California
Here’s How Nashville Homeowners Can Win Amid a ‘Flood of California People Coming In’
“You’re custom made for movin’ on,” crooned Chris Stapleton in his 2020 country hit “Nashville, TN.” But these days, it looks like Music City is made for moving in.
Nashville made the list of top 10 U.S. migration destinations in November, according to a report last week from Redfin―with more new arrivals from Los Angeles than any U.S. city. And as the domestic migration slows generally from the highs of the pandemic, Nashville is also one of the few cities in the U.S. where the inflow has increased compared to a year ago.
For Nashville sellers who may have already been planning a move, the influx presents an opportunity. And with relatively inexpensive updates, sellers can maximize returns on a sale by appealing to the tastes, needs and preferences of Angeleno buyers, realtors say.
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“There is a flood of California people coming in, and we’re welcoming that,” said Rebecca Norris DiNapoli, an agent with Compass in Nashville. “And they’re buyers who generally want luxury properties.”
Luxury in Nashville, she added, “used to be $2 million to $3 million. Now, it’s $5 million to $10 million.”
In Los Angeles County, the median home listing price was $1.249 million in November according to the latest Realtor.com data; and the most expensive listing is a Bel Air estate asking $139 million.
When a Californian client calls, “I can almost read their minds,” said Michelle Maldonado, an agent with Compass in Nashville. “They want an open plan, 6,000 to 10,000 square feet, high ceilings, lots of light, great outdoor space with a lot of usability outside. What they don’t want is to do any work. They want something ready.”
While a seller can’t change whether a home faces east or west, “you can change paints to reflect the light better,” said Amy Doyle, an agent at the Agency in Nashville. “A lot of people paint the house white with that in mind. We had clients from Los Angeles this week, and the first thing they said when they walked into a property was ‘it’s too dark.’”
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Outdoor living space is also key, said Doyle, who added that the largest proportion of visitors to the Agency’s website have been from California.
“They’re used to spending time outside, so a patio, deck and pool matter,” she said. “A seller might consider amplifying the outdoor living space by making a porch bigger, adding a fire pit or even presenting a rendering if there’s no pool but room to build one.”
Jessica Harrison, an agent at Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty in Nashville, agreed.
“Screen in a back living area―Californians bring this up because they don’t want the bugs, but they like to be out there at night,” she said. “Add an outdoor fireplace, and mount a TV above it. We encourage sellers to think about the home through the lens of the buyer’s lifestyle―entertaining, relaxing and enjoying a luxury moment.”
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For some Angelenos, indoor luxury trumps outdoor extravagance, said Maldonado of Compass.
“They have high-end tastes, and prefer top-end appliances, quality countertops and real wood floors,” she said. “Pre-2020, I would have told sellers it’s not worth doing the floor, except for maintenance. Now, at a certain price point, the house has to be really pulled together to get bang for the buck.”
Paint and lighting are “huge, and they’re easy fixes,” she added. “I’ll even have sellers replace lightbulbs. Angelenos are used to a lot of light.”
Doyle, of the Agency, even recommended replacing tired wooden banisters with more characterful wrought iron―and renovating a dated kitchen if budgets permit.
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“Energy-efficient and smart appliances matter to this buyer,” she said. “People are using smart-home tech and eco-friendly appliances as a way to market homes. That’s a big California thing.”
Guest accommodations can be a sweetener for some Los Angeles buyers, said Chris Grimes, an agent with Corcoran Reverie in Nashville. “These people are relocating from across the country, and leaving behind family and friends. Once the dust settles, those people want to come visit.”
A guest house or suite “is a common desire for transplants,” he noted.
And because nearly all Los Angeles buyers in Nashville want turnkey properties, Grimes said, part of a seller’s presentation to them should include every aspect of a home’s maintenance and upkeep.
“If I were to sell my home right now, I would package all of this information together―here are appliance warranties, the landscape company, the housekeeping people, the services we use,” he said. “And get a clean inspection report to share, even if it means spending on repairs. It’s money well-spent and speaks volumes to potential buyers.”
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Some buyers balk at spending money on upgrades, Grimes said. “They tell us the buyer’s going to make changes anyway, so why bother? But that was 10 years ago. People just want to see themselves moving their lives and their furniture, especially buyers from California.”
This is all advice that carries into the future, too, as Nashville agents don’t see the Los Angeles inflow abating anytime soon.
“We’ll continue to stay in high demand and for good reason,” said Sotheby’s Harrison. “We’re the No. 4 job market in the country, across all industries. We have amazing infrastructure, great schools and incredible jobs. And we’ve still got a lot of land, which they don’t have in L.A. We can handle the number of people coming here.”
Even at the high end, buyers are drawn by Nashville’s “reasonable” property taxes and the absence of state income taxes in Tennessee, according to Harrison.
“As a ballpark, you’d pay less than half in property taxes here on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home than in L.A,” he said.
