Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage: 10 Real Listings and What the Land Is Really Worth

In Chester County, Tennessee, farm land and buildings average $2,781 an acre. In Davidson County, home to Nashville, the same census puts it at $12,414. That is a 4.5-times spread inside one state, and it is the first thing anyone shopping homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage should know. The acreage is priced by the county it sits in, and the county you pick can matter as much as the house you pick.

Here is the second thing, and it is the finding that organized this whole article. Across the nine priced properties below, the bare land is worth an average of just 9.1% of the asking price. On a $350,000 brick house with three acres in Warren County, the dirt underneath is worth about $19,740. When you buy a home with acreage in Tennessee, roughly nine dollars out of every ten are paying for the house, the well or water line, the septic, the outbuildings and the roof. The acres themselves are the cheap part.

This guide has two halves, and they age very differently. The first half is permanent: what an acre actually costs in each of the nine counties in this batch, drawn from the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, how the price per acre of a house behaves as the acreage grows, and the Tennessee rules that decide how your land is taxed. The county figures are stable and worth bookmarking. The second half is a moment in time: ten real homes with acreage that were listed in September 2026, from $85,000 to $350,000 on 2.13 to 11 acres. Treat them as evidence, not as inventory.

Two honest disclosures before you scroll. The first property on the list is selling at a live public auction, so its listed price is a placeholder rather than a real asking price, and the chapter explains exactly what that means. And one of the ten, a 415-square-foot cabin on 6.25 acres, has no bedroom at all. Both are flagged again in their own sections.

Watch the Full Tour

Every property below is walked through on video, with the photographs, the acreage and the price. The article is the reference. The video is the tour.

Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage: the numbers in short

• Statewide average: farm land and buildings in Tennessee average $5,156 an acre across 95 counties (USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture).
• Cheapest county: Chester, at $2,781 an acre. Most expensive: Davidson, at $12,414.
• The land is the small part of the price. Across the nine priced listings below, the bare land is worth an average of 9.1% of the asking price, from 5.3% to 16.8%.
• Price range in this batch: $85,000 to $350,000, plus one live auction, on 2.13 to 11 acres.
• Greenbelt starts at 15 acres. Tennessee’s agricultural and forest property-tax classification needs at least 15 acres; open space needs at least 3, under Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 67-5-1001 to 1050.
• Residential property is assessed at 25% of its appraised value in Tennessee, and the state has no income tax on wages.

What You’ll Find: Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage

The permanent half of this page comes first, because it is the part that still works a year from now. Below you will find what an acre is worth in every county this batch touches, why a small parcel always looks more expensive per acre than a large one, and what the benchmark does and does not measure. After that comes the dated snapshot: ten listings, their numbers and an honest read on each. Anyone comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage should read the county table before a single listing, because it is the table that tells you whether a price per acre is telling you anything at all.

Tennessee has 95 counties and 63,105 farms working 10,732,951 acres. The nine counties below are the ones where this batch of homes sits, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. The last column shows what five acres of farm ground is worth at that county’s census average, which is the fastest way to see how much the county moves the land value.

Rank of 95	County	Region	Avg $/Acre	5 Acres at That Rate	Acres in Farms
6	Hardin	West	$3,021	$15,105	121,675
9	Wayne	Middle (south-central)	$3,142	$15,710	136,826
13	Carroll	West	$3,459	$17,295	179,424
21	Overton	Upper Cumberland	$4,036	$20,180	155,629
38	Lawrence	Middle (south-central)	$4,579	$22,895	238,241
44	Grundy	Cumberland Plateau	$4,988	$24,940	29,669
52	Shelby	West (Memphis)	$5,264	$26,320	90,742
77	Warren	Middle (Highland Rim)	$6,580	$32,900	147,088
91	Washington	East (Tri-Cities)	$9,728	$48,640	97,476
—	Tennessee (state)	All 95 counties	$5,156	$25,780	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 Tennessee counties were read from the published table and reconcile exactly to the state totals of 63,105 farms and 10,732,951 acres, with no county suppressed. Rank is out of 95, where 1 is the cheapest.

Why the Same Five Acres Costs Three Times as Much

The spread in that table is not random. Four structural things set the price of an acre in Tennessee, and each of them is also a description of what daily life is like in that county.

