Three-Bedroom Country Home on 5.2 Acres with Creek – Athens, TN – $139,900

Property Overview

Set on 5.2 unrestricted acres in Athens, Tennessee, this three-bedroom, one-bathroom traditional farmhouse offers a rare combination of open pasture, mature woods, a flowing creek, large shade trees, and scenic long-range views. The one-story home contains 1,176 square feet of living area and was built in 1918.

The farmhouse requires extensive renovation, creating an opportunity for a buyer who wants to restore the existing structure or pursue a different use of the acreage. The property offers multiple potential building areas, portions of the land are already fenced for horses or cattle, and a detached two-car garage/workshop adds useful space for vehicles, equipment, storage, or hobbies.

The property is supplied by a natural spring and includes a creek. Part of the acreage lies across the road, providing additional land and potential for another building site. With no stated restrictions, the property can accommodate a range of plans, subject to applicable permits, regulations, utilities, and site conditions.

Property Details

Interior Features

The main-level floor plan includes three bedrooms, one full bathroom, and an eat-in kitchen. The home has a crawl-space foundation and covered porch. Heating and cooling are identified as other systems in the available property details, and flooring is listed as other.

The farmhouse needs extensive renovation, making the existing structure suitable for a buyer evaluating restoration, reconstruction, or another permitted residential use.

Land & Outdoor Features

The 5.2-acre tract combines open pasture and mature woods, with large shade trees and scenic long-range views. Portions of the property are already fenced for horses or cattle, while a flowing creek adds a natural water feature to the land.

A portion of the acreage is located across the road. The layout provides multiple potential building areas, including the possibility of considering another residence or other permitted improvements. Any future construction, manufactured-home placement, subdivision, or additional residence would be subject to applicable local requirements and site feasibility.

Water, Utilities & Access

The property is supplied by a natural spring and has a septic tank. The existing property details identify a creek as a waterfront feature. The property also includes a garage with two parking spaces and a covered porch.

Athens Utilities Board provides electric power, natural gas, water, and wastewater services within its service area. Those are area-level utility services and should not be interpreted as confirmation that any particular AUB service is connected to this property. The property-specific details identify spring water and a septic tank.

Buyer Area Research

Area Overview

Athens is the county seat of McMinn County and sits in southeast Tennessee. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city population at 15,263 as of July 1, 2025, compared with 14,084 at the 2020 Census. McMinn County had an estimated population of 57,404 in 2025. Athens has access to regional retail, healthcare, education, recreation, and transportation services while retaining a rural setting outside the city center.

The city recorded a 2020-2025 population increase of 8.3 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Census data also reports a 21.7-minute mean travel time to work for Athens workers for 2020-2024.

Safety & Crime

Available city-level 2024 crime data reported 93 violent-crime incidents and 548 property-crime incidents for Athens, Tennessee. Reported categories included 80 aggravated assaults, 65 burglaries, 438 thefts, and 45 motor-vehicle thefts. These figures describe reported city-level incidents and should not be interpreted as conditions at this individual property or as a neighborhood-specific safety assessment.

Schools & Education

McMinn County Schools operates the public school system serving the Athens and McMinn County area. Nearby and regional schools include McMinn County High School in Athens, McMinn Career and Technical Center in Athens, and E.K. Baker Elementary in Athens. School proximity does not establish enrollment assignment for this property; buyers should confirm current attendance boundaries directly with the school district.

Healthcare & Hospitals

Starr Regional Medical Center’s Athens campus is located at 1114 West Madison Avenue in Athens. The 118-bed acute-care facility provides inpatient and outpatient services along with emergency care, medical imaging, cardiology, orthopedics, surgery, rehabilitation, women’s health, labor and delivery, and other services.

Housing Market History

Historical housing values for ZIP Code 37303 provide a broader market context rather than a valuation of this property. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates report the following median home values for owner-occupied housing units in ZIP Code 37303.

Using the comparable ACS 5-year median-home-value series, the ZIP Code 37303 figure increased from $155,800 in 2020 to $232,100 in 2024. This historical change describes the ZIP-code housing market and is not a prediction of future property values or an appraisal of the property.

More current Zillow market data for Athens reports a typical home value of $262,695 as of August 31, 2026, with a 2.4 percent year-over-year change. Zillow also reported a median sale price of $225,500 for July 2026. These current market metrics use Zillow’s methodology and are separate from the ACS historical series above.

Transportation & Access

The property is described as being minutes from Athens and Interstate 75, providing access to the Athens area and the broader southeast Tennessee region. The City of Athens identifies the I-75 corridor, Exit 49, Congress Parkway, and Decatur Pike as major local access points. The city also identifies Knoxville and Chattanooga as regional destinations approximately 45 miles from Athens.

McMinn County Airport is located in Athens at 195 County Road 552 and provides general aviation and business-oriented airport services.

Shopping & Everyday Services

Athens provides a range of everyday shopping and services. Food City operates a grocery store and pharmacy at 105 South Hill Street, while the Athens Walmart Supercenter at 1815 Decatur Pike provides grocery shopping, pharmacy, automotive services, garden, financial services, and other retail departments.

The City of Athens retail-area information also identifies additional shopping, dining, pharmacy, home-improvement, fuel, and service businesses along the I-75, Congress Parkway, and Decatur Pike corridor.

Parks & Recreation

Athens maintains a broad municipal parks and recreation system. Athens Regional Park includes walking trails, nature and mountain-bike trails, fishing lakes, sports fields, disc golf, playgrounds, and a splashpad. The Eureka Trail provides a 5.6-mile multi-purpose trail for hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders. Other city facilities include Cook Park, Eco Park, Heritage Park, Ingleside Recreation Complex, Prof Powers Park, Veterans Park, and the Wetlands Trail.

Utilities & Connectivity

Athens-area utility infrastructure includes electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater services through Athens Utilities Board within its service territory. Census data reports that 92.1 percent of Athens households had a broadband Internet subscription during 2020-2024. Availability at the specific property should be confirmed directly with individual providers, particularly because the property itself uses spring water and a septic tank.

Development & Planning

Athens continues to maintain and improve public infrastructure and recreational facilities. The City’s FY 2025-26 program of work lists an approved Heritage Park improvement project involving renovation of the baseball field, a walking trail, ADA improvements, and replacement playground equipment, with anticipated completion in summer 2026. The same municipal program identifies additional Regional Park and Market Park improvements.

These are municipal projects and should not be interpreted as predictions regarding property values or future development of the surrounding acreage.

Property Summary