Answers by Blake Rickels

It depends on your goal, but in most cases a price adjustment is more effective. A mortgage rate buydown can help with monthly payment and may attract attention, but it only benefits buyers who understand it and plan to keep the loan long enough to take advantage of it. A price reduction, on the other hand, impacts every buyer, improves your positioning against other listings, and helps with appraisal and resale value. If your home has been sitting, the issue is usually price, condition, or competition. A buydown can help at the margins, but it typically doesn’t solve the core problem. In some cases, a targeted incentive like a buydown can work well once you’re already priced correctly, but it’s rarely a substitute for being in the right price range from the start.

The only way to truly confirm property lines is with a professional survey. Tax records, listing information, and even what’s marked on the ground can be inaccurate or misleading. A licensed surveyor will measure the property and clearly show the exact boundaries, corners, and any encroachments. If you’re concerned before making an offer, you have a couple of options. You can request an existing survey from the seller, or you can make your offer contingent on a new survey being completed and approved. In situations like this, I usually recommend writing it into the contract so you’re protected. That way, if the property turns out to be smaller than represented, you can renegotiate or walk away. It’s a small upfront investment compared to the risk of buying a property with unclear or incorrect boundaries.

In East Tennessee, the slowest time is typically late December through January. That said, I wouldn’t base your decision on a specific month alone. I’ve been selling homes in the Knoxville area for over 20 years, and what matters more is how you position the home when it hits the market. Buyers are still out there year-round. The difference is there are fewer of them in the winter, but also less competition. I’ve seen well-prepared, properly priced homes sell quickly even during slower months. On the flip side, I’ve also seen homes sit in peak spring market because they missed on price or presentation. If your timeline is flexible, we can absolutely time it to your advantage. But the bigger focus should be preparation, pricing strategy, and how the home is introduced to the market.

Short answer, yes it can. A private listing limits exposure, which usually means fewer buyers see the home. Fewer buyers typically leads to less competition and often a lower final price. In most cases, the first 1–2 weeks on the market are when you have the most attention. If you “test the waters” privately first, you risk missing that window without getting the benefit of full exposure. There are a few situations where a private listing can make sense, but for the average seller trying to maximize price and terms, full market exposure is usually the better strategy. If you’re unsure, the better approach is to prepare the home properly, price it strategically, and launch it in a way that creates as much early demand as possible.

Yes, your realtor should absolutely be helping you find a home. That’s a core part of the job. A good agent doesn’t just unlock doors. They should be actively monitoring the market, sending you relevant homes, watching for new listings, and helping you narrow down options based on your situation. In your case, you also have a more complex setup with needing to sell your current home first. That makes it even more important to have someone guiding the process, coordinating timing, and helping you identify realistic options. You shouldn’t feel like you’re doing all the searching, driving, and filtering on your own. And you definitely shouldn’t feel rushed or like you’re imposing when you want to see a home. Also, decisions about who lives in the home are yours. Your agent should be working with your priorities, not dismissing them. There is a much easier way when it’s handled correctly. The right approach is: - Set clear criteria together - Have your agent send and filter homes daily - Get alerts immediately when something matches - Move quickly on the right opportunities If that’s not happening, it’s reasonable to question whether it’s the right fit. At the end of the day, your agent should make this process easier, not more stressful.

There’s no set number, and in many cases, open houses aren’t what actually get a home sold. In my experience here in the Knoxville area, most serious buyers are already working with an agent and scheduling private showings. That’s where the majority of offers come from. Open houses can still be useful for exposure, especially the first weekend, but they’re just one small piece of the overall strategy. I focus more on pricing, preparation, and creating strong early demand when a home hits the market. That’s what drives showings, competition, and ultimately the best result. If open houses make sense for a specific property, I’ll absolutely use them, but they’re not something I rely on as the primary way to get a home sold.

In most cases, no. For a space to count as square footage, it typically has to be heated and cooled with a permanent system that’s connected to the rest of the home. Most 3 season rooms don’t meet that standard, so they’re not included in the official square footage. That said, they still absolutely add value. In the Knoxville market, buyers often love those spaces, especially when they’re well done and usable most of the year. I make sure they’re highlighted properly in the marketing so you still get credit for them, even if they aren’t counted in the total square footage. The key is making sure it’s positioned correctly so it helps your value without creating issues during appraisal.

