How to Wholesale Real Estate in Tennessee
Tennessee added a wholesaling disclosure law in 2025. It does not require a license or cap your fee, but it does spell out what you must tell the seller and your buyer, and when.
The short answer
Is wholesaling legal in Tennessee?
Legal without a license, with required written disclosures since March 2025.
Here is what the rules mean in practice for a new wholesaler in Tennessee, and how to set up your contracts, marketing, and closings so you stay compliant from your first deal.
Tennessee wholesaling at a glance
| Legal to wholesale? | Yes |
|---|---|
| License required? | No, when you act as a principal |
| Required disclosure | Your intent to assign or sell your equitable interest, in bold print in the contract or an addendum, to the seller and to subsequent buyers |
| Seller cancellation right | None specific; the seller must get written notice before an assignment takes effect |
| Key law | SB 909 / Public Chapter 72 (effective March 25, 2025) |
| Who handles closings | Title companies and closing attorneys |
The law
What Tennessee law requires of wholesalers
- Disclose in the contract or an addendum, in bold print, that you intend to assign or sell your equitable interest rather than take title.
- Give the same disclosure to anyone you assign to, so your end buyer knows they are buying your contract interest.
- The law also calls for written notice to the seller before the assignment takes effect. Put it in your closing checklist, and have your title company confirm the timing on your paperwork.
Closings
How wholesale closings work in Tennessee
Title companies and attorneys both close deals in Tennessee. Memphis and Nashville have title companies that close assignments daily. Ask them to review your SB 909 disclosure language once and reuse it.
Tennessee tip
Build an out-of-state buyer list
A large share of Memphis buyers are landlords and funds based outside Tennessee. Your cash buyer list here should include remote buyers who buy on photos, video walkthroughs, and a clean repair estimate.
Where to start
Best markets to wholesale in Tennessee
Wholesaling works anywhere there are motivated sellers and cash buyers. These Tennessee markets are where most investor activity happens.
Memphis
One of the country’s largest rental investor markets, with many out-of-state landlords buying at low price points.
Nashville
Higher prices and bigger spreads on older homes in fast-changing neighborhoods.
Knoxville and Chattanooga
Growing metros with solid flipper and rental demand.
Wholesaling in Tennessee’s major cities
How to wholesale in each of Tennessee’s major cities. The Tennessee rules above apply in every one of them; what changes is the county you search, the price point, and the buyers you sell to.
Shelby County
Memphis
Shelby CountyAbout $145,000 (Zillow Home Value Index, Aug 2026)
Memphis combines low entry prices with rents that still support landlord math, which is why local and out-of-state rental buyers compete for the same houses. Much of the city was built out in the postwar decades, so there is a large supply of 1950s–70s ranches needing roofs, HVAC, plumbing and cosmetic work. Tired landlords, inherited homes and tax-delinquent parcels keep inventory moving, and title companies here close assignments every day.
How to wholesale in MemphisDavidson County
Nashville
Davidson CountyAbout $430,000 (Zillow Home Value Index, Aug 2026)
With a typical value near $430,000, Nashville deals are fewer but larger. The profit is in older homes on good lots: mid-century ranches and aging bungalows that a builder can renovate, add onto or replace. Infill builders, flippers and small developers compete for these properties, so a deal with the right lot size and zoning can move quickly. Outer areas like Antioch and Madison add a lower price tier for rental buyers.
How to wholesale in NashvilleKnox County
Knoxville
Knox CountyAbout $325,000 median sale (Redfin, Aug 2026)
Knoxville mixes early-1900s bungalows and Victorians in older neighborhoods north and east of downtown with 1950s–70s brick ranches farther out. Flippers work the older cores, while small landlords buy rentals near the University of Tennessee. Pull deed activity from the Knox County Register of Deeds, check Knox County Probate Court for estates, and watch the Knox County Trustee’s annual tax sale for owners who have fallen behind.
How to wholesale in KnoxvilleHamilton County
Chattanooga
Hamilton CountyAbout $364,000 median sale (Redfin, Aug 2026)
Chattanooga’s wholesale inventory sits largely in early-20th-century frame houses and bungalows in older neighborhoods east and south of downtown, plus hillside homes on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain slopes where foundations and drainage need a close look. Buyers include local flippers and landlords from Atlanta and Nashville chasing lower entry prices. Check the Hamilton County Register of Deeds for inherited and long-held properties and the Hamilton County Clerk and Master’s delinquent tax sale lists.
How to wholesale in ChattanoogaMontgomery County
Clarksville
Montgomery CountyAbout $312,000 median sale (Redfin, Aug 2026)
Clarksville is a military rental market built around Fort Campbell. Much of the stock is 1980s–2000s vinyl-sided subdivision homes and townhomes, with older frame houses near downtown and Austin Peay. Buy-and-hold landlords, many out of state, want houses they can rent to soldiers stationed at the post. Orders and PCS moves create motivated sellers. Use the Montgomery County Register of Deeds and the county’s delinquent tax sale, and check roofs and siding closely on older houses.
How to wholesale in ClarksvilleRutherford County
Murfreesboro
Rutherford CountyAbout $430,000 median sale price (Redfin, three months ending Aug 2026)
Murfreesboro combines student rentals near MTSU, older ranches off its main corridors and newer subdivisions. With homes taking longer to sell, owners of dated houses are more open to cash. Mine Rutherford County probate and tax records, include the SB 909 bold-print disclosure and sell to Nashville-area landlords.
How to wholesale in MurfreesboroWholesaling in states near Tennessee
More guides for Tennessee wholesalers
Step by step
How to wholesale real estate in Tennessee
- 01
Pick one market
Start with a single metro so your buyer list and your comps line up. Memphis is a strong first choice in Tennessee, and you do not have to live there to work it.
- 02
Build your cash buyer list first
Pull every cash purchase in your target county from the last 12 months, find the repeat buyers and LLCs, and qualify 25 of them before you make an offer. Here is the full process.
- 03
Find motivated sellers
Driving for dollars, absentee-owner and inherited-property lists, and cold calling are the three channels that work in every state.
- 04
Run the numbers
Use the MAO formula: after-repair value times 70%, minus repairs, minus your fee. See a worked example.
- 05
Sign a compliant contract
Use an assignable purchase agreement with an inspection period. For Tennessee: Your intent to assign or sell your equitable interest, in bold print in the contract or an addendum, to the seller and to subsequent buyers.
- 06
Assign and close
Send the deal to your A-list, sign the assignment, and close with a title company or closing attorney who knows investor deals.
FAQ
Wholesaling in Tennessee: common questions
Is wholesaling legal in Tennessee?
Yes. Tennessee allows wholesaling without a license. Since March 25, 2025, you must disclose your intent to assign in writing to the seller and to subsequent buyers.
What does Tennessee SB 909 require?
Disclosure, in bold print in the contract or an addendum, that you intend to assign or sell your equitable interest, disclosure to the end buyer, and written notice to the seller before the assignment takes effect.
Does Tennessee cap assignment fees?
No. The law requires transparency but does not limit how much you can earn.
Who closes wholesale deals in Tennessee?
Title companies and closing attorneys. Use one that regularly closes assignments.
Other states
Wholesaling laws in other Southeast states
Working a market outside Tennessee? Compare nearby states, or see the full 50-state guide and our overview of whether wholesaling is legal.
Sources. Last reviewed September 2026.
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