Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee: 10 Move-In Ready Picks From $55,000 to $389,900

Tennessee was the fourth most popular destination in America for one-way moving trucks in 2025, according to U-Haul’s Growth Index, behind only Texas, Florida and North Carolina. The typical Tennessee home sold for a record $360,000 last year, according to the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. Yet the ten country homes for sale in Tennessee on this page run from $389,900 down to about $55,000, nine of them on two acres or more, and every one of them is a house you can live in from the day you close.

That is the angle of this batch: move-in ready. Not new, not perfect, but in good enough shape to carry the boxes in this month and finish the smaller jobs while you already live there. Most cheap country homes for sale in Tennessee are sold as projects, with a roof, a kitchen and a year of weekends attached. These ten were chosen because they are not.

This guide has two halves, and they age differently. The first half is permanent: what farmland is worth in each of the nine counties this batch touches, why it is cheap in some of them and expensive in others, and the Tennessee rules that decide what you really pay. The second half is a moment in time: ten real listings from October 2026, from a furnished mountain cottage to a rehabbed city house. The county numbers are worth bookmarking. The ten listings are evidence, not inventory.

Four honest disclosures before you scroll. The cheapest home, in Memphis, is a city house on a fifth of an acre, not a country home; it is here because it is the most finished house for the money. The Crossville cabin needs some care, sells as-is and cannot be bought with FHA, VA or USDA loans. The Whiteville bungalow has no central heat or air. And the Winfield home has no asking price at all: it is selling at an online auction. Each is flagged again in its own section.

Watch the Full Tour

All ten homes were filmed for the video version of this guide, with the photos, the drive-in shots and Mark’s read on each place. If you would rather watch than read, start here, then come back for the county data and the math behind each of these country homes for sale in Tennessee.

Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee: the numbers in short

What You’ll Find: Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee

The permanent half of this page comes first, because it will still be useful a year from now. Below is what farmland is worth in each of the nine counties this batch touches, the reasons Tennessee land is cheap in some places and expensive in others, and the state rules that decide what you pay to own a rural home. After that comes the dated snapshot. If you are comparing country homes for sale in Tennessee, read the county table first, because it tells you how much of any price the land can explain.

Tennessee has 95 counties and 10,732,951 acres in farms, and the census publishes a value for every one of them. The nine counties below are the ones where this batch sits, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. The fifth column shows what ten acres of farm ground is worth at that county’s census average, the quickest way to see how small a share of a listing the land really is.

Rank of 95	County	Region	Avg $/Acre	10 Acres at That Rate	Acres in Farms
2	Hardeman	West Tennessee, Mississippi line	$2,804	$28,040	159,283
6	Hardin	Tennessee River, Pickwick Lake	$3,021	$30,210	121,675
11	Benton	Kentucky Lake, West Tennessee	$3,196	$31,960	70,176
16	Scott	Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky line	$3,689	$36,890	31,350
21	Overton	Upper Cumberland	$4,036	$40,360	155,629
46	Cumberland	Cumberland Plateau, I-40	$5,023	$50,230	130,350
52	Shelby	Memphis	$5,264	$52,640	90,742
61	Grainger	East Tennessee, Cherokee Lake	$5,809	$58,090	83,178
87	Blount	Smoky Mountain foothills	$8,030	$80,300	93,875
—	Tennessee (state)	All 95 counties	$5,156	$51,560	10,732,951

Source: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Table 8 for Tennessee — “Estimated market value of land and buildings, average per acre, 2022.” All 95 counties publish a value; their farms and acres add up exactly to the state totals of 63,105 farms and 10,732,951 acres, with none suppressed. Rank is out of 95, where 1 is the cheapest. The census measures agricultural land and buildings on working farms, not asking prices for residential lots.

Why Tennessee Land Is Cheap Where It Is Cheap

Four structural forces explain the map, and each one is also a description of daily life in the places on this list.

• The cheap belt is West Tennessee, south of Interstate 40. The ten cheapest counties in the state are Chester ($2,781), Hardeman ($2,804), Decatur ($2,946), McNairy ($2,954), Henderson ($2,956), Hardin ($3,021), Madison ($3,099), Perry ($3,130), Wayne ($3,142) and Hancock ($3,190). All but Hancock sit in the west or along the Tennessee River. Two homes on this page, in Whiteville and Middleton, are in Hardeman, the second cheapest of 95.
• River and lake counties are cheaper than their scenery suggests. Hardin, home to Pickwick Lake, is sixth at $3,021, and Benton, on Kentucky Lake, is eleventh at $3,196. Much of their farm ground is wooded and hilly, and their towns are small, so the census average stays low even where weekend visitors pay well for lake rentals.
• The plateau sits in the middle. On the Cumberland Plateau, Scott is 16th at $3,689 and Overton 21st at $4,036, while Cumberland, with Interstate 40 and the Fairfield Glade retirement community, rises to 46th at $5,023. Thin soils and long winters keep farmland modest; highways and retirees push it up.
• The expensive ground follows the cities and the Smokies. Davidson ($12,414), Knox ($12,302), Unicoi ($10,994) and Rutherford ($10,250) lead the state. Blount, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains next to Knoxville, is 87th of 95 at $8,030, and Grainger, on Cherokee Lake northeast of Knoxville, is 61st at $5,809. There, buyers pay for the commute and the view, not the soil.

