The Offer Genies homeowner library
Understand the money left to you, who can cancel, and who is asking you to sign. Protect your property and your closing funds without relying on a buyer for independent advice.
One useful thing to do first
Keep your documents in a secure folder. Use the steps below at your own pace; a scheduled sale, court date or safety order needs prompt attention.
Ask for the buyer's exact legal name and the role of each person involved. If someone claims to be a licensed real-estate professional, check Tennessee's license search and disciplinary information. A buyer's representative and your independent adviser may serve different interests.
Request a complete written contract and ask an independent adviser to explain inspection periods, cancellation rights, assignment language, closing costs, possession and what happens if the buyer does not close. Compare estimated money left to you and timing across offers. Do not sign blank or incomplete pages.
A deed transfer does not by itself cancel the mortgage. Treat promises to save the house by signing over ownership, make you a tenant temporarily, or guarantee a later buyback as reasons to obtain independent legal advice before signing.
Before closing, save a verified phone number for the closing professional. Confirm instructions using that number, especially after a last-minute change. Do not rely on a phone number or link inside the email announcing the change. If money was misdirected, contact the bank immediately and report to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Ask for copies of the signed agreement, settlement statement, deed, loan-payoff information and any written debt-release agreement relevant to your transaction. Keep the closing professional's contact information and ask when recording and final disbursement can be confirmed.
A closer look
Sign up through the Register of Deeds’ official alert link for notices of recorded documents matching the names you monitor. Investigate an unexpected filing with the Register and independent legal help. Alerts do not freeze title or prevent every fraudulent filing.
Use the Tennessee Real Estate Commission’s consumer tools to verify a person who claims to be licensed. A license check does not validate a contract or prove the buyer has funds. Ask who each professional represents and what independent advice will cost.
Contact your bank immediately using a trusted number and ask about recovering or recalling the transfer. Report promptly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center through the route in CFPB’s checklist. Keep the messages and payment records; speed matters.
A closer look
A direct buyer and a seller representing themselves are different roles. Decide who handles each part of the transaction and whose interests each professional serves.
Selling by owner can leave pricing, marketing, inquiries, access and negotiation with you. Selling directly to a buyer may change some of that work, but the buyer is still negotiating for their own interests. An agent-assisted sale is another option. Compare the likely net proceeds, conditions and workload rather than assuming one route always produces the best result.
Before signing, identify the legal buyer, who can sign for each owner, the deposit, inspections, cancellation, assignment, costs and possession. Ask an independent Tennessee adviser which disclosures apply. Use a verified closing contact and secure payment instructions. A professional license or a high offer is not proof the contract protects you.
A closer look
Review current comparable sales and feedback with an appropriate local professional. Look at condition, photos, access, buyer financing and title questions. If a listing agreement is active, understand its obligations before engaging another buyer. A delayed sale does not establish that the house must be sold for cash.
Price adjustment or a revised listing, targeted repairs, renting or keeping the property, and a direct offer each bring different cost, timing and risk. Use realistic written estimates. Record what you will change, how you will judge the result and when you will review it.
Get organized
Keep these in your own secure folder. You do not need to upload them here.
Check marks clear when you reload. Print this page to keep a copy.
Words you can use
Before I sign, please explain who is obligated to buy, whether the contract can be assigned, each cancellation or inspection period, all costs I pay, possession and move-out terms, and what happens if closing does not occur. Please show the estimated net amount to me and identify any debt that would remain.
Keep the representative’s name, date, reference number and next promised action.
You can contact them yourself
The links throughout this guide support the steps above. These core resources are useful to bookmark.
State of Tennessee
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Federal Trade Commission
Metropolitan Nashville
615-862-6790Metropolitan Government of Nashville
HELP4TN / Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services
Your own plan
Write a short plan and keep a record of your calls. Nothing here is saved or sent to Offer Genies. Reloading clears it. Keep account numbers, Social Security numbers and other sensitive details in your own secure records.
My deadline________________________________
Who I will contact________________________________
My next action________________________________
Follow-up date & result needed________________________________
Record what was promised, what you sent, how you sent it, and when you will check back. Keep proof of receipt with your own documents.
Private worksheet · Offer Genies homeowner library · offergenies.com/comprehensive-guide/
Offer Genies is a property acquisition business, not a law firm or government housing agency. This is general educational information, not advice about your particular case. Rules, eligibility and deadlines vary. Contact a qualified Tennessee attorney or HUD-approved housing counselor when your rights or a sale deadline are at stake.
We prioritize the agencies that run the programs: CFPB, HUD, THDA, Tennessee courts and local providers. Where older pages conflict with current notices, the guide identifies the current limitation rather than promising help.
Resources checked October 29, 2026. This guide has not been reviewed by an attorney. Programs and links can change; confirm details with the provider. Published eligibility is a starting point, not an approval.
Found something that needs correcting? Let us know.
Only if you decide selling is right
Compare selling options and use our private proceeds worksheet. Offer Genies buys property, but this library is here whether you keep your home, sell with an agent, sell to someone else or never contact us.
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