New construction is one of the best opportunities in the current Middle Tennessee market. Builders are motivated to move inventory, incentive packages have gotten meaningful, and many subdivisions have the kind of floor plans and yards that resale inventory just does not offer at the same price point. We are big fans.
But we have also negotiated enough builder contracts to know that the default forms they hand you across the sales desk are not written in your favor. Here is the short list of what every new construction buyer in Nashville should know — and why having your own agent involved from the start is not optional.
The sales agent works for the builder
When you walk into a builder sales office without your own agent, the person sitting across from you is representing the builder. Full stop. They are friendly, they are knowledgeable, they may be legitimately lovely — and they are not your advocate. They cannot be. Their fiduciary duty runs to the builder, not to you.
Most builders have a policy that if you bring your own licensed REALTOR® on your very first visit and have them register you, you can be represented throughout the transaction at no additional cost to you. If you walk in alone first, that option often disappears. Visit number one matters.
Use your own lender, at least for a quote
Builders typically steer you toward their preferred lender with an incentive package (closing costs, rate buydowns, upgraded appliances). Those incentives can be real — but they can also hide an above-market rate or unnecessarily tight appraisal. Always get an independent quote from at least one lender you know and trust before committing to the builder's lender. If the builder's deal is genuinely better, great. If it is not, you have just saved yourself real money.
The contract: what to actually read
Builder contracts are long, dense, and written by builder attorneys. We are not going to replace an attorney in this post, but the items that matter most in the contracts we see weekly are: the completion date and what happens if it slips, the deposit structure and what is refundable under what circumstances, the punch-list and warranty provisions, the change-order process, and the dispute resolution clause (arbitration versus court).
Pay special attention to the "substantial completion" definition. On some contracts, a home can be declared substantially complete even with significant punch items outstanding. On others, you have real leverage to hold closing until things are truly done.
Inspections — yes, you still need one
Every new construction buyer asks us the same question: do I need a home inspection on a brand new house? Yes. Unambiguously yes. New construction is built quickly, and even reputable builders have subcontractors who make mistakes. We see HVAC units that were never connected, plumbing fittings that were left loose, electrical panels that were labeled wrong, and insulation that was installed incorrectly — all on brand-new homes from reputable builders.
Get a full inspection. Ideally, also get a pre-drywall inspection before the walls close up. The cost is trivial relative to what it catches.
Use our permit map
One of the reasons we built our New Construction permit map is that a huge number of Nashville buyers do not realize how much is being built outside of the obvious subdivisions. There are pockets of infill new construction happening in Bordeaux, Inglewood, Madison, and Donelson — inside Davidson County — that offer modern product at meaningfully lower prices than the popular Williamson County master plans. The map surfaces them the same day the permit is filed.
Spend 10 minutes on it. You will probably find a street you did not know existed.
