk of living in Sterchi Hills is the community swimming pool, which is open to homeowners and their guests. The neighborhood website has more details on pool use as well as info on neighborhood regulations and community activities.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Sterchi Hills is easily accesible via I-75, Emory Road and Maynardville Highway/Broadway. Depending on traffic, it’s about a 20-25 commute into downtown Knoxville.

So if you’re looking for an affordable newer community with its own swimming pool  that is off the beaten path but still within easy commuting distance of Knoxville, Sterchi Hills might be for you.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Thanks to AAKT’s resident photographer, Robert Stockdale for these super shots of Sterchi Hills. To learn more about Robert and his work, visit his website.

Here’s Sterchi Hills by the numbers-

Sterchi Hills*

Current On-Market Listings - 12
Average Asking Price: $243,000
Median Asking Price: $230,900
Average Square Footage:2410

Most Expensive: $339,900 (4 BR, 2 1/2 BA, approx 3000 sq ft, built in ‘04)
Least Expensive: $182,500 (4 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2000+ sq ft, built in ‘97)

Middle of the Road: $231,900 (4 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2400+ sq ft, built in ‘00)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price: NA
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2008 - 4
Average Sales Price - $246,219
Median Sales Price - $253,250
Average Days on Market - 102

Closed Sales - Q3 2007 - 10
Average Sales Price - $222,045
Median Sales Price - $225,450
Average Days on Market -73

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 11/03/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Sterchi Hills Listings” or “New Sterchi Hills Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Spammers are bad, bad people.

Know a great neighborhood you think has NOTW potential? Let me know about it and you might just see it featured here in the coming weeks.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week we’re revisiting a Neighborhood of Neighborhood of the Weeks Gone By that is just north of downtown and which is steeped in history and rich in architecture:historic Fourth & Gill.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Located just east of Broadway about a mile or so north of downtown, Fourth & Gill is one of Knoxville’s oldest “streetcar suburbs” and is full of many styles of historic homes. From the Fourth & Gill neighborhood website:

Historic Fourth & Gill is an excellent example of the neighborhoods that flourished in Knoxville during the last quarter of the 19th Century…

…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…

…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.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

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.

It is a very walkable neighborhood, with sidewalks on just about every street. Veggies and organic foodies, can even walk to the Three Rivers Market, a whole foods co-op, located just across the way on Broadway.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Here’s Fourth & Gill by the numbers-

Historic Fourth & Gill*

Current On-Market Listings - 4
Average Asking Price: $254,275
Median Asking Price: $279,900
Average Square Footage: 2280

Most Expensive: $314,900 (4 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 2700+ sq ft on Luttrell)
Least Expensive: $142,399 (3 BR, 1 1/2 BA, 1300+ sq ft on Eleanor)

Middle of the Road: $299,900 (4 BR, 2 BA, 3000+ sq ft restored Victorian on Luttrell)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price: NA
Median Asking Price: NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2008 - 0
Average Sales Price - NA
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market -NA

Closed Sales - Q3 2007 - 2
Average Sales Price - $272,550
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market -81

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/20/08 does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos, PUDS, or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Fourth & Gill Listings” or “New Fourth & Gill Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Spam ain’t part of the deal.

Know of a corner of Knoxville that would make a great Neighborhood of the Week?  Let me know about it and you might just see it featured here soon.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week Neighborhood of the Week heads up north to two grand streets that make up one quaint little neighborhood: Fairmont and Emoriland Boulevards.

The area around Fairmont and Emoriland Boulevards was first developed in the 1920s, but the neighborhood has many homes built in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Architectural styles in the neighborhood include Tudor, Spanish Eclectic, and Colonial Revival, as well as many cottage style homes.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Both boulevards are wide and tree-lined, but Emoriland Blvd features a large median that runs the length of the main part of the street. Side streets connect the two boulevards and with sidewalks throughout the neighborhood, Fairmont & Emoriland is a very walkable neighborhood.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

The Fairmont & Emoriland area is easily accessible via I-40 (when it’s not closed down for construction), I-640, and I-275. It’s also a great place for anyone looking for a quick commute to downtown or the UT campus.

So if you’re looking for a affordable, historic home in an quaint, walkable neighborhood with easy access to interstates, UT and downtown, the Fairmont & Emoriland area might be right up your alley.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Special thanks to AAKT’s resident photographer, Robert Stockdale, for the great shots of Fairmont & Emoriland. If you would like to learn more about Robert’s work, please visit his website.

Here’s Fairmont & Emoriland by the numbers -

Fairmont & Emoriland*

Current On-Market Listings - 4
Average Asking Price: $123,495
Median Asking Price: $117,685

Average square footage:1377

Most Expensive: $139,900 (2 BR, 1 BA 1300+ sq ft on Fairmont Blvd)

Least Expensive: $112,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 1500+ sq ft cottage on Tecoma)

Middle of the Road: $117,685 (3 BR, 2 BA, 1200+ sq ft on Emoriland Blvd)

Current Pending Sales - 0

Closed Sales - Jan 2008 - June 30 2008- 5
Average Asking Price - $116,920
Average Sales Price - $112,890
Median Sales Price - $115,000
Days on Market -109

Closed Sales - Jan 2007 - June 30 2007- 2
Average Asking Price - $162,400
Average Sales Price - $156,000
Median Sales Price - NA
Days on Market -64

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 9/29/08 does not include condos, PUDS, adjacent neighborhoods or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Fairmont & Emoriland Listings” or “New Fairmont & Emoriland Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Spam is so 2007.

