The short answer: you can buy a home in Franklin, TN with a VA loan and no down payment, even at Franklin's prices, because the VA hasn't had a loan limit for veterans with full entitlement since 2020. What limits you is the payment your lender will approve and how well your offer competes in a market where the median house now costs more than a million dollars. I'm Kimo Quance, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and Realtor with eXp Realty, and this is the guide I wish someone had handed me. If you'd rather talk than read, call or text me at 615-392-1186.

You've got orders, or a retirement date, or a job in Cool Springs, and Franklin keeps coming up. It should. Williamson County is home to about 9,000 veterans, and Franklin is its county seat. But it's also one of the most expensive places to buy in Tennessee, and most of what's written about VA loans assumes you're shopping at $350,000.

Here's how it actually works at Franklin's prices.

Can you really buy in Franklin with zero down?

Yes. Since January 1, 2020, there is no VA loan limit for veterans with full entitlement. The VA guarantees the lender against loss, and the lender decides how much payment you can carry. If your income supports a $900,000 payment, a $900,000 VA loan with nothing down is allowed.

Two costs still show up:

• The funding fee. On a first VA purchase with less than 5 percent down it's 2.15 percent of the loan, and 3.3 percent if you've used the benefit before. On a $900,000 loan that's $19,350 or $29,700. It can be rolled into the loan. You don't pay it at all if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, or meet one of the VA's other exemptions.
• Closing costs. Title, recording, prepaid taxes and insurance. These can't be financed on a purchase loan, so you bring them to closing, or the seller pays them. More on that below.

One rule people forget: you have to live in the house. The VA expects you to move in within 60 days of closing. If you're on active duty and can't get there yet, your spouse moving in counts. What doesn't work is buying a Franklin house you don't intend to occupy. I wrote a whole guide to what the occupancy rule does and doesn't allow.

If you have partial entitlement because you kept a previous VA home, the math changes and a down payment may be needed. Your lender can pull your Certificate of Eligibility in minutes, and I'll line you up with one who does VA loans every week, not once a year.

What does Franklin actually cost right now?

Here's the last twelve months from the MLS, not an estimate.

	Aug 2025	Aug 2026
Median sale price, all homes	$850,000	$910,271
Median sale price, single family	$907,500	$1,012,500
Median sale price, condo and townhome	$539,500	$637,950
Homes on the market	907	1,095
Months of supply	3.73	4.78

Based on information from Realtracs® for the period August 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026.

Three things in that table matter to a VA buyer.

Single-family Franklin crossed a million dollars this year. Condos and townhomes are the way in for roughly $375,000 less, and a VA loan works on a condo as long as the project is VA-approved. I check that before you fall for a unit.

Supply is up 28 percent. More homes are sitting, which means more sellers willing to pay closing costs and negotiate. That is good news for a buyer who needs seller help, which is most VA buyers.

Ignore the "26 days on market" you'll hear. Measured from the original list date, the average Franklin home took 73 days to go under contract, and about 90 days from list to closing. If you're on a PCS clock, plan around 90.

Which Franklin are you buying in?

Franklin is three places wearing one name, and they don't behave like the same market.

• Downtown and the historic core. Old houses, small lots, walkable to Main Street, the highest price per square foot in the city, and the smallest inventory. Older homes also mean more chance of an appraisal condition, see below.
• Cool Springs. The office and retail corridor right on I-65, where most of Franklin's condo and townhome supply sits. Closest to the interstate and the shortest drive to Nashville.
• West and south Franklin. The master-planned communities. Westhaven on the west side, built around an 18-hole golf course with a village center, a Publix and about nine miles of trails. Berry Farms on the south side at the I-65 and Peytonsville Road interchange, with its own town center and a mix of single family, townhomes and condos across roughly 3,150 planned residences. These are where most of the newer construction is, which matters for a VA appraisal.

The trade I walk every buyer through: west Franklin buys you space and newer construction and costs you time getting back to I-65 every morning. Cool Springs costs more per square foot and gives the time back.

What about schools?

This surprises almost every out-of-state buyer: Franklin has two school systems. The Franklin Special School District runs kindergarten through eighth grade for most of the city, across eight schools. Everything outside that boundary is Williamson County Schools. All Franklin high schools are Williamson County Schools, so FSSD students move into the county system in ninth grade.

Zoning is by address, not by neighborhood name, and boundaries move as the county opens new schools. Send me the address and I'll confirm the current zoning before you write an offer. Never trust the listing sheet on this.

How does a VA offer compete in Franklin?

The myth is that Franklin sellers won't take VA offers. The truth is that a VA offer written by someone who knows the rules is as strong as any financed offer, and I write them to be.

Seller concessions, up to 4 percent. The VA lets the seller pay your closing costs, and on top of that it allows "concessions" of up to 4 percent of the home's reasonable value: paying your funding fee, paying off a debt to help you qualify, or prepaying your insurance. In a market with 4.78 months of supply, I ask for them.

The appraisal and the property. A VA appraiser checks value and the VA's minimum property requirements: the home has to be safe, structurally sound and sanitary. On a 2019 build in Berry Farms that's rarely an issue. On a 1920s cottage off Main Street, a peeling-paint or roof condition can hold up the loan. I know which houses will pass and which will need a fix negotiated in.

