How Do You Buy at Tennessee National From Out of State?

You can do most of a Tennessee National purchase from another state. The one part you cannot skip is standing on the ground.

If you are reading this from Illinois, Florida, California or New Jersey, the trick is doing things in the right order. Research at home. Make one visit to walk the land. Then let the paperwork travel.

Where exactly is Tennessee National?

Tennessee National is in East Tennessee, on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, about 30 minutes from Knoxville and about 10 minutes from I-75.

Get this fixed in your head before you search for flights. Your city for the airport, the hospitals and a big night out is Knoxville. Tennessee National is not near Nashville. Nashville is about two and a half hours west, in a different part of the state.

More detail is in how far Tennessee National is from Knoxville.

What can you do before you ever visit?

You can check the basics, read the documents and narrow your choices, all from your kitchen table.

• Get the info pack. It has the pricing. Request it on the info pack page.
• Check what is built. 1,492 gated acres. One Greg Norman Signature golf course, 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72. A full-service marina with 140+ boat slips. A clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant. 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year.
• Hear from people who live here. The resident stories are a better test than any brochure.
• Pick your path. The five ways to own are The Timbers (wooded homesites), lake homesites, waterfront homesites, Land & Home packages and townhomes.
• Ask for the documents. Covenants, current design guidelines and current dues. Read them on the plane.
• Call a lender. If you will borrow, make sure the lender works in Tennessee and makes the kind of loan you need.

How should you plan the visit?

Plan one full day on the property at the least, and two if you can.

Fly into McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), about 35 minutes away. Farragut and the Turkey Creek area, about 20 minutes from the gate, have hotels and restaurants. Schedule the visit ahead of time so a land consultant can plan it around what you want to see.

While you are here:

• Walk the homesites on your short list, not just the ones near the road.
• Go back to your favorite at a different time of day. Light changes everything.
• See the marina, the golf course and the clubhouse on an ordinary day.
• Drive to Loudon for groceries and to Knoxville for dinner. You are buying the region, not just the land. The area guide helps.

If you can manage a second trip, come in a different season. East Tennessee has four seasons and mild winters, and a place looks different in January than in June.

What can be handled remotely after the visit?

Most of the paperwork. Once you have walked the land, the rest travels well.

• The contract can usually be signed electronically.
• The title work is done by a title company or closing attorney in Tennessee. You do not need to be in the room.
• The loan can be run from anywhere by a lender that works in Tennessee.
• The closing can often be done by mail or online. Ask the title company or closing attorney what they offer.
• The money moves by wire. Call a phone number you already trust to confirm wire instructions before you send anything.

How closing on a lot works walks through each step.

One thing makes distance easier here. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite. You can own the land now and build when you have sold the house back home or finished the job that keeps you there.

What changes when you move to Tennessee?

The tax picture, the weather and the paperwork all change, and each has someone you should ask.

• Taxes. Tennessee has no state income tax. Other taxes still apply, and the state you are leaving may have rules about when you stop being a resident. Ask a CPA to look at both.
• Property tax. Ask the Loudon County property assessor's office about the homesite or home you are considering.
• Residency. A new driver's license, vehicle registration and voter registration each have their own office and their own steps.
• Weather. Four seasons, mild winters.

What mistakes do out-of-state buyers make?

Four mistakes are worth avoiding.

• Buying land without walking it. Slope, light and view do not show up in photos.
• Getting the map wrong. This is East Tennessee and Knoxville, not Nashville.
• Skipping the documents. Covenants and design guidelines are easier to read before you sign than after.
• Assuming every lake community works the same way. Ask exactly how you get on the water. Here the marina has 140+ boat slips. Ask about current slip availability.

The honest part

Distance adds friction. You will make at least one trip, and two is better. You will also be trusting people you met recently with a large purchase, so ask everything, and get the answers that matter in writing.

None of that is a reason to stay home. It is a reason to do the homework first, so the trip confirms a decision instead of starting one.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.