You don’t need a realtor who “specializes” in USDA homes to sell one, but you do want someone who understands how USDA financing works on the buyer side. From a seller’s standpoint, there really aren’t special restrictions on selling a USDA home. You can sell at any time and there are no penalties tied to the loan itself. (Neighbors Bank) Where USDA matters is with the buyer and the property condition. If your buyer is using a USDA loan, the home has to meet certain standards. It must appraise for value and meet basic safety and livability requirements like working systems, no major damage, and being in good overall condition. (newamericanfunding.com) That means things like: - No major health or safety issues - Functional heating, plumbing, and electrical - No significant structural problems The other factor is location. USDA loans are only available in eligible areas, which in Tennessee often includes more rural and some suburban locations. (VA Mortgage Hub) So the short answer is: - Selling is straightforward - The “extra layer” comes from the buyer’s financing and property condition As long as the home is in solid condition and priced correctly, USDA buyers can actually be a strong pool of demand. If you want, I can look at your property and tell you upfront if it would likely qualify for a USDA buyer so there are no surprises.

The best way to determine value is by looking at comparable sales, but with a property like this, you have to evaluate both the land and the home separately. With an older double wide, a lot depends on age, condition, whether it’s on a permanent foundation, and how it compares to others that have sold nearby. In some cases, the majority of the value is actually in the land, not the home itself. Money you put into it doesn’t always translate directly into value, so the focus is really on what buyers in that area have recently paid for similar properties. The most accurate approach is to have a local agent put together a detailed market analysis using recent sales, active listings, and current demand. That will give you a realistic range to work from. From there, it’s about choosing a price that attracts the most interest while still protecting your value. If you’d like, I can take a look at the property and give you a clear idea of what it would likely sell for and how to position it.

Several things impact a home appraisal, but the biggest factors are recent comparable sales, location, size, condition, and overall market demand. Appraisers are primarily looking at similar homes that have sold recently and adjusting based on differences like updates, layout, lot, and condition. Clean, well-maintained homes with updates tend to appraise better, but condition alone won’t override the comparable sales. Ideally, you want the appraisal to come in at or above the contract price. If it comes in low, it can create issues with financing and may require renegotiation. As a seller, you can help by making sure the home is clean, accessible, and presenting well, and by providing a list of upgrades or improvements. I also like to share relevant comparable sales with the appraiser so they have the full picture. At the end of the day, you can’t directly control the appraisal, but you can position the home properly so it supports the value you’re trying to achieve.

In most cases, no. Pricing at the top of the range sounds good in theory, but it can actually work against you. What I’ve seen over the years in markets like Nashville and here in East Tennessee is that buyers are very aware of value. When a home is priced too high, it tends to get less attention, fewer showings, and less urgency. The first couple of weeks on the market are when you have the most exposure. If you miss that window by being overpriced, you often end up reducing the price later and selling for less than you would have if you had priced it correctly from the start. The goal isn’t to “test” a higher price. It’s to position the home where it creates the most interest and competition right away. That’s what drives stronger offers and better terms. If multiple agents are giving you a similar range, the strategy is usually to land in a spot that attracts the most buyers within that range, not just the highest number on paper.

Yes, this can absolutely be done, and it’s actually pretty common. There are a couple of ways to approach it. Some people sell first so they know exactly how much they have to work with, while others try to line up both transactions to happen around the same time. In some cases, we can structure it so you close on your current home and then purchase the new one right after, sometimes even the same day. (My Tennessee Home Solution) The biggest factor is your equity and timing. Selling first gives you a clear budget and access to your proceeds, which makes the purchase side much easier. (Tennessee Valley Realty, LLC) As far as value, yes, that’s the first step. I can put together a detailed market analysis for your home so you know what it would likely sell for, and then we can build a plan around that to figure out what price range makes sense for your next home. The key is putting a strategy in place up front so the timing works in your favor and you’re not stuck in a stressful situation between the two. If you’d like, I can take a look at your home and give you a clear idea of value and next steps.