What You Are Really Paying For: The House

Measured against each county’s census value, the land under the nine homes with an asking price is worth a median of about 7.5% of the price. Under the Memphis city lot it is 1.9%, under the Camden cottage 4.4% and under the Counce Cape Cod 6.0%: on those, you are buying a building. The Rutledge farm breaks the pattern, with ten acres in Grainger County worth about $58,100 at the census rate, or 16.1% of its price, the highest land share on the page.

That is why condition matters more than acreage on this list. When nine-tenths of the price is the house, the roof, the systems and the floor plan decide whether it is a good buy. Our free Price Sanity Check splits any listing into its land and its house this way. The listing sites tell a different story: LandSearch showed an average asking price of $22,520 an acre across 15,743 Tennessee land listings when we checked in September 2026, about 4.4 times the census figure, because small lots near the cities pull the average up. Read every listing against its own county, never against the state average.

The Tennessee Rules That Change What You Really Pay

Six state rules shape the true cost of owning country homes for sale in Tennessee, and none of them shows up in a listing.

• Greenbelt needs 15 acres, and none of these homes has them. Tennessee’s Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act, sections 67-5-1001 through 1050 of the Tennessee Code, taxes farm and forest land on its use value only from 15 acres up; open space needs 3 acres and a qualifying use. First-time applications are due by March 15, and taking land out triggers rollback taxes for 3 years (5 for open space). The largest parcel on this page is 10 acres.
• No income tax, low property tax, high sales tax. Tennessee taxes neither wages nor investment income since the Hall tax was repealed in 2021, and its effective property tax rate is about 0.52% (Tax Foundation). Residential property is assessed at 25% of appraised value, and counties reappraise every four to six years. The bill comes back through a 7% state sales tax plus local rates of up to 2.75%, among the highest combined rates in the country.
• The seller can hand you a disclaimer instead of a disclosure. Under the Tennessee Residential Property Disclosure Act, sections 66-5-201 through 210, the seller gives a disclosure statement before the contract, answering yes, no or unknown, unless the buyer waives it and accepts a disclaimer that the home is sold “as is.” Bank-owned sales and auctions usually come with little or no history. Either way, order your own inspection.
• Nobody tests the well for you. Tennessee licenses well drillers but does not regulate water quality in private wells, and no test is required when a home sells. At least three homes on this page are on private wells. Order a bacteria and nitrate test at minimum before closing.
• The septic system sets the limit on additions. Septic systems are permitted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and adding a bedroom or a bathroom can require a review of whether the existing system is large enough. Ask for the original permit, and have the tank inspected and pumped before you plan a remodel.
• Your loan type decides which homes you can buy. USDA Rural Development loans cover most of rural Tennessee and can mean little or nothing down, and one seller on this page explicitly accepts them. But a home that needs repairs may not pass an FHA, VA or USDA appraisal, which is why the Crossville cabin is cash or conventional only. Get preapproved for the right loan before you fall for a house.

October 2026 Snapshot: Ten Real Listings

These ten homes were for sale in October 2026. Three sit in West Tennessee’s cheap belt, at Whiteville and Middleton in Hardeman County and Camden on Kentucky Lake; one at Counce, by Pickwick Dam; three on the Cumberland Plateau, at Crawford, Crossville and Winfield; two in East Tennessee, at Maryville and Rutledge; and one in Memphis. Here are the ten country homes for sale in Tennessee, side by side.

#	Town	County	Price	Acres	Price / Acre	AHO Score
10	Maryville	Blount	$389,900	5.43	$71,805	77/100
9	Rutledge	Grainger	$359,900	10	$35,990	75/100
8	Counce	Hardin	$325,000	6.45	$50,388	80/100
7	Crawford	Overton	$289,900	5.36	$54,086	77/100
6	Crossville	Cumberland	$249,000	3.59	$69,359	75/100
5	Winfield	Scott	Auction	7.46	—	77/100
4	Whiteville	Hardeman	$196,000	6.29	$31,161	75/100
3	Camden	Benton	$155,000	2.13	$72,770	72/100
2	Middleton	Hardeman	$109,000	3.02	$36,093	75/100
1	Memphis	Shelby	$55,000	0.2	$275,000	65/100

How the AHO Score Works

Every property gets a score out of 100, built from six weighted categories: Price and Value (25), Land and Usability (20), Condition (20), Practical Location (15), Charm (10) and Future Potential (10). Scores come only from what the listing and the photographs show. Where data is missing, the property is scored mid-band and the gap is stated. The full rubric is on our AHO Score methodology page.

Bands run 90-100 Exceptional, 80-89 Strong AHO Pick, 70-79 Solid Rural Deal, 60-69 Niche Opportunity and below 60 High-Caution. In this batch the highest score is 80, for the Counce Cape Cod with its shop and pond, and the lowest is 65, for the Memphis city cottage. Because every home here is livable, the condition scores run high and the spread is narrow. It is an editorial tool for comparison — not an appraisal, an inspection, or investment advice.

Published October 2026. Some of these listings will already be under contract or sold by the time you read this, and that is normal. The county figures, the state rules and the checklist at the bottom stay accurate regardless. For the full picture of the state, read our guide to buying rural property in Tennessee. To see where Tennessee sits nationally, read our ranking of the cheapest states to buy land, where it ranks 31st, and our index of the best states to homestead, where it ranks 9th. If you want the next country homes for sale in Tennessee before they go public, the form above is how you get them.

