For Buyers
Know what you are buying,and what it costs
What is not yet public, what representation costs and who pays for it, and what nobody tells you about buying a house that has not been built yet.
For Buyers
What is not yet public, what representation costs and who pays for it, and what nobody tells you about buying a house that has not been built yet.
Access
Through the Compass network we see Private Exclusives and Coming Soon listings that are on neither RealTracs nor the portals. In Belle Meade, Forest Hills and the gated Williamson communities, many of the best houses trade without ever being listed.
A Private Exclusive has no public days on market and no price history, so you have less evidence that the ask is reasonable. That is the mirror of the seller’s advantage. Our job is to supply that evidence from the closing record.
Compass opens its Private Exclusives book to agents at any brokerage, and most that sell off-MLS are co-brokered with non-Compass agents. We would rather tell you than have you find out later.
A meaningful share of the best houses here trade without ever being publicly listed.
Representation
Since 2024 a written representation agreement is required before we can show you a house. Read the term and the exit — the two clauses that matter most and the two most people skip. Nothing here is legal advice; your agreement governs.
Usually still the seller, negotiated outside the MLS, because offering nothing shrinks their own buyer pool. Your agreement is the backstop: if the seller offers less than the agreed fee, the difference is yours. You get the number before you tour.
A seller concession written into the offer is the common route; it can also come from your own funds at closing. Whether any part can be financed depends on your lender — ask, because at $2M the figure is not small.
Our Speciality
Friendly, knowledgeable, and paid by the seller. In a builder transaction there is no neutral party unless you bring one.
It is the most common way a buyer here loses money, and the thing we do more of than anything else. New construction is our niche, not a sideline.
Our Speciality
A dollar line for flooring, lighting or appliances that you exceed at retail — the most common reason a $2M contract closes well above $2M.
We price them against what the house actually needs before you sign, not while you are choosing tile against a deadline.
Our Speciality
A resale runs on the balanced Tennessee Realtors form. A builder transaction runs on the builder’s own. Read allowances, change-order markup, the completion date and what happens when it slips, escalation, deposit escrow, and arbitration.
A dollar line for flooring, lighting or appliances that you exceed at retail — the most common reason a $2M contract closes well above $2M. We price them against what the house actually needs before you sign.
Know what you are buying, and know what it costs in the second year.
The Money
Davidson and Williamson sit at a $1,029,250 conforming limit for 2026, not the $832,750 national baseline — Nashville is a designated high-cost area. At $2M+ you are in jumbo regardless, and underwriting runs longer.
Sellers expect verification before they engage, and the gated communities often require it simply to schedule. We will tell you what is needed and what can be redacted — you should not be handing out full statements.
Insurance at current rates, HOA dues of $3,000 to $5,700 a year in the communities we cover, reassessment on a new build, and the upkeep on eight thousand square feet. You get a carrying-cost number before you offer.
Tennessee
No tax on earned income, barred by constitutional amendment. No estate or inheritance tax either.
Property is assessed at a quarter of value, and Williamson cut its rate ~30% in 2025. A $3M house runs about $11,175 a year in Brentwood, against roughly $52,000 in Cook County, Illinois.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a title company state; most closings run through a title company or title agency law firm. At this level, and on a builder contract especially, we would still want your own counsel reading it.
The first house we show you should be one you could not have found yourself.
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