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“While SCA 2 was one of many efforts to help address the housing crisis, the November’s ballot will be very crowded, and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” Allen said in a statement. “In addition, the legislature recently passed my SB 469, which substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production.”
SB 469 clarifies that the use of state affordable housing dollars does not trigger Article 34’s requirement for voter approval. Allen said his focus is on determining whether these efforts are “making a significant dent in addressing the problem,” adding that quickly building more affordable housing is a priority.
Backed by the California Real Estate Association, the forerunner to the current California Association of Realtors, Article 34 was first adopted by voters in 1950. Realtors played on voters’ fears that affordable housing would lead to greater racial integration of exclusively white neighborhoods.
CAR issued a formal apology in 2022 for its past support of Article 34, with association President Otto Catrina condemning the actions and vowing to address the legacy of its “discriminatory policies and practices.”
The organization “remains a strong supporter of the repeal of Article 34 … which adds unnecessary hurdles and costs to the creation of affordable housing,” CAR spokesperson Sanjay Wagle said in a statement.
Wagle noted that a majority of Californians support repealing the provision but cited research showing a voter education campaign would be needed to explain the article’s effects.
“The cost of such a campaign in an election year with so many initiatives on the ballot made this campaign more costly and difficult, thus making it more logical to pursue a repeal on a future ballot,” Wagle wrote. “We thank Sen. Allen and Sen. Wiener for their efforts on this repeal effort and look forward to working [with] them and other stakeholders on this issue in the future.”
Though Penn State has been busily filling its 2025 recruiting class in June, the program hasn’t stopped looking ahead. The Nittany Lions on Tuesday received a commitment from 4-star California quarterback Troy Huhn, who became the second player in Penn State football’s 2026 recruiting class.
Huhn (6-4, 205 pounds) will be a junior at Mission Hills High, just north of San Diego. He threw for 1,623 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Huhn quickly built a strong offer sheet that included Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Auburn and Notre Dame, among many others. Huhn took an unofficial visits to Ohio State and Penn State in June, committing to the Nittany Lions two weeks after his trip.
Huhn is the 2026 recruiting class’ 10th-rated quarterback prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, and a top-15 player in California. On3 ranks Huhn highest among the major recruiting services, slotting him at No. 60 nationally and sixth at quarterback.
Huhn, who committed to Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, spent time with head coach James Franklin during his unofficial visit. He told Sean Fitz of Blue-White Illustrated that Franklin made an impression.
“Coach O’Brien was great, but really my main thing when I was getting out there was to have more time with coach Franklin. They definitely gave that to me,” Huhn said in his interview with Blue-White Illustrated. “I really felt the love from coach Franklin. He’s very business, he’s awesome, he’s a funny guy. My mom loves him, he loves my mom. That relationship with him is now a lot better and I’m glad I got to spend that time with him.”
Huhn joins Harrisburg athlete Messiah Mickens on the ground floor of Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. Mickens committed to Penn State in August 2023. Penn State had been recruiting several 2026 quarterbacks alongside Huhn. One of their targets, Dia Bell, recently committed to Texas.
Huhn’s commitment continued a prolific stretch for the Nittany Lions. Franklin and his staff have received commitments from five players in a four-day stretch. Four of them committed to Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class.
The most recent 2025 commitment belonged to Max Granville, a 4-star prospect from Texas and first-team all-state honoree as a junior. Granville, who will be a senior at Fort Bend Christian Academy, is rated as a 4-star linebacker according to the 247Sports Composite. However, the 6-3, 220-pound Granville projects at defensive end and was recruited by Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes. Granville chose Penn State after making an official visit to State College earlier in June. He also visited USC, Texas A&M and Oklahoma in June and took an official visit to Baylor in April.
Penn State opens the 2024 football season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff on FOX.
BREAKING: Four-Star QB Troy Huhn (2026) has Committed to Penn State, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’4 205 QB from San Marcos, CA chose the Nittany Lions over Ohio State and Auburn
Ranked as the No. 6 QB in ‘26 (per On3)
“I’m Home #WEARE”https://t.co/lKvct8u4a2 pic.twitter.com/VtLZZ6xH1I
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 25, 2024
More Penn State Football Recruiting
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Versatile New Jersey prospect commits to the Nittany Lions
Former Penn State linebacker commit switches to Rutgers
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
(FOX40.COM) — An evacuation order is in effect for areas of Butte County amid a wildfire, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, BCSO issued an evacuation order for the Apache Fire on the south side of Grubbs Road between Crossa Country Road and Alta Arosa Drive in zones 884 and 885. Shortly after, evacuation orders were also issued for all of zone 884, 865, 866, 868, and 869. For information about zone locations click or tap here.
An evacuation warning was also issued for zones 867 and 883.
At 9:45 p.m., the Apache Fire has burned through 466 acres, according to Cal Fire. By 10:30 p.m. it reached more than 650 acres.
For more information visit www.buttecounty.net, or call (833) 512-5378.
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