The ten properties

Ten homes, most expensive to least, with the auction in its place in the countdown. Every one includes its county land benchmark, the price per acre, the price per square foot, and an honest read on what you are actually buying.

#10 — Maryville, TN — $389,900 — 5.43 acres

A furnished mountain cottage whose top boundary is national park land, with a hot tub facing the ridges

A white two-story cottage raised on posts on the side of a mountain in Blount County, wrapped in a wooden deck where rocking chairs face ridge after ridge of the Smoky Mountain foothills. The upper edge of its 5.43 acres borders the National Park Service land of the Foothills Parkway, so the forest above the house will stay a forest.

Inside the Home

The great room rises to a cathedral ceiling of pale wood planks, with windows running almost wall to wall, so the view is part of the furniture. A floor-to-ceiling stacked-stone fireplace with a propane insert stands beside a round dining table under a stained-glass lamp, and a propane wall heater backs it up, so the house stays warm through a power outage. The home is sold fully furnished, down to the blue leather recliners and a wall of built-in bookshelves.

The kitchen is long and bright, with mint-green cabinets, white tile counters, a pantry and a row of windows over the sink, and a separate utility room opens onto the dining deck and grill area. The two full bathrooms are a well-kept 1990s time capsule in rose pink, with sculpted white sinks and oval mirrors. There is one bedroom and a full bath on the main level and two more bedrooms upstairs, including a guest room with twin beds. Recent work: a new water line from the well with whole-house filtration, ductless heat and air in the main rooms, and an air-sealed underside.

Land and Outdoor Potential

5.43 wooded acres on a rolling slope. Wooden stairs and stone paths climb past natural rock landscaping to a fire-pit circle, a private hiking path and a level picnic area near the top. There is a large hot tub by the grilling area, a garden space with loaded grapevines, a carport and a storage building. The owner built a natural rock pond by hand; it needs a liner and water before it holds anything.

Water is a private well and the house is on a septic tank. This is mountain land, not pasture: most of it is woods and slope, which is exactly why it is quiet.

About Maryville, Tennessee

Downtown Maryville is about 20 minutes down the mountain, with groceries, the county schools and Prisma Health Blount Memorial Hospital, which joined South Carolina’s Prisma Health system in 2024. Blount County is one of the strongest job markets in East Tennessee: Denso’s Maryville plant, the company’s largest manufacturing site in the United States, employs more than 4,000 people. Townsend, the gateway on the quieter side of the Great Smoky Mountains, is about 25 minutes away, and Knoxville and McGhee Tyson Airport are about 40. The honest trade-off: the last miles are steep mountain roads, slow in ice and snow.

AHO Score: 77/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	14	25
Land / Usability	15	20
Condition	18	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	10	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	77	100

The math. $389,900 over 5.43 acres is $71,805 an acre, against a Blount County benchmark of $8,030 — 87th cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $43,603, or 11.2% of the price, and the house works out to $227 a square foot. Taxes run $1,088 a year on a county appraisal of $273,800. Blount is the ninth most expensive farm county in Tennessee, because Knoxville’s growth and the Smokies’ tourism push land prices up. The condition, the furniture, the view and the protected boundary push the score up; the highest price on the page and a slope that leaves little flat ground hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The most turnkey house in this batch: you could sleep here the night you close. It suits a buyer who wants a mountain home or a furnished short-term rental near the most visited national park in the country, but check Blount County’s short-term rental rules first, and walk every stair before you commit. Among country homes for sale in Tennessee at this price, few come with a forest that nobody can ever build on.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#9 — Rutledge, TN — $359,900 — 10 acres

A 1940 fieldstone farmhouse on ten rolling acres, with a red pole barn and Cherokee Lake two miles away

Ten acres of rolling Grainger County pasture, big old shade trees and, from the air, the blue water of Cherokee Lake on the horizon. The house is a 1940 farmhouse built of fieldstone in every shade from cream to rust, with a covered front porch that looks out over the property.

Inside the Home

The 1,437-square-foot house has 4 bedrooms and 1 bath and a vintage interior that has been kept rather than remodeled. You come in through a wooden front door with an oval glass window into rooms lined in warm wood paneling, with ceiling fans overhead and a fireplace. The rooms are empty, clean and ready for furniture.

The kitchen is pure mid-century: butter-yellow cabinets, a white range with a self-cleaning oven and a window over the sink facing the fields. A back utility room with a bright red floor holds the laundry hookups and a door to the yard. Heat and air are central and electric, the windows are a mix of vinyl and wood frames, and the house sits on a crawl space.

Land and Outdoor Potential

10 rolling acres, mostly open grass with mature trees, plus a 30-by-40-foot detached garage with two white doors and a large red pole barn, room for trucks, tools, hay and a workshop. Round hay bales sit along the fence line, and the land drains naturally down the slope.

Water is a private well and the house is on septic. At 10 acres, the farm is below Tennessee’s 15-acre minimum for agricultural greenbelt, so it will be taxed as a residence; the current bill is still only about $649 a year.

About Rutledge, Tennessee

Rutledge, the Grainger County seat, is about 10 minutes away, and Jefferson City, home of Carson-Newman University, is 15 to 20 minutes. Grainger County has no hospital of its own; the closest is Morristown-Hamblen Hospital in Morristown, about 25 minutes east, a city with one of the larger manufacturing bases in East Tennessee. Cherokee Lake, a TVA reservoir with public boat ramps, is 2 miles from the driveway, and Knoxville is 40 to 45 minutes. The honest trade-off: anything bigger than a grocery run starts with a half-hour drive.

