How Do You Choose a Homesite at Tennessee National?

Choose a homesite by starting with how you want to live, then matching the setting to it. At Tennessee National the settings are wooded, lake and waterfront.

It is worth choosing slowly. A homesite is the one part of a home you can never change. You can repaint, remodel and rebuild. You cannot move the lake closer or turn the land to face the sunset.

What kinds of homesites does Tennessee National have?

Three: The Timbers, lake homesites and waterfront homesites.

The names point to the setting. They do not tell you the slope, the light or the exact view, and those differ from one homesite to the next. That is what the walk is for. We also do not spell out here what separates a lake homesite from a waterfront one. Ask your land consultant, and get the answer in writing.

Tennessee National covers 1,492 gated acres, so "inside the gates" covers a lot of ground. Ask how far each homesite is from the things you will use most: the gate, the clubhouse, the marina, the golf course.

How close to the water do you need to be?

As close as your boating habits call for, and no closer. That is the honest way to size it.

If you plan to be on the lake most weekends, living on or near the water changes your days. If you go out a few times a season, you may be paying for a view you could reach by golf cart.

You do not need to own shoreline to keep a boat on Watts Bar Lake. Tennessee National has a full-service marina with 140+ boat slips. See marina and lake life and ask about boat slips.

If a private dock is on your list, do not assume. TVA manages the shoreline of Watts Bar Lake, and the community may have rules of its own. Ask TVA and your land consultant about the specific homesite and get the answer in writing before you buy.

What do you want to see every morning?

Decide this before you look at a map. It narrows the list faster than anything else.

• Trees. Shade, privacy and quiet. The Timbers is the wooded choice.
• The lake. Lake and waterfront homesites are the two kinds named for the water. Ask what you would see from the building spot on each one.
• The golf course. If you want fairways out the window, ask your land consultant which homesites or finished homes are near the course.

Then think about what you will hear. A homesite near the clubhouse or the marina is close to the action, and action makes some noise. A homesite farther out is quieter and a longer cart ride.

How do you compare two homesites you like?

Walk both, twice, and compare them on the things you cannot change.

• Slope. It decides the foundation, the driveway and the site-work bill.
• Sun. Which way would the porch face? Morning coffee or sunset?
• View. Is it across water, or across an unbuilt homesite that will be a house one day?
• Distance. Time the golf cart ride to the places you will go every week.
• Neighbors. What is built around it now, and what could be?

How to read a homesite's slope, sun and views goes through each of these.

What drives the price of a homesite?

Setting, view and the lay of the land drive most of it. A waterfront homesite is a different product from a wooded one, and two homesites in the same setting can differ with the view and the slope.

Pricing is in the info pack.

Remember that the land is only part of the bill. Site work, the home itself and the cost of holding the land until you build all belong in the budget. There is no deadline to build, so you can buy the homesite first and take your time on the rest.

What if you do not want to choose a homesite at all?

Then look at the other paths. Two of the five ways to own at Tennessee National involve a home as well as land: Land & Home packages and townhomes. Ask your land consultant what each includes and how much choice of homesite comes with it. Finished homes are listed on the properties page.

The honest trade-off

More water usually means more money and more rules. More trees means more privacy and less view. Closer to the clubhouse means shorter rides and more activity. There is no best homesite, only the best one for how you will live.

Nobody can pick it for you from a map, and that includes us. Schedule a visit, walk the ones on your short list, and go back to your favorite at a different hour before you decide.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.