Retiring to Chattanooga, TN
Selling a home for $525,000 and keeping $150,000 in the bank leaves room to buy in 6 of 22 Chattanooga neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (after 6% selling costs, buying at the neighborhood median). The closest of those to a hospital is Avondale, Chattanooga (3 min to Memorial Health Care System - and Hixson, typical drive with no traffic). Property tax in Chattanooga runs about 0.85% of value a year (Census ACS 2023).
Questions? Call or text Chris Harris, REALTOR®: (270) 421-8726.
Next steps, your choice
Plan a scouting week
One neighborhood a day: the drive to the hospital and homes to see.
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Ask Chris
Chris Harris, REALTOR®, reads every note himself. He is not licensed in Tennessee, so for showings and offers he introduces you to a licensed agent there; he may receive a referral fee from that agent’s brokerage, which does not change your price. Can’t visit first? Say so in your note.
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Every neighborhood we have numbers for
Neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (Redfin), cheapest first by town. Minutes: typical drive, no traffic to the facility named for each kind, © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| Neighborhood | Town | Median sale | Sales | Hospital | VA medical center | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale | Chattanooga | $202,443 | 53 | 3 min | 11 min | 17 min |
| East Chattanooga | Chattanooga | $207,442 | 56 | 4 min | 12 min | 19 min |
| Bonny Oaks-Highway 58 | Chattanooga | $267,425 | 70 | 9 min | 6 min | 13 min |
| Brainerd | Chattanooga | $292,418 | 118 | 5 min | 12 min | 10 min |
| Oak Grove | Chattanooga | $295,292 | 40 | 5 min | 17 min | 16 min |
| Highland Park | Chattanooga | $299,816 | 52 | 4 min | 16 min | 18 min |
| Dupont | Chattanooga | $348,902 | 66 | 5 min | 12 min | 20 min |
| Valleybrook | Chattanooga | $349,902 | 81 | 9 min | 20 min | 27 min |
| South Chattanooga | Chattanooga | $358,899 | 203 | 7 min | 20 min | 21 min |
| Alton Park | Chattanooga | $362,798 | 42 | 10 min | 22 min | 21 min |
| Murray Hills | Chattanooga | $380,893 | 83 | 11 min | 12 min | 20 min |
| Hickory Valley-Hamilton Place | Chattanooga | $382,747 | 260 | 15 min | 7 min | 16 min |
| Birchwood | Chattanooga | $399,888 | 129 | 6 min | 10 min | 18 min |
| East Brainerd | Chattanooga | $426,880 | 233 | 14 min | 11 min | 14 min |
| Lookout Valley | Chattanooga | $453,208 | 148 | 14 min | 26 min | 25 min |
| North Chattanooga | Chattanooga | $459,871 | 213 | 7 min | 20 min | 25 min |
| Downtown Chattanooga | Chattanooga | $489,863 | 167 | 10 min | 21 min | 20 min |
| St. Elmo | Chattanooga | $499,360 | 66 | 13 min | 24 min | 23 min |
| Northside | Chattanooga | $531,858 | 77 | 8 min | 22 min | 26 min |
| Southside | Chattanooga | $538,749 | 65 | 8 min | 21 min | 20 min |
| Harrison Bay | Chattanooga | $567,236 | 94 | 28 min | 24 min | 33 min |
| Stuart Heights-Rivermont | Chattanooga | $666,813 | 51 | 7 min | 16 min | 24 min |
Left out because they are outside Chattanooga: Hixson (a separate community).
Redfin groups these with Chattanooga, but we have no map location for them yet, so we can’t confirm they are in town: Woodmore-Dalewood, Tyner-Greenwood, Lupton City-Norcross, Hamilton on Hunter, Dallas Bay-Lakesite, Friends of Mountain Creek, Ooltewah-Summit, Westview-Mountain Shadows, Collegedale, Falling Water-Browntown, Bakewell-Sale Creek, Northgate-Big Ridge.
Check crime data
We don’t grade neighborhoods on crime. Look up the streets you’re considering in Chattanooga with the agency that patrols them:
- Chattanooga Police Department (city police)
- FBI Crime Data Explorer (agency-level reports)
What Tennessee doesn’t tax
Tennessee has no state income tax.
- Tennessee has no state income tax, so Social Security is not taxed by the state.
- Pensions and retirement withdrawals are not taxed by the state (no state income tax).
- Military retired pay is not taxed by the state (no state income tax).
- Property Tax Relief (2026): a state reimbursement for homeowners 65 and older with 2025 household income of $38,470 or less, calculated on the first $33,600 of market value; apply through the county trustee when the tax bill arrives. It is a reimbursement, not an exemption.
Full details: Tennessee retirement taxes →
Source: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Hall Income Tax (repealed for tax periods beginning Jan 1, 2021; no other individual income tax) (read 2026-10-17); Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, 2026 Tax Relief brochure (read 2026-10-17). Figures change each year; confirm with the agency before you rely on them. Not tax advice.
The twenty-year test
Which of these do you need in the house you will live in for twenty years?
Email me homes that pass
The alert matches what the listing feed has: price, bedrooms, bathrooms, year built and house type. Chris checks each match for the features the listing feed can’t see.
Home prices: Redfin neighborhood medians, Jul–Sep 2026, neighborhoods with 5+ sales. Property tax: Census ACS 2023 effective rates. Selling costs estimated at 6% of the sale price.