For those considering seller financing, there are some key aspects to consider. While benefits like quick transactions and payment flexibility may seem enticing, there are potential home-selling mistakes to be mindful of. Before deciding, it's essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully to ensure it aligns with your long-term goals.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a legal professional before proceeding with any seller-financed transaction.

What Is Seller Financing?

Seller financing is an alternative to traditional mortgage lending in real estate transactions. This process is when the seller directly finances the purchase of the property instead of a bank. This method allows buyers to make payments to the

Buying a home can involve a lot of expenses to consider, including a down payment, fees, inspection costs, and more. What many people tend to think of, though, when purchasing a home is the sum of closing costs that must be paid before the purchase is finalized. While many parts of the buying process are important, having enough capital for closing costs is an integral part of the entire purchase.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed mortgage or home loan professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Closing Costs in Tennessee: What Buyers & Sellers Should Budget For

• Closing costs in Tennessee typically range from 2–5% for buyers and 8–10% for sellers of the home price.

• Seller

When a homeowner knows they want to sell their home, they may spend a lot of time thinking about when the right time to sell is. Summer is a popular time for buying and selling, especially for homeowners who are parents because moving house during the summer means their children's education won't be disturbed by the move. Homeowners who are planning to sell during summer may be looking for ways to help their home stand out in buyers' eyes. Here are a few strategies that Tennessee homeowners can use to help sell their home.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Top Tips for Selling a Home in Summer

• Summer attracts buyers who may not be

There are many benefits to hiring a real estate agent, but the wrong agent can cost you thousands of dollars—or the home you really wanted. With so much on the line, it's worth slowing down before you sign anything.

Many buyers and sellers hire the first agent they meet. That's often a mistake. The agent who shows up first isn't always the best fit. And just because someone is eager to get their foot in the door doesn’t mean they’ll have follow-through. A little homework up front saves a lot of headaches later.

Interview at least three agents before you decide who to trust with your real estate decisions. And when you sit down with them, ask your real estate agent these questions.

8 Key Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent

If you're here

Most sellers expect to sign some selling paperwork, but what often catches them off guard is how much paperwork—and how early it starts.

By the time you hand over the keys, you'll have collected records from years ago, signed legal contracts with multiple professionals, drafted disclosures, received reports, and reviewed a closing statement thick enough to give anyone pause.

To help you keep track of it all, here's a stage-by-stage guide to every document you'll deal with when selling your home.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Quick Reference: The 4 Stages of Home-Selling Paperwork

• Stage 1 — Before You List:
• Ownership

Picture this: You're driving through East Nashville on a Sunday afternoon. Two bungalows sit side by side on the same street. Same age, same size, similar price points.

One has a freshly painted door, tidy flowerbeds, and a clean walkway. The other has peeling trim, overgrown shrubs blocking the windows, and a lawn that's seen better days.

Which one makes you slow down and look twice? Which one makes you drive past a little quicker?

That's curb appeal in action. It's not about creating a magazine cover or impressing the neighbors (though that's a nice bonus). It's about showing buyers—or just yourself—that this home is cared for, inviting, and worth a closer look.

Learn more about what curb appeal ideas actually work for Nashville homes.

Got an older house to sell? If you've been putting off updates, you might be worried potential buyers will run away from your 1980s kitchen or questionably retro bathrooms.

It's true that older homes usually take longer to sell and often go for less money than newer construction. But that doesn't mean you're stuck. With the right approach, your vintage home can attract prospective buyers who'll pay what it's worth.

This guide shows you exactly how to prep, price, and market an older home so it sells quickly without leaving money on the table.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Strategies to Get an Old Home Ready to Sell

• Fix safety

Selling a home with pets requires some extra care to ensure the home meets buyer standards and that the process does not create undo stress for pets. These tips advise sellers on how to minimize issues during the selling process and keep a home in show-ready condition, even when pets are living in their homes.

Get Advice on Staging and Cleaning

People who live with pets have become accustomed to a certain degree of odors and messes. Even homeowners who generally keep their homes very clean might not notice how dog toys or a crate can create a visually cluttered space for buyers to see. Objective advice is best, preferably from a real estate agent experienced in selling homes with pets. Sellers should create a checklist of items to remove

You have seconds when a buyer walks through your door to make an impression that sticks. Miss that moment, and your house becomes just another property they scroll past online or forget five minutes after leaving.

Want to know the secret to nailing those seconds? Home staging. Staging turns your lived-in space into a home that buyers can picture themselves living in. You're not decorating for yourself.

This guide walks you through every step of staging your home to sell, from the first cleanup to keeping things perfect while your house is on the market.

9 Home Staging Tips To Get You Started

• Start with a deep clean + fix every small repair so the home feels truly move-in ready.
• Declutter hard: remove 30–50% of belongings, keep

Picture this: You find the perfect home in East Nashville listed at $500,000. You're excited and ready to make an offer. But then you apply for a mortgage and realize the interest rate on your mortgage matters way more than you think.

At a 3% rate (what buyers got in 2021) and with a 20% down payment, your monthly payment—for principal and interest only—would be around $1,686. At a 6.3% rate today? That same house costs you $2,476 per month in interest and principal. That's around $790 more every single month for the exact same home.

Interest rates change what you can afford, how much competition you face, and whether you should buy or sell right now. When you’re researching the market, understanding these changes could save you tens of thousands