Luxury

Estates and high-value homes.

Photo: Cristina Anne Costello, Unsplash

Luxury in Tennessee

What to know about Luxury.

The Find a Home Team has sold one property of this type across Tennessee. It is below, with its own page.

At this level the questions get more specific: how the loan is classified, what the deed makes public, which systems a standard inspection skips, and how a home can sell without a public campaign.

01
Financing above the conforming limit
For 2026, the baseline conforming loan limit for a one-unit home is $832,750, and the ceiling in high-cost areas is $1,249,125. A loan above the limit for its county is a jumbo loan, and it may cost more. Confirm the property’s county limit with FHFA or your lender before you compare offers.
Sources: FHFA: conforming loan limits for 2026 · CFPB: what is a jumbo loan?
02
Tennessee taxes
Tennessee’s constitution bars state or local taxes on wages and earned income, and the Hall tax on interest and dividends was fully repealed as of January 1, 2021. At closing, the transfer tax is 37 cents per $100 of the greater of price or value, and by statute the buyer owes it. A recorded mortgage adds 11.5 cents per $100 of debt above the first $2,000.
Sources: Tenn. Const. art. II, sec. 28 · Tennessee Department of Revenue: Hall income tax repealed · Tenn. Code Ann. 67-4-409 · Tennessee Department of Revenue: recordation tax rates
03
Privacy and title
A recorded Tennessee deed shows the owner’s and the taxpayer’s names and addresses, and the state’s property assessment site can be searched by owner name. Whether to hold title in your name, a trust or an LLC is a decision to make with a Tennessee attorney before you sign.
Sources: UT CTAS: name and address of owner and taxpayer · Tennessee Comptroller: property assessment data
04
Inspections and insurance
InterNACHI’s standards of practice don’t require a home inspector to inspect pools and spas, generators, security and low-voltage systems, wells, septic, solar and geothermal, outbuildings, irrigation or elevators. On an estate, plan a specialist for each one. Insure for the cost to rebuild, not the price paid, and get quotes before your inspection period ends.
Source: InterNACHI standards of practice
05
Appraisals on one-of-a-kind homes
When truly comparable sales are scarce, Fannie Mae lets an appraiser use less similar or older sales, if the appraiser documents why. Talk with your lender early about how a value shortfall would be handled.
Source: Fannie Mae Selling Guide: comparable sales
06
Gated communities, HOAs and condominiums
In a planned unit development, the seller must disclose that fact before contract and, if asked, provide the covenants, bylaws and master deed. A condominium association must deliver its resale package within 10 business days of a request. On private roads, confirm who maintains the roads, gates and drainage, and how the cost is shared.
Sources: Tenn. Code Ann. 66-5-213 · Tenn. Code Ann. 66-27-502
07
Selling without a public campaign
Since 2025, NAR policy lets a seller delay public internet marketing or keep a listing inside one brokerage (an office-only listing), with signed informed consent. Once a home is publicly marketed, it must go into the MLS within one business day.
Source: NAR: multiple listing options for sellers
08
What “luxury” means
The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing treats the top 10 percent of prices in a local market as luxury, so the line moves with the market.
Source: Institute for Luxury Home Marketing: what luxury real estate means

From Find a Home’s own Luxury page, which cites a source for each fact: tennessee.findahome.com/luxury

Information only, not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice. Figures are for 2026.

Before you buy

What to look for, and what to ask.

What to look for

The county’s 2026 loan limit, and whether your loan is conforming, high-balance or jumbo.
Transfer tax, mortgage tax and recording fees in your closing budget.
How you’ll hold title, decided with a Tennessee attorney before you sign.
Specialist inspections for the pool, generator, security and smart-home wiring, elevator, irrigation, solar or geothermal, and the guest house and outbuildings.
On acreage: a well test, the septic permit, and a permitted bedroom count that matches the home.
Insurance quotes: rebuild cost, extended or guaranteed replacement, ordinance or law coverage, scheduled valuables, umbrella and flood.
The covenants and HOA documents, or the full condominium resale package.

Questions people ask

At what loan amount does a mortgage become jumbo in 2026?

Above the county’s conforming limit: $832,750 at baseline, and up to $1,249,125 in high-cost counties.

Source: FHFA: conforming loan limits for 2026

Does Tennessee tax income or estates?

Not wages, not interest and dividends since 2021, and not inheritances for deaths since 2016. The federal estate tax still applies.

Sources: Tenn. Const. art. II, sec. 28 · Tennessee Department of Revenue: Hall income tax repealed · Tennessee Department of Revenue: inheritance tax notice 13-13

What are the closing taxes on a purchase?

A transfer tax of 37 cents per $100, owed by the buyer under the statute, plus 11.5 cents per $100 of mortgage debt above $2,000.

Sources: Tenn. Code Ann. 67-4-409 · Tennessee Department of Revenue: recordation tax rates

Can I keep my name out of public records?

The deed names the owner and taxpayer, and assessor records are searchable by owner name. Ask a Tennessee attorney about holding title through a trust or an LLC.

Sources: UT CTAS: name and address of owner and taxpayer · Tennessee Comptroller: property assessment data

Can my home sell without appearing on public websites?

Yes, with your signed consent, as a delayed-marketing or office-only listing. Public marketing means MLS entry within one business day.

Source: NAR: multiple listing options for sellers

Will a standard inspection cover the pool, generator, well and septic?

Common inspection standards leave them out, so plan specialists.

Source: InterNACHI standards of practice

From Find a Home’s own Luxury page, which cites a source for each fact: tennessee.findahome.com/luxury

The team’s listings