The termite inspection. Middle Tennessee sits in a zone where the VA generally requires a wood-destroying insect report. Since June 2022 the VA allows the veteran to pay for it, and it encourages you to negotiate the cost with the seller. I put it in the contract.

The flood check. The Harpeth River runs through Franklin, and after the 2010 flood FEMA redrew the floodplain lines. Homes near the river can sit in a flood zone, which means flood insurance in your payment. The City of Franklin's floodplain manager will do a free flood zone determination on any address. I order it before inspection, not after.

Speed. A pre-approval from a lender who has your COE in hand, a clean inspection window and a realistic closing date beat a bigger number with a shaky loan. I've been on the listing side of enough deals to know what a Franklin seller's agent is looking for.

Where are the base, the VA hospital and the commissary from Franklin?

• Fort Campbell is about 80 miles northwest, roughly an hour and a half up I-65 and I-24. Franklin works if you're retiring from the post, or if the drive is occasional. It doesn't work for a daily report. If you're active duty at Campbell, start with my guide to using your BAH near Fort Campbell.
• Nashville VA Medical Center is at 1310 24th Avenue South in Nashville, about 22 miles up I-65 from Franklin. The Alvin C. York campus is at 3400 Lebanon Pike in Murfreesboro. Both are part of the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System.
• Nashville International Airport is about 24 miles, mostly interstate.

What does Tennessee give you after closing?

No state income tax. Tennessee doesn't tax wages or retirement pay, so your military retirement isn't taxed at the state level.

Property tax relief for disabled veterans. Tennessee pays the property tax on the first $175,000 of market value of your primary residence if you have a service-connected permanent and total disability, certain qualifying disabilities such as loss of use of two or more limbs or legal blindness, or a 100 percent rating as a former prisoner of war. You apply through the Williamson County Trustee. My post on Tennessee veteran property tax exemptions in Williamson County walks through it.

What if you're on a PCS timeline?

Then the calendar is the whole job. I built a 30-60-90 day housing plan for a PCS to Middle Tennessee so you know what has to happen in which month. And if orders are taking you out of Franklin, whether to sell or keep your home after PCS orders covers the decision most people get wrong, including keeping the house as a rental with the VA loan in place.

Two more tools worth knowing before you shop: how a VA loan compares to conventional in Williamson County, because at Franklin's prices the answer isn't automatic, and how VA loan assumptions work, which is how you sell a low-rate Franklin house for more later.

Why work with me?

Because I've been where you are, three generations deep. I'm a U.S. Coast Guard veteran. My father is a retired Navy Chief. My grandfather was a WWII combat Marine. My dad told me something I've never shaken: "When you strip all things away, all you have is your word." That's the standard I run this business on. If a house is a bad buy, I'll say so, even when it costs me the commission.

I've been a Realtor since 2013 and a real estate investor for more than 20 years, with more than $500 million in career sales. I wrote the Amazon bestseller SOLD, I've been on HGTV's House Hunters four times, and Real Trends has named me one of America's Best. I live just down the road in Thompson's Station, and when you call, you get me.

One client put it this way:

"He took my calls/texts all day and night. He never stopped working to get as many of our wants in our budget and community as possible. And we closed within weeks!!!" Kalisha T., Google review

The bottom line

A VA loan works in Franklin. No loan limit, no down payment, and a seller pool that's more willing to help than it was a year ago. The work is picking the right Franklin, confirming the school zoning by address, and writing an offer that a listing agent trusts.

I'm Kimo Quance with eXp Realty. Call or text me at 615-392-1186, or book a 15-minute veteran call. I'll tell you what your entitlement buys in Franklin today and what it would take to win the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a VA loan limit in Franklin, TN?
Not if you have full entitlement. Since January 1, 2020, the VA has no loan limit for veterans with full entitlement, so you can buy at Franklin's prices with no down payment as long as your lender approves the payment. If you have partial entitlement from a previous VA loan, a down payment may be needed.

Can I buy a condo in Franklin with a VA loan?
Yes, as long as the condo project is VA-approved. Franklin's condo and townhome median was $637,950 in August 2026, about $375,000 below the single-family median, and most of that supply sits in Cool Springs.

Do Franklin sellers accept VA offers?
Yes. A VA offer with a real pre-approval, a clean inspection window and a realistic closing date competes with any financed offer. The VA also lets the seller pay your closing costs plus up to 4 percent in concessions, including your funding fee.

What schools will a Franklin address be zoned for?
It depends on the address. The Franklin Special School District covers K-8 for most of the city, and Williamson County Schools covers the rest plus every Franklin high school. Confirm zoning by the exact address with the district before you write an offer.

How far is Franklin from Fort Campbell?
About 80 miles, roughly an hour and a half by interstate. Franklin fits someone retiring from the post or making the drive occasionally, not a daily commute.

Does Tennessee reduce property taxes for disabled veterans?
Yes. The state pays the property tax on the first $175,000 of market value of your primary residence if you have a service-connected permanent and total disability or one of the other qualifying conditions. Apply through the Williamson County Trustee.