Tennessee Prices Are Holding. The Clock Is Not.
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
A state where prices are steady and marketing times are stretching is the easiest kind of market to misjudge, because the headline number looks fine.
Thirteen Tennessee metros, month ending August 2026
Typical value is Zillow's ZHVI for the middle tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Days to pending is the mean from listing to pending status, with the year-over-year change alongside.
| Metro | Typical value | Change over year | Days to pending | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $368,697 | benchmark | 53 | — |
| Kingsport | $246,243 | up 1.3% | 44 | +1 |
| Johnson City | $281,957 | up 1.4% | 45 | +5 |
| Knoxville | $364,988 | up 2.0% | 51 | +2 |
| Clarksville | $291,739 | up 0.1% | 57 | +2 |
| Nashville | $452,186 | down 0.6% | 60 | +6 |
| Memphis | $244,737 | up 0.1% | 61 | +8 |
| Chattanooga | $322,958 | down 0.2% | 61 | +7 |
| Tullahoma | $315,973 | up 2.8% | 64 | −2 |
| Morristown | $299,596 | up 3.2% | 66 | +10 |
| Jackson | $205,926 | up 1.0% | 67 | +11 |
| Cookeville | $294,931 | up 2.1% | 70 | 0 |
| Cleveland | $311,101 | up 2.3% | 72 | +18 |
| Sevierville | $407,709 | down 0.2% | 97 | −3 |
| Crossville | $308,036 | up 0.9% | 108 | +30 |
Why the two columns disagree
Read the value column alone and Tennessee looks healthy. Eleven of the fourteen metros above held their value or gained, several by more than two percent, at a time when Florida markets were falling by up to five.
Read the time column and a different picture appears. Twelve of thirteen metros with year-over-year data took longer to go pending than they did a year earlier. Not dramatically in most cases, but consistently, and in the same direction.
That combination is specific and it has a specific consequence for anyone carrying two homes. Your departing asset is not losing value, which removes the erosion risk that dominates a falling market. What it is doing is taking longer to convert into cash, which extends the period you carry both payments.
So the Tennessee risk is duration rather than price, and duration is the one people underestimate because the headline value figure reassures them.
Three Tennessees, by speed
The northeast moves fastest. Kingsport at 44 days and Johnson City at 45 both beat the national benchmark of 53, with values rising. For a Tri-Cities owner the overlap is genuinely short.
The big metros cluster in the middle. Knoxville 51, Clarksville 57, Nashville 60, Memphis and Chattanooga 61. All workable, all a little slower than last year.
The plateau and Smokies markets are their own category. Sevierville at 97 days and Crossville at 108 are second-home and retirement markets with thinner buyer pools, and Crossville's thirty-day deterioration is the largest single move in the state. An owner there should plan on a long carry regardless of what the price column says.
What to do with this
Size the overlap against the current figure for your specific metro, not a remembered one and not the state average. Add your closing period on top, since days to pending measures list to pending.
Where the expected carry is short, as in the Tri-Cities, carrying both payments or a defined bridge both work. Where it is long, as on the plateau, structures with a lower monthly obligation or a rental conversion fit better. Compare them on the structures page.
The overlay that applies regardless
Whatever the market does, the payment on the next house is built on Tennessee's 25% residential assessment ratio and the local rate, and for a currently frozen owner it is built without the old frozen amount. That is usually a larger swing than a year of market movement. See the freeze page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sell a house in Tennessee?
For the month ending August 2026, mean days to pending ranged from 44 in Kingsport and 45 in Johnson City through 51 in Knoxville, 60 in Nashville and 61 in Memphis and Chattanooga, out to 97 in Sevierville and 108 in Crossville, against a US benchmark of 53. Days to pending measures list to pending, so closing time is additional.
Are Tennessee home values rising or falling?
Mostly holding or rising. Over the year to August 2026, Morristown rose 3.2%, Cleveland 2.3%, Cookeville 2.1% and Knoxville 2.0%, while Nashville eased 0.6% and Chattanooga 0.2%. Memphis and Clarksville were essentially flat.
Is the Tennessee market slowing down?
On time, yes, even though prices are steady. Days to pending rose year over year in twelve of the thirteen metros with comparable data, including Crossville up 30 days, Cleveland up 18, Jackson up 11, Morristown up 10 and Nashville up 6. That extends how long a buy-before-you-sell overlap lasts.
Which Tennessee market sells fastest?
The Tri-Cities area in the northeast. Kingsport averaged 44 days to pending and Johnson City 45 for the month ending August 2026, both faster than the US benchmark of 53, with values up 1.3% and 1.4% respectively.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Local tax freeze adoption, income limits, and landlord-tenant rules change and depend on your facts; your county trustee, your CPA or a Tennessee attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.