AHO Score: 75/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	15	25
Land / Usability	18	20
Condition	14	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	75	100

The math. $359,900 over 10 acres is $35,990 an acre, against a Grainger County benchmark of $5,809 — 61st cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $58,090, or 16.1% of the price, and the house works out to $250 a square foot. Taxes run about $649 a year on a county appraisal of $146,500. The seller accepts USDA Rural Development financing, which can mean little or no down payment for buyers who meet the income limits. This parcel has the highest land share on the page. The ten usable acres, the stone house, the outbuildings and the lake push the score up; one bathroom for four bedrooms and an original interior hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The best land on this page, and a solid stone house you can live in on day one while you add a second bathroom. It suits a family or a hobby farmer who wants pasture, a lake for weekends and Knoxville within reach. Before you offer, ask a septic professional what the existing system can handle, because the second bath is the first project here.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#8 — Counce, TN — $325,000 — 6.45 acres

Almost 2,500 square feet, a stocked pond and a 1,500-square-foot shop near Pickwick Dam

A crisp white Cape Cod with three dormers, covered porches front and back and a long concrete drive, on 6.45 acres with about 615 feet of road frontage in Hardin County. Behind it, a fenced backyard, a stocked pond in the trees and a second building that would make most buyers forget the house.

Inside the Home

At 2,493 square feet, this is the largest home on the page. The living room flows into the dining area and a large kitchen with oak cabinets wall to wall and long ceramic tile counters, over cherry-toned wood floors, with deep orange accent walls that warm the whole space. The dining room fits a full family table and a china cabinet.

Three bedrooms and two full baths are on the main floor, including a master suite with an oversized bedroom and generous closets; the other two bedrooms share a full bath. Upstairs, a fourth bedroom sits under the slope of the roof next to a carpeted bonus room lit by the dormers, and a walk-in attic offers room to add living space. Heat and air are central electric, and the house was built in 2002 on a crawl space under an architectural shingle roof.

Land and Outdoor Potential

6.45 acres with an attached two-car garage and a detached 1,500-square-foot double garage and shop with its own water and electricity. When the listing photos were taken, the shop was set up like a commercial kitchen, with stainless steel prep tables, sinks and a commercial gas range; ask the seller in writing which equipment stays.

The backyard is fenced in chain link, and the stocked pond sits in the trees behind the house. There is no HOA. The property is recorded as four separate tax parcels, which is worth understanding before closing.

About Counce, Tennessee

Counce sits where Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama meet, so the daily hub may be in another state. Corinth, Mississippi, about 25 minutes south, has the big-box stores and Magnolia Regional Health Center, the main hospital for the tri-state corner. Savannah, the Hardin County seat, is about 25 minutes north, with Hardin Medical Center. Pickwick Dam is about 10 minutes away, with Pickwick Landing State Park’s marina and golf course, and Shiloh National Military Park is about 15. The honest trade-off: Memphis is about two hours west, and you will get used to shopping in Mississippi.

AHO Score: 80/100 — Strong AHO Pick

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	19	25
Land / Usability	16	20
Condition	17	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	8	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	80	100

The math. $325,000 over 6.45 acres is $50,388 an acre, against a Hardin County benchmark of $3,021 — 6th cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $19,485, or 6.0% of the price, and the house works out to $130 a square foot. Taxes run about $1,350 a year. Hardin is the sixth cheapest farm county in Tennessee, and at about $130 a square foot this is one of the best buys per foot on the page. The size, the condition, the shop and the pond push the score up; the plain exterior and the distance to a big city hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The most house for the money in this batch, plus a building that could run a business. It suits a family, a cook with a catering plan or anyone with a boat for Pickwick Lake. Ask the county and your title company how the four parcels are split and taxed before you sign, because that fine print is also an option to sell a piece later.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#7 — Crawford, TN — $289,900 — 5.36 acres

A 2011 log cabin on five wooded acres with three full baths, a walkout basement and RV hookups

A two-story log cabin at the end of a gravel drive in the hardwoods of the Cumberland Plateau, honey-brown logs below, tan siding above and a small round porthole window under the peak. Covered decks run along the front and the back, and a ramp leads to the door.

Inside the Home

Knotty pine covers the walls and climbs into the vaulted ceilings, so the open living area glows. The kitchen and dining room share one space with stainless appliances, a gas range, tile floors and, when the photos were taken, a red buffalo-check tablecloth with curtains to match. There is a wood-burning fireplace, fresh paint, double-pane windows and laundry on the main level.

The primary bedroom and a guest bedroom are both on the main floor, one with a sliding barn door and a deep blue accent wall. Upstairs, a third bedroom with its own full bath can work as an office or studio. There are three full baths in all, one painted bubblegum pink. The full walkout basement is partly finished, with a concrete floor, a stove and room for a game room, gym or workshop.

Land and Outdoor Potential

5.36 acres, mostly wooded with a cleared yard, colorful landscaping and mature trees. There is an outbuilding with electricity, a barn-style shed with a roll-up door, a detached carport, a fire ring in the woods and RV hookups already in place. Horses are allowed, but almost all of the land is forest.

