Top Real Estate News & What It Means for Agents: November 2025
- Sarah Bates
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Stay up to date with the most important real estate news from November 2025—and our breakdown of what it all means for agents. Brought to you by SmoothTC — the company that keeps you prepared and helps you shine.
Keep Clients from Getting Burned with Nashville’s Hottest and Coldest Neighborhoods Revealed
RE/MAX report shows which Nashville neighborhoods are sizzling—and which are sitting (Click to Read More)
No one likes getting burned—by the sun or the cold—and Nashville’s market is offering a bit of both.
A new RE/MAX National Housing Report shows that the average Nashville home now takes 44 days to sell, 12 days longer than last year, but the slowdown varies dramatically by neighborhood. “Hot” pockets like Oak Hill (35 DOM), Joelton (38 DOM), and Whites Creek (34 DOM) continue to move quickly thanks to affordability and space —but even in these hot markets, buyers aren’t in the clear to be unreasonable or overly aggressive, as competition still requires realistic expectations and flexibility. Meanwhile, Downtown ZIP codes 37219 (82 DOM) and 37201 (65 DOM) have cooled, stretching listing timelines significantly.
According to Greater Nashville Realtors, buyer demand hasn’t vanished in these cold zones—it simply requires stronger strategy, clearer expectations, and more intentional pricing to keep clients from getting burned.
What this means for Agents: Knowing where listings move more quickly can help guide sellers on pricing, preparation, and marketing strategies. In colder neighborhoods, preparing clients for longer timelines with an emphasis on the importance of realistic pricing should significantly help sellers understand that the 'delay in the freeze' is perfectly normal and not to panic. In hotter areas, highlighting affordability and key amenities could be the key that attracts motivated buyers more quickly.
Help Buyers See the Win: Why Showing the Value of Homeownership Matters More Than Ever
Rates Climb, Borrowers Retreat: Mortgage Applications Drop 5.2% (Click to Read More)
Mortgage applications fell 5.2% for the week ending Nov. 14 as 30-year fixed mortgage rates climbed to 6.37%, the highest level in nearly a month, leading both purchase and refinance activity to slip. Refinances dropped 7%, though they remain significantly higher than last year, while purchase applications dipped 2%, still 26% above this time in 2024. Shifts in loan composition—such as increased usage of FHA, VA, and USDA programs—show that buyers are stretching to find affordability, even as adjustable-rate mortgage demand continues to ease. The report reflects a market where rising rates are squeezing buying power, prompting borrowers to weigh options more carefully and forcing many to pause, reassess, or explore alternative financing paths.
What this means for Agents: Demonstrating to Buyers the long-term financial benefits of home ownership by comparing rent-versus-own scenarios and explaining creative financing strategies to include programs like FHA, VA, and USDA, shifts the conversation from “but rates are high” to “here’s why homeownership still wins.”
Leverage Nashville’s Build-to-Rent (BTR) Growth to Attract and Advise Investor Clients
Demographics and Debt Push Renters In; Investors Double Down on Build‑to‑Rent Boom (Click to Read More)
High mortgage rates and rising home prices continue to push many households toward renting, driving strong demand for single-family build-to-rent (BTR) communities. With the median U.S. household now needing to devote 48% of its income to buy a home, younger renters seeking flexibility and downsizing boomers are turning to BTR as a long-term option. While traditional multifamily construction slows, BTR pipelines remain healthy, making this segment one of the most resilient and investor-friendly sectors in today’s market.
What this means for Agents: Agents who understand BTR trends can quickly become valuable advisors to investor clients by identifying strong rental submarkets, suitable land opportunities, and demographic shifts driving demand to stay ahead of competition in a market where BTR is gaining momentum.
Re-think House Flipping Acquisition Standards as Market Pressures Grow
Fix‑and‑Flip Friction: High Costs and Low Demand Squeeze Investors (Click to Read More)
The 2025 Fix & Flip Market Index from Kiavi and John Burns Research registered 56, down from 57 in Q2 and 62 a year earlier—still in expansion territory but trending lower. Only 26% of surveyed flippers reported good sales in Q3 2025. Prices for flipped homes declined 3.7% year‑over‑year, while 21% sold below expected after‑repair value. Renovation costs jumped to a record $80,000—about 16% of the average sales price. Financing is harder to obtain; just 48% secured new loans, paying an average interest rate of 9.8%. Regional variation is stark: flippers in the Northwest, Florida and Texas saw the biggest price declines and least competition, whereas Midwest and Northeast markets remained steadier. Nashville beware.
What this means for Agents: Flip acquisition criteria may need to be re-evaluated to preserve projected profits as slower investor demand, softer resale values, and rising renovation and holding costs compress margins in other markets.
Coaching Clients on What’s Reasonable During Inspections Can Save the Deal
Nesting in Nashville Response to Nashville seeing 16.1 % of Contracts Fall through: Pre-inspection Reports For Every Listing (Click to Read More)
A late-October report from Nesting in Nashville notes that 16.1% of Nashville home contracts were cancelled, a four-point increase from last year and the second-largest jump among the nation’s 50 biggest metros. The report attributes most of this fallout to inspections, explaining:
"The inspection period has become the danger zone. Over 70% of deals that fall apart do so during inspections, according to Redfin's agent survey. In today's market, buyers want every repair made and sellers want top dollar without concessions. Something's gotta give -- and increasingly, it's the entire deal."
While Nesting in Nashville doesn’t speak to the legal nuances of property disclosures, they emphasize that pre-listing inspections and accurate pricing from day one are key to preventing buyers from “ghosting” during the Resolution Period.
What this means for Agents: By preparing clients for the give-and-take required during inspections, agents can prevent unnecessary standoffs, reduce cancellations, and keep more deals moving smoothly to the closing table. Sellers who handle repairs early, set smart list prices, and negotiate with flexibility create fewer inspection objections. Buyers who understand the market and accept that no home is flawless are more likely to focus on essential repairs rather than perfection, reducing the risk of cancellations.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Less Scrolling, More Knowing. We sort through the real estate noise and send you the top stories—plus our take as to what that means for you as an agent.
Ready to Get Started?
You can register as a VIP Client to securely provide your information in advance—earning 10 loyalty points just for signing up—or you can start a new transaction right away.
About the Author
Sarah Bates is a Transaction Coordinator with a strong foundation in real property and transaction management. She holds a B.A. in English/Pre-Law from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and earned her Juris Doctorate from the Nashville School of Law, earning her the nickname of “a TC with a JD”.
She began her real estate journey as an Office Manager for a boutique brokerage, where she quickly applied her legal education and attention to detail to real estate transactions. In 2023, Sarah completed advanced professional training from the Transaction Coordinator Academy, solidifying her expertise in real estate transaction management.
Today, she serves as a Transaction Coordinator at SmoothTC with five years experience in the industry, specializing in managing transaction details, deadlines, and brokerage compliance for real estate agents. Her legal education, combined with hands-on experience, makes her a trusted resource for agents seeking smooth, accurate, and efficient closings.
Comments