Strong economy, job growth drive home sales in Williamson County
Williamson County’s strong economy and job growth are two of the biggest reasons demand for homes is so strong, Realtors say.
“Middle Tennessee and Williamson County have seen a huge influx of families as people relocate for new job opportunities,” said Stacy Strobl, Southeast regional owner of EXIT Realty.
Buyers are snapping up many homes as soon as they are listed for sale. Typically, a house in Williamson County is sold in just 35 days. Condos tend to go in 26 days. The median countywide price of a single-family house in November was $479,900. The price of a condo was $269,900, according to the Williamson County Association of Realtors (WCAR).
Prices move up and down from month to month, but home values are significantly higher than they were a year ago. The median price of a house was $444,950 in November 2016. The price of a condo was $220,671, according to the WCAR.
For many relocating or expanding businesses, Williamson County’s employment centers of Berry Farms, Cool Springs Maryland Farms are their destination of choice. Their employees often want to live nearby.
“People move from other parts of the region to Franklin to have a shorter commute. If they have children, they’ve heard about Williamson County’s schools,” said Gabriela Lira Sjogren, director of relocation for Re/Max Masters.
Williamson County is home to thousands of jobs at corporate headquarters operations for companies such as Nissan North America, which moved from Southern California in 2006, Community Health Systems and Comdata.
The company will have about 224,000 square feet of space in Ovation, a large mixed-use development in Franklin. The space should ready in mid-2019. Mars also has an R&D facility in Thompson’s Station.
Realtor Lisa Culp Taylor said at least one out of four clients is someone relocating to Williamson County. Some of them are relocating to Williamson County for a second time.
“They’ve taken new jobs just to return to this area” because of the high quality of life, she said.
When parents of young children move to Williamson County, there can be a domino effect, said Taylor, who is part of the Lisa Culp Taylor Team at Parks Realty.
“A lot of (home buyers) are grandparents following the grandkids,” she said.
Relocations and home sales are showing no signs of slowing down.
“There are so many beautiful homes in a good variety of price points which provides great relocation options,” said Strobl.
“This year alone, EXIT Southeast’s transactions in Williamson County have doubled, which definitely sets this area apart from places who haven’t experienced as many new companies opening up or relocating their corporate offices,” she said.