Every guide on the site in three streets: close-in neighborhoods, suburban neighborhoods and buyer basics.
East Nashville, Germantown, 12South and The Nations: older streets near downtown, historic and conservation overlays, infill and new construction.
Buying a Home in East Nashville: Edgefield, Lockeland Springs and Shelby Park
East Nashville grew from the 19th-century suburb of Edgefield across the Cumberland River. What buyers should know about its history, the Edgefield preservation overlay and the conservation districts around it, Shelby Park, the community plan for Gallatin Pike, and the checks to run on an older house.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in Germantown: Nashville’s Revived 19th-Century Neighborhood
Germantown, just north of downtown, was a German immigrant neighborhood in the 1840s, nearly lost to industrial zoning, and revived from the 1980s. What buyers should know about its history, the preservation overlay, mixed-use zoning, the Bicentennial Capitol Mall next door and the questions to ask before buying.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in 12South: Sevier Park, Streetcar Suburbs and Infill
12South grew from early 20th-century streetcar suburbs south of downtown and now mixes cottages with new two-story houses. What buyers should know about Sevier Park and the Sunnyside mansion, the conservation overlays nearby, infill rules, taxes after reappraisal and short-term rental limits.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in The Nations: West Nashville’s Changing Grid
The Nations, in West Nashville around Robertson Avenue, has gone from small worker cottages and industry to a hot spot for new tall-and-skinny homes. What buyers should know about the community plan, industry nearby, Richland Creek and flood risk, taxes and the questions to ask about new construction.
Read the guide →Green Hills, Donelson, Antioch and Madison: established and newer suburbs, big parks, community plans and the checks that matter on each.
Buying a Home in Green Hills: Big Lots, Design Overlays and Radnor Lake
Green Hills, south of Hillsboro Village, is one of Nashville’s established higher-priced suburbs. What buyers should know: the Green Hills-Midtown plan and its many design overlays, Radnor Lake nearby, what a tax bill looks like at local prices, and the checks that matter on larger, older homes.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in Donelson: Two Rivers Park and a Suburb Near the Airport
Donelson, east of downtown between the Cumberland and Stones rivers, is a suburb of mid-century houses that has drawn new buyers. What to know: Two Rivers Park and the greenways, the plans for Downtown Donelson and Lebanon Pike, flood checks near the rivers and the questions to ask about older ranch houses.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in Antioch: Newer Subdivisions in Southeast Nashville
Antioch, in southeast Davidson County, offers newer homes and subdivisions at prices below the urban core. What buyers should know: the Antioch/Priest Lake plan and its special districts, Mill Creek and flood checks, homeowners association rules, taxes and short-term rental limits.
Read the guide →Buying a Home in Madison: Gallatin Pike and Mid-Century Streets
Madison, in northeast Davidson County along Gallatin Pike, is an older suburb of modest mid-century homes that Metro is planning to reinvest in. What buyers should know about the community plan and the Gallatin Pike overlay, older-house checks, creeks and flood maps, taxes and rental rules.
Read the guide →What every Nashville buyer should check: the property tax bill, historic overlays, flood risk and the rules for short-term rentals.
Davidson County Property Taxes: How Your Nashville Tax Bill Is Figured
How Metro Nashville calculates property tax, step by step: the assessor’s appraisal, the 25 percent residential ratio, the Urban and General Services District rates, the 2025 reappraisal and appeal deadlines, and the relief, freeze and deferral programs for older and disabled owners.
Read the guide →Historic Overlays in Nashville: What They Mean When You Buy an Old House
Many of Nashville’s favorite neighborhoods sit under historic zoning overlays. What the Metro Historic Zoning Commission reviews, the difference between preservation and conservation overlays, which districts are covered, and how to check a house before you buy.
Read the guide →Flood Risk When Buying in Nashville: Lessons From May 2010
The May 2010 flood showed that water in Nashville comes from creeks as well as the Cumberland. What the rainfall and river records were, how FEMA flood maps and Metro’s Parcel Viewer work, what flood insurance covers, what sellers must disclose and the rules for building in a floodplain.
Read the guide →Short-Term Rental Rules in Nashville: What Buyers Need to Know
Thinking of renting part of your Nashville home to visitors, or buying a house to rent out? How Metro’s owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied permits differ, where each is allowed, what the application requires, the $313 fee, the rules guests must follow and how a rental changes your property tax.
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