• Distance from a metro payroll. Washington County sits inside the Tri-Cities and Warren County is within reach of Nashville’s outer ring. Hardin, Wayne and Carroll counties are an hour or more from any city of size. Land values follow commuters, and where commuters stop, prices drop.
• West Tennessee farm country is priced by farmers. The six cheapest counties in the state are all in the west, where the land is flat, agricultural and bought mostly by people who farm it. Hardin at $3,021 and Carroll at $3,459 both sit in that band.
• The plateau and the south-central hills trade on scenery, not soil. Overton, Grundy and Wayne counties have thin, rocky ground that grows timber better than row crops. Their land is cheap for farming and increasingly valued for views, which is why prices there are rising from a low base.
• The Nashville effect radiates outward. Rutherford ($10,250), Williamson ($7,148) and Davidson ($12,414) pull up every county within commuting range. Warren County, at $6,580 and 77th of 95, is starting to feel it.

What the Acreage Actually Costs With a House On It

Here is the caveat that keeps this table honest. The USDA census measures agricultural land and the buildings on working farms. It is the right tool for comparing one county with another and the wrong number to quote at a closing. Nobody will sell you five acres with a house, a septic system and a driveway at $3,021 an acre because the Hardin County average says so.

What the benchmark is good for is showing you how little of your money is buying dirt. Across the nine priced properties below, the bare land is worth 9.1% of the asking price on average. The highest share is 16.8%, on the 6.25-acre cabin in Overton County, where the building is tiny; the lowest is 5.3%, on 2.13 acres in Lawrence County, where the house is a century-old brick home. The more house there is, the less the acreage matters to the price.

That is also why price per acre is the most misleading number in any listing of homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage. The 11-acre property in this batch works out to $27,264 an acre; the 3-acre property works out to $116,667. That does not make the smaller parcel’s land four times better. It means the house is divided over fewer acres. Compare price per acre only between parcels of similar size, and compare price per square foot only between houses of similar age.

The Tennessee Rules That Decide How Your Acreage Is Taxed

Three rules shape the carrying cost of any home with acreage in Tennessee, and all three are set at the state level.

• Greenbelt needs 15 acres for farm or forest use. The Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976 (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 67-5-1001 to 1050) lets qualifying land be taxed on its use value instead of its market value. Agricultural and forest classification needs at least 15 acres; open space needs at least 3 and carries its own conditions. First-time applications are due to the county assessor by March 15.
• Leaving Greenbelt costs rollback taxes. If classified land is converted to another use, the owner pays back the difference in tax for the previous three years on agricultural and forest land, and five years on open space.
• Residential property is assessed at 25%. Tennessee taxes a home at 25% of its appraised value, multiplied by the county and city rate. That is why the annual tax bills in this batch run from $167 to $1,707 even on multi-acre parcels.

Not one of the ten properties below reaches the 15-acre threshold. The closest is 11 acres in Carroll County. That is not a flaw in the batch; it is the honest shape of the market. Most homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage sit between two and ten acres, which is enough land for a garden, chickens, a shop and privacy, and not enough to change your property tax class.

September 2026 Snapshot: Ten Real Listings

These ten homes were listed in September 2026. Each one sits on at least two acres, and together they cover every region of the state: the Tri-Cities in the east, the Highland Rim and the Cumberland Plateau in the middle, the Tennessee River corner at Pickwick, and the farm country north of Memphis. Here they are side by side.

#	Town	County	Price	Acres	Price / Acre	AHO Score
10	McMinnville	Warren	$350,000	3	$116,667	73/100
9	Crawford	Overton	$310,000	5.07	$61,144	74/100
8	Cedar Grove	Carroll	$299,900	11	$27,264	81/100
7	Altamont	Grundy	$270,000	3.09	$87,379	72/100
6	Counce	Hardin	$199,900	4.02	$49,726	71/100
5	Iron City	Lawrence	$185,000	2.13	$86,854	74/100
4	Crawford	Overton	$150,000	6.25	$24,000	75/100
3	Collinwood	Wayne	$130,000	4.01	$32,419	65/100
2	Millington	Shelby	$85,000	2.22	$38,288	66/100
1	Johnson City	Washington	Auction	5.27	—	76/100

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 actually show. Where the data is missing, the property is scored mid-band and the gap is stated rather than filled in with optimism. The full methodology is published 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 81 and the lowest is 65. The two lowest are the two houses that need real work, which is where they should land. It is an editorial tool for comparison — not an appraisal, an inspection, or investment advice.

Published September 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 Greenbelt rules and the checklist at the bottom stay accurate regardless. For the wider picture on buying rural ground in this state, start with our Tennessee rural property guide, and if you want the next batch of homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage before it goes public, the form below is how you get it.