Water is public, from the utility district, and the house is on septic, with natural gas connected and propane as well. The listing notes handicap access, and a ramp leads to the main floor.

About Crawford, Tennessee

Interstate 40 is the spine of this part of the state, and the Monterey exit is about 15 minutes from the driveway, with the basics in town. From there, Cookeville is about 40 minutes west, with Tennessee Tech University and Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the referral hospital for the Upper Cumberland, and Crossville is about 35 minutes east. Nashville is about an hour and fifty minutes away and Knoxville about an hour and a half. The honest trade-off: every real errand starts with a 15-minute drive to the interstate.

AHO Score: 77/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	18	25
Land / Usability	14	20
Condition	17	20
Practical Location	10	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	77	100

The math. $289,900 over 5.36 acres is $54,086 an acre, against a Overton County benchmark of $4,036 — 21st cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $21,633, or 7.5% of the price, and the house works out to $129 a square foot. Taxes run about $771 a year on a county appraisal of $230,800. At about $129 a square foot, it is the cheapest square foot of any house on this page with more than 2,000 square feet. The 2011 construction, the three baths, the basement and the RV setup push the score up; the wooded lot with little open ground and the drive to a hospital hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

A newer, solid cabin with space for guests and a camper, in the plateau country Nashville weekenders look for. It suits a couple who wants privacy and shade, or a family with visitors. If horses are the plan, budget for clearing, fencing and seeding a pasture; if quiet is the plan, it is already done.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#6 — Crossville, TN — $249,000 — 3.59 acres

A chinked log cabin on level land with a heated greenhouse and a pond with its own dock

A log cabin under a metal roof outside Crossville, on 3.59 level acres, which is rare on the plateau, wrapped on three sides by a long covered porch with plank floors. A circle driveway and a stone sidewalk lead to the door, and past the lawn a wooden dock reaches into the pond.

Inside the Home

Inside, the walls are real logs with white chinking between them, stripe after stripe. The living room is almost 27 feet long, with newer flooring, a vaulted ceiling with exposed-beam detailing and a stone fireplace holding a wood-burning stove. The eat-in kitchen has white cabinets with X-braced barn-door fronts, some newer base cabinets, butcher-block-look counters, newer LVT flooring and a stainless gas range.

All three bedrooms are on the main level. The primary bedroom has private double doors onto the covered porch, and its bath has a tub-and-shower combination and newer flooring. The guest bath has a subway tile surround, and the laundry room has room for storage. Heating and cooling run on a split system with a Trane furnace; the outdoor unit was replaced in 2020 with warranty remaining. Some photos are virtually staged.

Land and Outdoor Potential

3.59 level acres with room to garden, a pond with a dock and a heated greenhouse with a commercial-grade mist fan, long enough to start seedlings in late winter and grow greens through the cold months. Horses are allowed and there is RV parking.

Water is public, from the utility district, the house is on septic, and natural gas is available at the road. The road is paved, and Interstate 40 is five miles away.

About Crossville, Tennessee

Crossville, the Cumberland County seat, is about 10 minutes away, with Cumberland Medical Center, part of Covenant Health, with nearly 100 physicians in about 30 specialties. Fairfield Glade, the large retirement and golf community, is about 15 minutes, which is why Crossville calls itself the golf capital of Tennessee. Knoxville is a little over an hour east and Nashville under two hours west. The honest trade-off: this is a town built around retirees and visitors, so local paychecks lean on healthcare, retail and services.

AHO Score: 75/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	17	25
Land / Usability	15	20
Condition	12	20
Practical Location	13	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	75	100

The math. $249,000 over 3.59 acres is $69,359 an acre, against a Cumberland County benchmark of $5,023 — 46th cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $18,033, or 7.2% of the price, and the house works out to $162 a square foot. Taxes run about $560 a year. The house is priced below a recent appraisal, and a recent home inspection is available to read. The level land, the greenhouse, the pond, the metal roof and the location push the score up; the to-do list and the financing limits hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The one home on this page that asks the most of its next owner: it needs some care and sells as-is, so the plan is to move in and work through the list room by room. It is not eligible for FHA, VA or USDA loans, so it is cash or conventional only, which narrows the field and gives a prepared buyer room to negotiate. It suits a gardener who wants a cabin ten minutes from town.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#5 — Winfield, TN — Online Auction — 7.46 acres

A three-level contemporary on 7.46 private acres with a screened porch built for summer dinners, selling at auction

A 2002 contemporary on a gentle rise in Scott County, right up against the Kentucky line, with clean angles, tall windows and three finished levels. Gravel paths wander off into the hardwoods, big oaks shade the lawn and a huge screened porch runs off the back.

Inside the Home

The entrance foyer rises two stories, with a wood staircase climbing to a loft that overlooks the entry. Hardwood floors run across the whole main level, through a living and dining room with a gas fireplace, to a kitchen lined in oak cabinets with built-in ovens and a breakfast nook. The guest bath on this level has a walk-in shower in barn-wood-look tile and opens to the laundry room.

Upstairs, the primary suite has huge windows and a recently updated bath with a tile floor, a walk-in slate-gray tile shower with a rainfall head, a window seat and a solid-surface vanity. Two guest bedrooms share a pass-through closet, and one opens onto the loft. The finished basement adds a rec room with a second fireplace, French doors to a large lower patio, a full bath, an office and storage. Three bedrooms, three full baths and 1,927 square feet of livable area.

