Nashville home buying: prices, recordation taxes and property tax

#Metro Nashville in numbers

Nashville and Davidson County share one consolidated Metro government, so the city and the county are, for most purposes, the same place. The Census Bureau reports the area as “Nashville-Davidson (balance)”, which leaves out the few small towns inside the county that kept their own governments.

Owners are a slim majority in Nashville: 51.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 66.8% statewide. Prices sit above the state median, and at 5.5 times the median household income, a Nashville home stretches incomes further than the Tennessee average of 4.6.

#Monthly payment on a median Nashville home

The tax rate matters: at the national effective rate of 0.89%, the tax line on the same home would be $325 instead of $205, so a Nashville buyer pays about $121 a month less than the US norm. Try other prices and down payments in the mortgage payment calculator.

#Tennessee recordation taxes on a Nashville purchase

Tennessee’s property taxes are lighter than the nation’s — the statewide effective rate is 0.45% against 0.89% nationally — but it does tax the paperwork. Two recordation taxes are due when documents are recorded at the Davidson County Register of Deeds:

The mortgage tax is levied on your loan, so it is a borrower’s cost. The purchase contract says which side pays the deed tax and other closing items, so check those lines before you sign. Add these to lender fees, title insurance and prepaid items: at the CFPB’s typical range, total cash to close on the median home with 10% down runs about $52,656–$65,820. The closing cost calculator applies Tennessee’s rates for you.

#Davidson County’s assessment ratio

Tennessee taxes homes on only part of their value. Davidson County appraises each property, and residential property is assessed at 25% of that appraisal; Metro’s tax rate, quoted per $100 of assessed value, is then applied to the assessed amount. Homes in the Urban Services District pay a higher combined rate than those only in the General Services District, because the urban district receives extra services.

On a home appraised at Nashville’s median value, the assessed value is $109,700, so every 10 cents of tax rate per $100 assessed adds about $110 a year to the bill. The Census figures imply that the median owner pays about $2,471 a year, or 0.56% of value — higher than the Tennessee rate of 0.45% and below the national 0.89%. Appraisals change at periodic countywide reappraisals, so look up the property’s current appraisal on the Assessor’s site and budget for the bill to move when the next reappraisal arrives.

#Incomes against prices in Nashville

The median Nashville household earns $80,090. Holding housing costs to Freddie Mac’s 30% guideline gives $2,002 a month, enough for a home of about $268,000 with 10% down at today’s average rate — $170,800 below the median value. The affordability calculator shows what your own income and debts support.

Renting is still the cheaper monthly option: the median Nashville rent is $1,669, against about $3,273 to own the median home. The rent vs buy calculator estimates how long you’d need to stay for buying to pay off.

#First-time buyer help in Davidson County

When we checked in October 2026, neither Metro Nashville’s nor the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency’s official websites listed an open citywide down-payment assistance program for buyers. The main source of help is statewide: the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) offers a 30-year fixed-rate home loan for first-time buyers, veterans and buyers in targeted areas through participating lenders, including in Davidson County. The Tennessee guide covers THDA’s current terms and down-payment help, and the first-time buyer programs guide explains how state help stacks with FHA, VA and conventional loans. HUD-approved housing counselors, reachable at 800-569-4287, can point you to local homebuyer classes.

#Flood risk along the Cumberland

Parts of Nashville sit in FEMA flood zones along the Cumberland River and its creeks. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage, and a home in a high-risk zone financed with a federally backed or regulated loan must carry flood insurance. Check the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center before you make an offer. For other Southern markets, compare Charlotte and Atlanta.