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Norris Lake Buyer's Guide

Buying a Home at Norris Lake

Buying a home is an exciting and complex adventure. It can also be a very time-consuming and costly one if you're not familiar with all aspects of the process, and don't have all the best information and resources at hand.

One of our specialties is representing the best interests of Norris Lake area buyers throughout the home buying process. Our comprehensive, high-quality services can save you time and money, as well as make the experience more enjoyable and less stressful.


Buying a Home at Norris Lake
Buying a Home at Norris Lake

Representing Your Best InterestsBuying Process

Most buyers use a variety of resources to research properties for sale in an area. The vast majority find their new home online and with the help of a real estate professional. This is exponentially true when searching for a second home or investment property several states and many hours away.

Your Tennessee Home Finders agent can provide you information on almost any property currently listed for sale - whether it's listed by Tennessee Home Finders or another real estate company.

If you see a "For Sale" sign or find a property online that interests you, we have access to all the data.

  • The list Price

  • The description

  • The financial terms

  • The special features

  • The property disclosures

  • Buyer broker compensation

  • The showing times available

We'll arrange an appointment to show you the property at your convenience.

We'll save you time and take the hassle our of house hunting.


We make real estate easy!

Steps of the Buying Process

Step 1: Search

  1. Initial Buyer Consultation

    We will meet with you to discuss needs and goals, cover the buying process and plan your property search.

  2. Buyer Agency Alternatives

    We will discuss agency and compensation options for you and the sellers.

  3. Financing Qualification

    We will discuss loan options that may best fit your financial needs and introduce you to several proven lenders who can help you get pre-approved, or make those arrangements with your own lender.

  4. Property Showing

    We will show you properties that meet the criteria you have selected.

Step 2: Research & Review

  1. Property Evaluation

    We will discuss the positive and negative features of a property that may affect its present value and future resale.

  2. Property Disclosure

    We will discuss all inspection reports and other documents pertaining to the condition of the property and disclose all physical defects of the property that are known to us.

  3. Review Seller Disclosures

    We will thoroughly review with you all the seller's property disclosure form(s) to enable you to accept of specify the remedy for each fault disclosed.

  4. Value Analysis

    We will offer to create a comprehensive market analysis of comparable properties that are on the market or have sold in the community to provide insight into the property's value.

  5. Appraisal Contingency

    We will explain to you the option of an appraisal contingency.

  6. Home Warranty

    We will explain to you the option of a home warranty plan to reduce your risk of repairs when purchasing a property.

Step 5: Closing

  1. Walk-Through

    We will offer to schedule and accompany you on a thorough walk through of the property (if one is provided for in the contract) before closing.

  2. Closing the Sale

    We will accompany you to the closing (in person, if possible) to complete the transaction.

  3. After-Sale Service

    We will contact you after the closing to follow up on remaining details or service needs, and provide copies of all closing documents of your records.

  4. Service Satisfaction Survey

    We will provide you with a confidential opportunity to give an honest evaluation of our services.

Step 3: Make an Offer

  1. Home Inspections

    We will recommend that you obtain a professional home inspection.

  2. Personal Property Negotiation

    We will work with you to request the non-real-estate property you want the seller leave.

  3. Estimate of Funds Required

    We will provide you with an approximate preliminary estimate of closing costs and down payment requirement anticipated in the transaction.

  4. Offer Preparation

    We will prepare a written offer on the property you choose to purchase, with terms approved by you.

  5. Negotiation Strategy

    We will prepare a strategic approach to negotiate terms and price for the selected property.

  6. Offer Presentation

    We will present your offer to purchase in the most favorable light possible.

  7. Binding Agreement to Finalize the Contract

    We will notify all parties and forward all documentation to the lender, title company, other agent, and the seller.

Step 4: Completing the Agreement

We will monitor and inform you of the sequential steps and progress of the purchase agreement, and assist with satisfying all contingencies of the agreement.

  1. Remedies to Home Inspection Findings.

  2. Septic System Permit confirmation / Soil Testing.

  3. Radon test results and potential mitigation.

  4. Termites and wood destroying insects.

  5. TVA permit confirmation if there is a dock on the property.

  6. HOA documentation receipt and review, if in a community.

  7. Insurability - risk zone ratings vary greatly.

  8. Feasibility Study.

  9. Survey.

  10. Clear Title.

  11. Appraisal and any lender conditions

  12. Any other terms agreed upon in the contract.

Assessing a Property You Are Intersted In

Google maps are well and good ... but be sure to visit https://tnmap.tn.gov/assessment/ to find property info and see images like the map here.

The site allows users to search for and display the Comptroller's assessment and property info database, including maps of real property data for 88 of 95 counties in the state.

  1. Select the county of the property

  2. Choose whether to search by owner name (last name then first name or initial), address (street name then address #), parcel ID, community

  3. Once your search returns the correct record:

    • select GIS map and see the parcel plat (click on the TDOT or VEXCEL imagery for aerial)
    • search the property record to see ownership info, valuations, sqft, sales history, and more

  4. Select "identify" and click on any other parcel in the map to get same info about it

Is it Dockable?

For new permits, TVA has now gone to an online mapping system that identifies zones on the lake where docks will and will not be "permittable" under the Reservoir Land Management Plan Map (arcgis.com).

Zoom in on the parcel in question and use the cursor to move across the map and click on any colored polygon to display the following parcel information: Reservoir, TVA Plan Tract Number, Parcel Number, Zone Allocation, and Parcel Acreage.

If in Zone 1 (blue line) it means the property is eligible for "shoreline construction."

Ten Factors that Most Impact Value

Along with Tennessee Home Finders' data analysis, we'll provide the latest insight about what is happening in the market. Taking into account these 10 factors provides you with the best objective resources from which to establish your position on negotiating price.

  1. Location
  2. Competition
  3. Seller's Real Estate Agent
  4. Terms Requested
  5. The Market
  1. Time On Market
  2. Seasonality
  3. Condition
  4. Asking Price
  5. Your Real Estate Agent

Of these 10 factors, you control only 3: Location, seasonality, and the real estate agent you're working with. Tennessee Home Finders will help you make the best decisions possible about interpreting the factors you can't influence.

Financing Your New Home

Follow the links below to learn more about financing your new Norris Lake home.



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