Land and Outdoor Potential

7.46 private, rolling acres just off U.S. 27, with gravel paths through the woods and an attached two-car garage with shelving and a floor drain. The screened porch, with a dark stained floor, a plank ceiling and ceiling fans, is the best room on the property.

The house is on public water and public sewer, rare this far out, with natural gas heat. A neighboring tract with a 3,975-square-foot shop building on 3 acres is offered in the same auction.

About Winfield, Tennessee

Winfield is a small town on U.S. 27 at the Kentucky line, and Oneida, a few minutes south, covers groceries, schools and the basics. Oneida also has Big South Fork Medical Center, a small critical access hospital; for anything serious, Knoxville is about an hour and fifteen minutes. The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, more than 100,000 acres of gorges, sandstone arches and trails, is about half an hour away, and Interstate 75 in Kentucky is about 35 minutes. The honest trade-off: Scott County is quiet, and the best jobs here are mostly the ones you bring with you.

AHO Score: 77/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	15	25
Land / Usability	16	20
Condition	18	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	8	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	77	100

The math. There is no asking price: this is an online-only auction, and the listing shows the price as unknown. Bidding closes at noon Eastern on Thursday, November 12, 2026, with an open house on Tuesday, November 10, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern. For a frame of reference, the county appraises the home and land at $203,600, and the tax bill is about $815 a year. At that appraisal, the land would be about 13.5% of the value. The Scott County benchmark is $3,689 an acre, 16th cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties, so the 7.46 acres are worth about $27,520 at the census rate. The condition, the screened porch, the public utilities and the adjoining shop tract push the score up; the unknown final price, scored mid-band, and the distance to a full hospital hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

An auction can be a real opportunity: the home sells on a set day for what the bidders decide, with no negotiation and usually fewer competitors than a Saturday open house. The trade is that you bid with cash or financing arranged in advance, buy as-is with no inspection contingency, may owe a buyer’s premium on top of the winning bid and pay a deposit as soon as you win. Read the full terms, tour it at the open house and set your ceiling before bidding opens.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#4 — Whiteville, TN — $196,000 — 6.29 acres

A 1947 brick bungalow behind white horse fence, on six acres of lawn with a screened porch

A black iron gate and a gravel drive between white horse fence open onto a lawn so wide and green it looks mowed for a tournament. At the far end sits a red brick bungalow from 1947 with an arched front porch and covered parking for three cars, on 6.29 acres in Hardeman County.

Inside the Home

The house feels lived in and cared for. An arched doorway separates the living room from the dining room, a brick fireplace anchors the living room and the kitchen keeps its green-and-black checkerboard floor. There are 3 bedrooms, all on the main floor, and 1 full bath in about 1,323 square feet.

Out back, a screened porch with brick arches and green outdoor carpet is the summer living room. Heat comes from a wall furnace and cooling from window units; there is no central heat or air. The house sits on a slab, and the seller says it needs a little care and is selling as-is.

Land and Outdoor Potential

6.29 acres, mostly open, mowed lawn ringed with trees and wooded at the edges, fenced at the front in white vinyl with a gated gravel drive. There is covered parking for three vehicles plus open parking.

The listing does not specify the water and sewer setup; confirm both, and the condition of the septic if there is one, before you offer.

About Whiteville, Tennessee

Whiteville is about five minutes away, and its two state prisons are among the steadiest employers in Hardeman County. Ford’s BlueOval City megasite at Stanton is about 20 minutes northwest; Ford now plans to build gas-powered trucks there from 2029, and with SK On’s battery plant next door, the two companies say they still intend to hire about 5,800 people. Bolivar, the county seat, is about 20 minutes, with a small new West Tennessee Healthcare hospital, and Jackson-Madison County General, the regional medical center, is about 40 minutes. Memphis is about an hour. The honest trade-off: the BlueOval jobs are promised, not here yet.

AHO Score: 75/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	19	25
Land / Usability	16	20
Condition	13	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	8	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	75	100

The math. $196,000 over 6.29 acres is $31,161 an acre, against a Hardeman County benchmark of $2,804 — 2nd cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $17,637, or 9.0% of the price, and the house works out to $148 a square foot. Taxes run about $353 a year on a county appraisal of $151,500. Hardeman is the second cheapest farm county of the 95 in Tennessee. The price, the six acres, the brick construction and the screened porch push the score up; the missing central heat and air, the single bath and the as-is sale hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

A livable brick house on real acreage at a West Tennessee price, with the upgrade list short and clear: start with a ductless mini-split system before the first July. It suits a family or a buyer betting on BlueOval’s ramp-up as a rental. Do not buy on the factory’s plan alone; buy because the house works for you today.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#3 — Camden, TN — $155,000 — 2.13 acres

A spotless 1941 cottage on two acres with new appliances, a new mini-split and a porch swing already hanging

A tidy white cottage outside Camden, with a front porch framed in white railings and, on the other side, a covered patio with a porch swing. It sits on 2.13 wide-open, mowed acres ringed by tall oaks and hardwoods, with a small shed out back and no restrictions on the land.

Inside the Home

The house is bright and clean. Wood-look laminate floors run through every room, the ceilings are covered in white embossed tiles that look like old pressed tin, and dark wood trim frames the doors and windows. The kitchen is the largest room, 13 by 17 feet, with honey oak cabinets, butcher-block-look counters, a stainless steel range and a side-by-side stainless refrigerator, plus a dishwasher.

