Selling Lifestyles - Middle TN Real Estate Blog - Buying A Home

Buyer Representation and Agent Compensation Explained

What Home Buyers Need to Know Before Touring Homes

Buyer representation and agent compensation are now discussed earlier in the home-buying process than in the past. This guide explains how buyer representation works, why agreements are required before touring homes, and how compensation is addressed so buyers understand their options from the start.

Why Do I Need to Sign a Buyer Representation Agreement Before Touring Homes?

This requirement is the result of recent legal actions involving the National Association of REALTORS® aimed at increasing transparency around the topic of representation and compensation. Courts and regulators emphasized that buyers should clearly understand who represents them and how agents are paid before touring homes,…

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When It’s Time to Downsize or Move a Loved One

Navigating A Life Transition?
A Seniors Real Estate Specialist(SRES®) Can Help

A Seniors Residential Specialist(SRES®) is a licensed REALTOR® who has completed advanced training focused on helping clients aged 50+  to make informed decisions about housing, finance, and life transitions.  Kim Blanton specializes in handling real estate transactions for mature clients in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area.  I have also created a referral network of specialists such as attorneys, accountants, financial planners, bankers, and other professionals to work with seniors and their real estate needs.

Whether you're approaching retirement, or looking to simplify your home maintenance responsibilities, or helping an aging parent transition into a new home,…

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Middle Tennessee - One of the BEST Places to Live in the South

What It's Really Like to Live in Middle Tennessee

If you’re relocating to Tennessee and want more than just lower taxes or a bigger backyard, the Middle Tennessee lifestyle may check more boxes than you expect. This region blends natural beauty, opportunity, and a strong sense of place in a way that’s hard to replicate.

While Nashville often grabs the spotlight, there’s much more to this region than country music and hot chicken. From its booming economy to its natural charm, here are six compelling reasons to live in Middle Tennessee — and why so many are moving here.

1. Small Town Feel with Big Time Growth

Middle Tennessee is growing fast—but it’s not losing what makes it special. Places like Franklin, Murfreesboro, Gallatin and Columbia are…

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Why Homes Are Showing Available When Already Under Contract

Contingency Contracts

Why That “Active” Home May Already Be Under Contract: Understanding Contingency Contracts in Tennessee Real Estate

In today’s fast-moving real estate market—especially in Nashville and across Middle Tennessee—it’s common for homebuyers to get excited about a listing they’ve found online, only to find out later that the home is already under contract.

This frustrating experience usually comes down to a common misunderstanding: contingency contracts and how listings are displayed on third-party websites.

What Is a Contingency Contract in Real Estate?

A contingency contract means that a seller has accepted a buyer’s offer, but certain conditions must be met before the sale becomes final. These conditions—or…

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Determining Square Footage vs Usable Space in a Home

Bigger is Not Always Better

When shopping for a home in Middle Tennessee, many buyers are quick to focus on one number:  Total square footage:  

While that number may seem important, it doesn’t always reflect how functional or livable a home truly is. In fact, a smaller home with a smart floor plan can feel more spacious than a larger one with poor layout design.

So, how do you evaluate a home's true usability beyond square footage? It starts by looking at linear footage—the amount of usable wall space within each room.

Square Footage vs. Usable Space: What's the Difference?

• Square footage is calculated using the exterior dimensions of heated living areas. It generally excludes non-living spaces such as garages, unfinished attics,…

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How to Find an Off-Market Property in Middle TN

How to Find Off-Market Homes in Middle Tennessee:
A Guide for Frustrated Home Buyers

If you’ve been tirelessly searching online for off-market properties in Tennessee or pocket listings, you’re not alone. Many home buyers feel frustrated when search results take them to real estate websites that fail to deliver what they promise—no real off-market listings in sight.

The fast-paced real estate market in recent years has made it especially difficult for buyers to find homes before they hit the open market. Fortunately, there's a solution: working with an experienced REALTOR® in Tennessee.

Why You Can’t Find Off-Market Listings Online:

True off-market properties- homes not yet listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)—aren’t typically…

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A Win Win Strategy for Buyers and Sellers

Tackling Higher Interest Rates in 2024

Use the StepUp Mortgage from Acopia Home Loans

2022 and 2023 have seen a lot of changes in the real estate market.  We have experienced a timeframe where there were multiple offers on the same home.  Those offers were often well over asking price and with few to no contingencies.  If a buyer needed financing, often their offers were not considered if the seller received cash offers.   Fast forward to end of 2024 where homes are staying on the market longer, few or no multiple offer situations and few to no cash offers.  Buyers are once again able to make offers contingent on appraisals, home inspections and financing. 

Now let’s throw in the rapid rising of interest rates over the course of 2022 and 2023, …

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A House for a Daughter in a Wheelchair

I would like to tell you my story as a Realtor trying to help a family find a new home.  As a Realtor, you normally will find a happy family excited about finding their new home.  Now lets add one defining fact....one daughter is in a wheelchair.  I have been a real estate agent for almost 17 years.  This situation has come up from time to time, but never with a child. 

I had never realized until this past month just how difficult it is to  maneuver around in many homes.  You would think that the newer homes might have some considerations such as a bathroom door wide enough to accommodate a child's wheelchair!  Not so!  So many floorplans have spacious kitchens, open floor plans, and all the most modern conveniences.....except access to the…

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Purchasing a Home With a Septic System

Not Familiar With How a Septic System Works?

 Wondering what you should do when you purchase a home that is not connected to public sewer?

If you are working with REALTOR, he/she should be aware of the laws regarding septic tank disclosures and make sure your offer/contract addresses the septic system.  Some real estate agents are not familiar with them because they sell properties mostly on public sewer, so be sure to ask about their knowledge of septic systems.

In the Tennessee area, septic systems are based on number of bedrooms, not bathrooms.  The tank holds the solid waste and the liquids drain from the tank out into the field lines(filled with gravel and also underground) The number of field lines determines the number of bedrooms that…

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How Rumba Down Became my Very Special Horse and My Real Estate Mascot

 Rumba's Story

My husband and I have owned horses for over 25 years.  They live with us on our farm in Tennessee.  Most of our horse years, we traveled all over the country riding trails and seeing scenery that you can only begin to imagine.  We have been to some beautiful places in this great Country of ours.

In 2014 my husband and I decided to stop taking such long trips with horses and concentrate on events and places more local.  We actually have two horses that have traveled over 300,000 miles, in the trailer.  It was that year that we decided to go to some local horse shows just to be spectators.  It wasn’t long that we got the show bug and decided to start showing. The event that my husband was most interested in was the Working Cow Horse…

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