Tennessee Real Estate Investor Directory

Tennessee has a licensing quirk that catches out-of-state investors more than any other: a Tennessee contractor's licence carries a monetary limit. The licence does not simply say what the contractor may do — it says how much they may do it for. A fully licensed contractor can be legally barred from your project on the size of the cheque alone.

$25,000, and the dollar cap written into the licence

Tennessee requires a contractor's licence from the Board for Licensing Contractors for projects valued at $25,000 or more. That part resembles other states. What does not is the monetary limit: the board sets a maximum project value on each licence, derived from the contractor's audited or reviewed financial statement. Raising the limit means submitting stronger financials, not simply taking another exam.

Below $25,000 there is a second tier. Residential remodelling between roughly $3,000 and $24,999 requires a Home Improvement licence, but only in a limited set of counties — it is not statewide. So the same $12,000 bathroom job can require a licence in one county and none in the next.

Tennessee also requires the licence number, expiration date and classification to appear on the bid itself for projects at or above the threshold. A bid missing them is a signal worth acting on. Verify current thresholds and county coverage with the board; both are revised.

The two-year redemption almost nobody actually gets

Tennessee foreclosures are non-judicial, conducted under the power of sale in a deed of trust, typically advertised three times over a period of at least twenty days before the sale.

On paper Tennessee grants a two-year statutory right of redemption after the sale — one of the longest in the country. In practice it is almost always gone, because the right can be expressly waived in the deed of trust, and essentially every institutional lender's instrument waives it. The lesson for an investor is to read the instrument rather than the statute: assuming a two-year cloud on title that was waived at closing will cost you deals, and assuming it was waived when it was not will cost you more. Pre-foreclosure data here behaves like a fast state, not a slow one. Confirm any specific file with Tennessee counsel.

Affiliate brokers, and no state income tax

Tennessee keeps the two-tier agent structure most states use, but names it differently: the entry licence is affiliate broker, working under a principal broker. "Affiliate" is not a franchise or a referral arrangement — it is the licence class.

Tennessee also levies no state income tax on wages, and the Hall tax on interest and dividends was fully repealed. Combined with population inflow into Nashville and the Middle Tennessee counties, that has pulled a lot of out-of-state buy-and-hold capital into the state and tightened competition on the absentee owner and probate lists that used to be quiet.

Vetting a Tennessee contractor or agent: a short checklist

• Ask for the monetary limit on the licence, not just the licence number. This is the Tennessee-specific question.
• Check whether your county requires a Home Improvement licence for sub-$25,000 residential work. Coverage is not statewide.
• Look for the licence number and classification printed on the bid. Tennessee requires it above the threshold.
• Read the deed of trust for a redemption waiver before you price the two-year risk into a distressed deal.
• Get a certificate of insurance naming you and confirm it covers the actual scope.
• Use a written draw schedule. Never fund ahead of completed work.

Get listed in the Tennessee directory

Free for contractors, realtors, property managers, lenders and other professionals who serve Tennessee investors. Send your business name, category, city and county through the contact page. No charge, no paid placement. Need an edit or removal? Same form, handled on request.

Tennessee directory FAQs

What is a Tennessee contractor monetary limit?

The Board for Licensing Contractors sets a maximum project value on each licence, based on the contractor's financial statement. A licensed Tennessee contractor can therefore be barred from a job purely on its dollar value, so ask for the limit as well as the licence number.

When does Tennessee require a contractor licence?

At $25,000 or more. Residential remodelling between roughly $3,000 and $24,999 requires a Home Improvement licence, but only in a limited set of counties rather than statewide.

Does Tennessee have a right of redemption after foreclosure?

Statutorily yes, for two years, but the right can be expressly waived in the deed of trust and almost always is. Read the instrument rather than relying on the statute.

Which Tennessee counties have the most investor activity?

Shelby around Memphis and Davidson around Nashville carry the most volume, followed by Knox, Hamilton, Rutherford and Williamson.

Browsing another market? See the Georgia investor directory or Alabama investor directory, or return to the full investor directory.