The living room is also 13 by 17, and the two bedrooms are matching 11 by 13s. There is 1 full bath. A new mini-split handles heating and cooling, with two window units as backup and a gas wall heater in the living room that still needs to be connected to the gas line. The LG washer and dryer stay. In all, 840 square feet, sold as move-in ready.

Land and Outdoor Potential

2.13 open acres with no restrictions, room for a garden, chickens or a few animals, a small shed and mature shade trees along the edges. There is a covered porch at the front and a covered patio with a swing at the back.

Water is public and the house is on septic. The seller also has an adjoining tract with a tiny home in place, available separately: together they would give a guest house or a rental next door.

About Camden, Tennessee

Camden, the Benton County seat, is about 10 minutes away, with the everyday stores and West Tennessee Healthcare Camden Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital. Kentucky Lake is about 10 minutes east, and across the Tennessee River at New Johnsonville, the Chemours chemical plant is one of the area’s anchor employers. Interstate 40 is about 25 minutes south, which puts Nashville about an hour and a half away and Jackson a little over an hour. The honest trade-off: the local hospital covers emergencies and the basics, and anything specialized means a drive.

AHO Score: 72/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	16	25
Land / Usability	12	20
Condition	18	20
Practical Location	12	15
Charm	6	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	72	100

The math. $155,000 over 2.13 acres is $72,770 an acre, against a Benton County benchmark of $3,196 — 11th cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $6,807, or 4.4% of the price, and the house works out to $185 a square foot. Taxes run about $316 a year on a county appraisal of $77,900. We ran it through our free Price Sanity Check: at Tennessee’s 2026 farmland value the land explains about 9% of the price, and the house itself comes to about $168 a square foot, against a median of about $114 for the 37 Tennessee homes we have featured. That premium is what move-in ready costs. The condition, the new systems and appliances and the unrestricted land push the score up; the small size and a price per square foot above the area norm hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The definition of move-in ready on this page: bring a suitcase and you are home that night. It suits a couple, a retiree or a first-time buyer who wants a small, finished house with room outside. You pay a premium per square foot for that, so ask your agent for recent sales of similar homes in Benton County before you offer.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#2 — Middleton, TN — $109,000 — 3.02 acres

A storybook cottage with a green metal roof on three acres, with a bedroom tucked under the eaves

A white cottage with a steep green metal roof and a front porch with white railings under its own little gable, sitting in the middle of three acres of lawn outside Middleton, a few miles from the Mississippi line.

Inside the Home

The living room rises into a vaulted ceiling with windows on every side and dark plank floors that look brand new. A white staircase climbs along one wall to the second floor, where a bedroom sits right under the roofline, with built-in drawers set into the sloped knee walls. The living and dining area together measure 14 by 23 feet.

Downstairs, the kitchen is white and simple, with tile floors and plenty of cabinets, and the bathroom has a full tub-and-shower. There are 2 bedrooms and 1 bath in 998 square feet, built in 2000 and clean enough to move into the week you close. Heat is electric and cooling comes from window units.

Land and Outdoor Potential

3.02 acres of open lawn with some trees and room for a garden or animals, and a gravel and dirt drive with open parking.

Water is a private well and the house is on septic. Test the well before closing: Tennessee does not require it at sale.

About Middleton, Tennessee

Middleton is a town of about 650 people, five minutes away, and it punches above its size: local industry employs more than 1,000 people, including TK Elevator’s plant and an EP Minerals kiln that turns local clay into absorbent products such as cat litter. Bolivar, the county seat, is about 25 minutes north, and for a full hospital, Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Mississippi, is about 35 minutes. Memphis is about an hour and twenty minutes. The honest trade-off: your nearest big hospital is across a state line, so make sure your health plan covers it.

AHO Score: 75/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	20	25
Land / Usability	13	20
Condition	17	20
Practical Location	11	15
Charm	7	10
Future Potential	7	10
Total	75	100

The math. $109,000 over 3.02 acres is $36,093 an acre, against a Hardeman County benchmark of $2,804 — 2nd cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $8,468, or 7.8% of the price, and the house works out to $109 a square foot. Taxes run about $449 a year on a county appraisal of $99,200. Like Whiteville, Middleton is in Hardeman, the second cheapest farm county in Tennessee. The price, the clean condition, the three acres and the storybook look push the score up; the well, the window units and the small size hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

A simple, finished house at a price that fits a modest budget, near a cluster of factory jobs that keeps rentals in demand. It suits a first-time buyer, a retiree or an investor. Have the well tested for bacteria and nitrates, and budget for a mini-split when you can.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#1 — Memphis, TN — $55,000 — 0.2 acres

A fully rehabbed 1935 cottage in Memphis, the one city house on this page

This one breaks the pattern, and we say so up front: it is not a country home. It is a 1935 cottage in the Westwood neighborhood of southwest Memphis, on a level, fenced lot of about a fifth of an acre that backs up to a wall of trees. It is here because it is the most finished house for the money in this batch.

Inside the Home

It has been rehabbed top to bottom: new siding, a new roof, new gray plank floors, new fixtures, central heat and air and double-pane windows. The eat-in kitchen is white, with granite-look counters, and the bathroom has a wood-look tile accent wall around the tub.