Know of a great corner of KTown that would also make a great NOTW? Let me know about it and you might just see it here in the coming weeks.

Well, I’ll be! It’s Wednesday already and you know what that means - time to watch them there foreclosures. This week active listings and closed sales are up while pending sales are slightly down.

In new listing news, 37806 made its first appearance since I’ve been keeping tally and 37920 made up for lost time by contributing 4 new foreclosure listings to the pile this week.  And in case you were wondering, 37917 is still in the lead with 28 new foreclosure listings since mid-July of this year.

Now for the breakdown:

Knox County Foreclosure Property Statistics as of 9/03/08 *

Current On-Market Listings - 151
Average Asking Price: $135,755
Median Asking Price: $89,900
Most Expensive New Listing: $302,000 (3 BR, 2 1/2 BA, 2700+ sq ft in Karns)
Least Expensive New Listing: $17,000 (3 BR, 2 BA, approx 1300 sq ft in South-Doyle)

Notable New Listings:
North: $124,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, 1200+ sq ft in Halls)
South: $117,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, 1200+ sq ft off of Stone Road)
East: $137,000 (7 BR, 2 BA, 1600+ sq ft in Holston Hills)
West: $225,000 (4 BR, 3 1/2 BA, 3100+ sq ft in Concord Hills)
Current Pending Sales -107
Average Asking Price - $92,161
Median Asking Price - $72,500

Closed Sales August 27, 2008-September 02, 2008 - 11
Average Asking Price - $117,907
Average Sales Price - $109,023
Median Sales Price - $87,500
Average Days on Market -43

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 9/03/08 for Knox County single family residential properties only, and does not include condos or PUDS.

As always, if you need more information on any of these properties, just drop me a line.

If you’d like to receive new foreclosure listings automatically, send me an email with “Foreclosure List” in the subject line, and I’ll do the rest. Between blogging and selling real estate, I honestly don’t even think I could find the time to spam you even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.

Why take the chance of ever missing out on Foreclosure Watch? Make sure you get all your foreclosure goodness every week by subscribing to All Around K-Town today, either by RSS or email!

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

This week Neighborhood of the Week goes back to the north side of town to a historic Fountain City community called Harrill Hills.

Located in the heart of Fountain City just off of Jacksboro Pike, Harrill Hills was founded by established as the result of a partnership between a builder and a Fountain City’s biggest grocer in the 1920, A. Hale Franklin. According to the Fountain City News website:

As his business grew, Hale envisioned a new, larger home for his family and acquired property on Terrace View Drive in present day Harrill Hills. According to family tradition, the builder and Fountain City’s leading grocer made an arrangement that was not so unusual for its time.

Hale agreed to barter a supply of groceries in exchange for part of the construction cost and the building materials. The arrangement enabled him to finance deluxe features found in very few homes at the time such as the all brick exterior, steel columns and I-beams in the basement to support the two floors above, a drive-through brick garage and concrete tile roof…

…In late 1927, several years after the Franklin house was built, a large-scale development was planned for Harrill Hills. Called the “First and Second Units” and covering a large area from Forest Lane to the north and Gaineswood Road on the south, bounded on the east by Brier Cliff Road and on the west by Jacksboro Pike, the development contained almost 300 building sites.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Today Harrill Hills is a very laid-back, picturesque neighborhood with lots of mature trees and greenery. Although several homes there were built in the 20s and 30s, building continued well into the 60s, giving Harrill Hills an interesting mix of architectural styles which includes everything from stone cottages to mid-century ranchers.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

So if you’re looking for a picturesque, historic community that feels like it’s situated far off the beaten path, but is also very convenient to I-640, downtown, and UT, take a closer look at Harrill Hills.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Here’s Harrill Hills by the numbers -

Harrill Hills*

Current On-Market Listings - 13
Average Asking Price: $169,846
Median Asking Price: $169,900
Most Expensive: $249,900 (4 BR, 4 BA, approx. 2500 sq ft built in 1947)
Least Expensive: $117,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 1400+ sq ft built in 1955)
Middle of the Road: $169,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, 1900+ sq ft built in 1951)

Current Pending Sales -
Average Asking Price: $165,000
Median Asking Price:NA

Closed Sales - Jan 2008 - June 30 2008- 6
Average Asking Price - $96,583
Average Sales Price - $99,050
Median Sales Price - $102,400
Average Days on Market - 99

Closed Sales - Jan 2007 - June 30 2007- 5
Asking Price - $178,936
Average Sales Price - $172,996
Median Sales Price - $147,500
Days on Market - 88

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 8/18/08 does not include condos, PUDS, adjacent neighborhoods or multi-family units.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Harrill Hills Listings” or “New Harrill Hill Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Ix-nay on the am-spay.

