We buy houses in Chattanooga, TN
We buy houses in Chattanooga, TN for cash, in any condition. You pay no agent commissions and make no repairs before you sell. We buy with our own money, so we can commit to a closing date. Market figures below cover August 2026 and were last refreshed on September 17, 2026.
The typical home in Chattanooga, TN is worth around $323,000, below the national typical value of $369,000. That value has been broadly flat over the past year. It is a market-wide figure. A house that needs major work sits well below it, and a renovated one sits above.
The Chattanooga market right now
- Typical home value
- $323,000
- Days to go under contract
- 61 days
- Listings cutting their price
- 33.1%
- Compared to nationally
- 12% lower
- Homes for sale
- 3,157
- New listings a month
- 784
- Months of supply
- 4.3
- Sales closing below asking
- 58.2%
-0.2% over the past year
+13% vs. a year ago
About the same as a year ago
National typical value is $369,000
+19% vs. a year ago
+2% vs. a year ago
Broadly balanced
Nationally 50.0%
Chattanooga, TN housing figures for August 2026, except the share closing below asking, which Zillow publishes a month behind and covers July 2026. Last refreshed September 17, 2026. Source: Zillow Research. Months of supply is calculated here as for-sale inventory divided by the monthly sales count. These are market-wide figures, not a valuation of any individual property.
What the Chattanooga numbers mean for your sale
Houses here take about 61 days on average to go under contract. That is noticeably slower than the national figure of 53 days. Weigh that number carefully if you are paying a mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities on a house you no longer want. Several months of those costs on a slow listing can quietly eat more than the gap between a cash sale and full price.
About 33.1% of listings in Chattanooga have cut their asking price, above the national share of 26.4%. Lots of price cuts usually means sellers start above what buyers will pay, then chase the market down. If you list, the real risk is not that the house never sells. It is spending two or three months learning your first price was too high, while the costs keep running.
If timing is your main question, see how long it takes to sell a house in Chattanooga. It goes stage by stage, including what a normal sale adds after the house goes under contract.
If the real question is whether you can afford to keep it, see what it costs to own a home in Chattanooga. That includes what owners with no mortgage left still pay.
Why sellers in Chattanooga weigh this more carefully
In a slower market the comparison changes. The question is not just what a listing might fetch in the end. It is that price minus commissions, minus the repairs a buyer's lender will require, and minus several months of mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities. Then allow for the real chance that the first buyer's loan falls through and the clock restarts. Run those numbers honestly before assuming listing is the better deal. Sometimes it still is, and we will tell you when we think so.
How the sale runs, from first call to closing, is on how it works. The side-by-side with listing through an agent, including the row where listing wins, is on cash offer vs realtor.
What it costs to record a Chattanooga deed
Tennessee charges a realty transfer tax when a deed is recorded. The Tennessee Department of Revenue says it is $0.37 for every $100 of the purchase price. On a $200,000 sale, that comes to $740.
The department's June 2026 recordation tax manual says the grantee pays it. The grantee is the buyer.
The register of deeds in the county where the deed is recorded collects the tax. The register cannot record the sale until it is paid. For a house in Chattanooga, that office is the Hamilton County Register of Deeds.
The manual also asks the grantee to swear to the price on the face of the deed. They state the actual price or the value, whichever is greater.
Sources: Tennessee Department of Revenue: Recordation tax due date and tax rates; Tennessee Department of Revenue: Recordation Tax Manual (June 2026); Hamilton County Register of Deeds.
Two property tax bills on one Chattanooga house
A house inside Chattanooga city limits gets taxed by both the city and Hamilton County.
The city's tax page lists its current rate as $1.93 per $100 of assessed value. The city proposed that rate in 2025, down from $2.25.
Hamilton County set a certified 2025 rate of $1.51 per $100, down from $2.23. That came after its four-year countywide reappraisal.
Homes in Chattanooga are assessed at 25 percent of their appraised value. So a home appraised at $200,000 has an assessed value of $50,000. At those rates, that works out to about $965 in city tax and $755 in county tax.
The Hamilton County Trustee mails county notices in late September. You can pay from October 1 through the last day of February. Unpaid county taxes start adding 1.5 percent interest per month on March 1. The city bills on the same October 1 schedule.
Whether this year's bill is paid changes the split on your closing statement. Pull both records before you agree on a price.
Falling behind has its own clock. Chattanooga says city taxes left unpaid for 18 months go to delinquent tax attorneys. They add a 10 percent collection fee and file suit in Hamilton County Chancery Court. Court costs, interest and penalties come on top.
If you are behind, get the payoff amount in writing early.
Sources: City of Chattanooga: Tax Information; City of Chattanooga: Kelly Administration releases updated tax rate ordinance, sets proposed rate at 1.93; Hamilton County Mayor's Office: Hamilton County property tax rate hits historic low (June 3, 2025); Hamilton County Trustee.
Historic districts and flood data in Chattanooga
Chattanooga has four local historic districts:
- St. Elmo
- Fort Wood
- Battery Place
- Ferger Place
The Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission reviews outside changes and new building in those districts. It issues Certificates of Appropriateness.
The City Council adopted updated historic guidelines on April 7, 2026. Residents of Lupton City have applied to become a local district.
If your house is in one of these districts, any buyer who plans outside work goes through that review. The application asks for photos, scaled drawings and a full materials list. That can shape what a buyer can do with the house and how they price it.
Flood risk is easier to check. The city runs a public flood website where you search by address. It shows the flood zone, base flood elevation and any compliance warnings.
Look it up before you talk to buyers, so the insurance question does not catch you off guard.
Sources: City of Chattanooga: Historic Planning and Zoning; City of Chattanooga: Apply for Certificate of Appropriateness; City of Chattanooga: Property Flood Risk.
Local facts checked September 2026. Rates and rules change; a real estate attorney or the office named above can confirm them for your property.
Markets near Chattanooga
We buy across this whole region, including the towns between these metros.
Selling a house in Chattanooga
- Who pays the transfer tax when a Chattanooga house is sold?
- Tennessee's realty transfer tax is $0.37 per $100 of the purchase price. The Tennessee Department of Revenue says the grantee, the buyer, pays it. The Hamilton County Register of Deeds collects it before recording the deed. A real estate attorney or title company can confirm the exact figure for your sale.
- What property tax rates apply to a home in Chattanooga?
- The city lists its current rate as $1.93 per $100 of assessed value. Hamilton County's certified 2025 rate is $1.51 per $100. Homes are assessed at 25 percent of appraised value, and city residents pay both the city and the county.
- How do I check whether my Chattanooga house is in a flood zone or a historic district?
- Search your address on the City of Chattanooga's public flood website. It shows the flood zone and base flood elevation. The city's four local historic districts are St. Elmo, Fort Wood, Battery Place and Ferger Place. Outside changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Tell us what you need for your Chattanooga house
Two minutes to ask, no obligation, and no fee whatever you decide. If we are not the right answer, we will say so.
Sabrina usually picks up. (615) 576-8827