The bedroom count is unclear. The seller’s description says 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, while the listing data and the room list show a third room and 986 square feet; count the rooms yourself at the showing.

Land and Outdoor Potential

About 0.2 acres, 63 by 141 feet, level and fenced in chain link, with a tree line at the back that gives the yard its park-like view. This is a city lot, not land.

The house is on public water and public sewer, with cable available.

About Memphis, Tennessee

Methodist South Hospital is about 10 minutes away, and Regional One Health downtown, the region’s Level I trauma center, about 20. The FedEx World Hub at Memphis International Airport, the city’s largest private employer, is about 15 minutes, and Graceland about 10. Southaven, Mississippi, with its shopping, is about 10 minutes south. The honest trade-off: this is a city neighborhood, so drive the street at night and research the schools before you buy.

AHO Score: 65/100 — Niche Opportunity

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	21	25
Land / Usability	3	20
Condition	18	20
Practical Location	13	15
Charm	3	10
Future Potential	7	10
Total	65	100

The math. $55,000 over 0.2 acres is $275,000 an acre, against a Shelby County benchmark of $5,264 — 52nd cheapest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The land is worth about $1,053, or 1.9% of the price, and the house works out to $56 a square foot. Zillow shows this as a foreclosure with an estimated price of $55,000; confirm the actual asking price with the listing agent. Taxes run about $557 a year on a county appraisal of $42,300, and FHA financing is allowed. The low price, the rehab and the city services push the score up; the tiny lot, the city setting and the unclear bedroom count hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The cheapest move-in ready house on this page, and the only one that is not in the country. It suits an investor, a first-time buyer who works in Memphis or anyone who wants a finished house for the price of a new pickup. A bank-owned sale comes as-is, so get your own inspection and walk the neighborhood first.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

Final Thoughts on Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee

Three things came out of this batch that were not obvious before the numbers were on the table. The first is where the value clustered. The cheapest farm counties on the list, Hardeman and Hardin, produced three of the best buys: the Counce Cape Cod at about $130 a square foot with a shop and a pond, and two Hardeman homes at $196,000 and $109,000 on more than three acres each. East Tennessee, where Blount and Grainger rank 87th and 61st, gave the most scenery and the highest prices.

The second is that price per acre and price per square foot tell opposite stories. The Whiteville bungalow has the cheapest acre with an asking price, about $31,200, while the Memphis lot works out to about $275,000 an acre because almost all of its price is the building. Yet the Memphis house has the cheapest square foot at about $56, and the Rutledge stone farmhouse the most expensive at about $250. Neither number means anything alone. Read them together, and always against the county benchmark.

The third is that the best value was not the cheapest property. The $55,000 Memphis cottage is finished, but it is a city lot. The homes that give the most for the money are the ones where a sound house comes with ground you can use, like the Counce home’s shop and pond or the Rutledge farm’s ten acres. When you compare country homes for sale in Tennessee, the question is never only what it costs. It is what the house still needs, what the septic and the well can carry, and what your loan will allow. Go stand on it before you decide.

A Checklist for Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee

Before you make an offer on any of the country homes for sale in Tennessee, on this page or anywhere else, work through this list with the county assessor, an inspector, an insurance agent and a title company, not with the listing.

1. Decide what move-in ready means to you. Write down the three things you could not live without on day one, usually heat, cooling and a working bathroom, and check each one in person. A wall furnace and window units can be fine for a year; they are not the same as central air.
2. Ask for the disclosure, not the disclaimer. Under sections 66-5-201 through 210 of the Tennessee Code, you can ask for the full disclosure statement before you sign. If the seller offers only an “as is” disclaimer, as banks and auction sellers usually do, budget for a thorough inspection.
3. Estimate your own tax bill. Look up the parcel on the county assessor’s site, multiply the appraised value by 25% and by the local rate, and ask when the county next reappraises. None of these homes reaches the 15 acres needed for agricultural greenbelt.
4. Test the well yourself. Tennessee requires no water test at sale. Order a bacteria and nitrate test at minimum, and ask the seller for the well’s age and depth.
5. Pull the septic permit before planning any addition. Ask the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, or the county health department, for the original permit, and have the tank inspected and pumped. A second bathroom can depend on it.
6. Match the house to the loan. Check USDA Rural Development eligibility for the address, and ask the listing agent whether the home will pass an FHA, VA or USDA appraisal. If it is cash or conventional only, know why before you offer.
7. Price the insurance and the storm risk. Get a homeowners quote before the inspection, and ask about the roof’s age. Tennessee sees severe storms and tornadoes in spring and late fall, so ask whether the home has a safe room or a basement.
8. Drive the route at the hours you will use it. Time the run to the nearest hospital, grocery store and job, and drive mountain and plateau roads after rain or a freeze before you commit.

Common Questions About Country Homes for Sale in Tennessee

You Might Also Like

• Buying Rural Property in Tennessee — our state guide, with land values by region and the costs most buyers miss.
• The Best Counties in Tennessee for Homesteading — where the land, the rules and the soil line up for a working homestead.
• Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage — our earlier Tennessee batch, built around creeks, rivers and lakes.
• Property Taxes in Tennessee — how the 25% assessment, county rates and reappraisals work for a buyer.
• Price Sanity Check — our free tool that splits any listing into its land and its house.
• The Rural Property Buyer’s Field Guide — the free guide and printable checklist for every walkthrough.