Know of nice little corner of K-Town that would make a great Neighborhood of the Week? Don’t keep it to yourself - let me know about it and you might just see it featured here one day soon.

This week Neighborhood of the Week heads to the north side of town and steps back in time by way of Old North Knoxville.

Old North Knoxville is a historic neighborhood just north of downtown and 4th & Gill. Built from the 1880s to the 1940s, the neighborhood is roughly bounded by Central Street and Woodland Avenue to the west of Broadway, and Cecil Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Glenwood Avenue to the east of Broadway.

Like 4th & Gill and Island Home, Old North Knoxville was originally one of Knoxville’s streetcar suburbs. From the Old North Knoxville, Inc. website:

Old North Knoxville was developed as a streetcar suburb between the 1880’s and the 1940’s. Streetcar suburbs had a strong pedestrian orientation. Most people walked to their homes from the street car stop. The automobile did not have a major influence on Knoxville until the 1920’s, so there are few driveways or garages in the neighborhood. Some carriage houses remain behind the oldest houses, but most people did not own a horse and carriage. They depended on the streetcars for transportation and used the neighborhood sidewalks to reach the streetcar lines.

North Knoxville was incorporated on January 16, 1889. Larger than the current Old North Knoxville neighborhood (several original subdivisions make up the current Old North Knoxville Historic District), it was a desirable residential area and grew rapidly. North Knoxville provided a water supply, improved streets, fire protection, a city hall, and a school for approximately 100 students. Electric lights were installed in 1899 and a city sewer system was planned but not built due to annexation in 1897.

Architecturally, Old North Knoxville is very diverse:

Late 19th century styles found in the neighborhood include: Queen Anne, Queen Anne Cottage, Eastlake, Shotgun, and Folk Victorian. Early 20th century architecture include: Craftsman and Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, American Four Square, Minimal Traditional, and French Eclectic.

The neighborhood was made a historic district in 1922 and restoration and renovations have been ongoing since that time. Old North Knoxville, Inc. and Knox Heritage have both worked to save homes in the district which would otherwise have been demolished.

Geographically, Old North Knoxville is very convenient to downtown and UT and is easily accessible via I-40, I-275, and I-640.

If you want a home in a historic neighborhood with lots of sidewalks and trees, a strong sense of community and a commitment to preservation, Old North Knoxville might be just what you’re looking for.

Here’s Old North Knoxville by the numbers -

Old North Knoxville*

Current On-Market Listings - 13
Average Asking Price: $191,346
Median Asking Price: $184,900
Most Expensive: $285,000 (3 BR, 3 BA, 2700+ sq ft Southern Colonial Revival home)
Least Expensive: $84,900 (3BR, 1 BA, 1000+ sq ft Craftsman)

Current Pending Sales -4
Average Asking Price: $105,425
Median Asking Price: $114,950

Closed Sales - Q1 2007 - 9
Average Asking Price - $120,422
Average Sales Price - $118,733
Median Sales Price - $95,000
Average Days on Market - 47

Closed Sales - Q1 2008 - 9
Average Asking Price - $124,600
Average Sales Price - $115,500
Median Sales Price - $112,50
Average Days on Market - 77

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 6/09/08 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.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Old North Knoxville Listings” or “New North Knoxville Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. No spam or sales pitches, I super pinkie-swear promise.

I’m always on the lookout for places to highlight in Neighborhood of the Week, so let me know if there’s a community you’d like to see featured here sometime soon.

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.

So far in NOTW, we’ve looked at Hills in the south, east, and west of Knoxville. That leaves North Knoxville’s North Hills. North Hills is a historic community bordered by Cecil Avenue to the south, Whittle Springs Road to the west, Washington Pike to the north and Prosser Road to the east. According to the North Hills Area Association:

North Hills is one of the post World War I and pre-World War II subdivisions that sprouted in Knoxville. Brothers George, Hugh and Carl Fielden started developing North Hills in the spring of 1927. By 1928, forty-three homes had been built with some of Knoxville’s most prominent families living in the area. Covering 185 acres, it was one of the largest subdivisions in Knoxville for its time. It was an upscale neighborhood that had its own private bus service to downtown Knoxville.

In addition, many famous Knoxvillians once called North Hills home, including Cas Walker and Patricia Neal.

North Hills*

Current On-Market Listings - 9
Average Asking Price: $150,733
Median Asking Price: $119,900
Average Square Footage: 1539
Most Expensive Listing: $279,900 (3 BR, 3 BA, approx 2600 sq ft)
Least Expensive Listing: $98,900 (2 BR, 1 BA, approx 1000 sq ft)

Current Pending Sales -3
Average Asking Price - $154,233
Median Asking Price - $142,900

Closed Sales - February 2007 - 2
Average Sales Price - $87,000
Median Sales Price - NA
Average Days on Market - 48

Closed Sales - February 2008 - 3
Average Sales Price - $139,967
Median Sales Price - $153,000
Average Days on Market - 128

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 4/07/08 for North Hills proper, and does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos or PUDS. I took February closings, as there were none for March ‘07 or ‘08.

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

Does anybody know any other interesting historical background on North Hills?