The ten properties

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

#10 — McMinnville, TN — $350,000 — 3 acres

A three-story brick house built to face the creek, with a glass room hanging over the water

Three acres in Warren County, and before you see the house you hear it: a creek running over a wide bed of flat limestone along the back of the property. Then the house appears, and it is not what anyone expects out in the country. A stately red-brick home, three full stories tall, with dormers across the roof and every rear window turned toward the water.

Inside the Home

2,524 square feet across three floors, built in 2007, with three bedrooms, one full bath and two half baths. The ground floor is the arrival level: a wide foyer that can become an office or a playroom, a bedroom, and a genuinely large mudroom off the oversized carport. The second floor is where the house lives. A fully equipped kitchen with a built-in snack bar opens into a dining and living room under soaring ceilings, and beyond it sits the room the whole house was built around: a glassed sunroom with a two-story wall of windows and French doors, looking straight down at the moving water.

The primary bedroom, a full bath with a double vanity and the laundry room share that second floor, so everyday life happens on one level. The third floor is its own world, an immense bedroom under the eaves with extra storage and its own half bath. Cherry-toned hardwood and tile run through the house. Read the bath count carefully: three bathrooms means one shower for the whole house.

Land and Outdoor Potential

Three acres with water on the back line, and the house is designed around it. Balconies are stacked one above another across the rear, so every floor has its own seat over the creek, and you can see the water from every back window. The exterior is brick under a metal roof, which is about as low-maintenance a shell as a house can have. There is an oversized carport, a covered porch, and a new survey already completed, so the boundaries are settled before you sign.

This is not a farm parcel. The land is creek frontage and lawn rather than pasture, and it is sized for privacy and the view rather than livestock. For buyers looking at homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage mainly for the setting, that is the right trade.

About McMinnville, Tennessee

McMinnville, the Warren County seat, is about fifteen minutes away and calls itself the Nursery Capital of the World: more than 450 plant nurseries operate around the county, a $300 million-a-year industry, alongside some fifty manufacturing plants. Ascension Saint Thomas River Park is the hospital, in town. Cumberland Caverns and Rock Island State Park are both close. Nashville is about an hour and twenty minutes northwest, Chattanooga about an hour and a half. The honest trade-off: no interstate runs through Warren County, so every long trip starts on two-lane roads.

AHO Score: 73/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	16	25
Land / Usability	12	20
Condition	17	20
Practical Location	12	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	7	10
Total	73	100

The math. $350,000 over three acres is $116,667 an acre, against a Warren County benchmark of $6,580 — 77th of 95 counties, in the expensive third of the state. The bare land is worth about $19,740, or 5.6% of the price. At $139 a square foot, the house itself is priced at the low end of this batch, and the county’s own tax roll values the property at $474,700, well above the asking price, with an annual tax bill of about $1,435. Condition and charm carry the score; the creek frontage and the single shower hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

This is the most house on the list and the best-built shell, and the creek is not decoration — it is the reason the house exists. Get a flood zone determination and an insurance quote before you offer, because the same water that sells it can cost you. It is for someone who wants brick, space and a view of moving water, and who does not mind stairs.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#9 — Crawford, TN — $310,000 — 5.07 acres

A pine-ceilinged cabin on the Cumberland Plateau with a view that runs for miles

Just over five acres on the ridges of Overton County, and the first thing you register is how far you can see. The land falls away into folds of hardwood forest in every direction. The house sits in a wide mowed clearing, a blue-gray cabin under a metal roof, with a covered porch wrapping around it.

Inside the Home

2,114 square feet, built in 2005, with two bedrooms, two full baths and a half bath. The great room is the reason to walk through: a vaulted ceiling of tongue-and-groove pine, a gable end that is all glass, and a wood-burning fireplace in a stone surround. On a January night on this ridge, that fireplace does real work. Hardwood and tile run throughout, and the kitchen comes with the dishwasher, refrigerator, electric range and microwave. Central heat and air.

The primary bedroom opens through French doors onto the porch, and there is a home office with a view. The lower level is partially finished, with a flex room that could become a third bedroom, a half bath and an attached basement garage. Until that flex room is finished with proper egress, count this as a two-bedroom house.

Land and Outdoor Potential

5.07 acres, irregular in shape, mostly wooded with a cleared, mowed area around the house. The wraparound porch, a balcony and a spacious deck give three separate outdoor rooms. The property is tucked away for privacy, yet it is about twenty minutes to Interstate 40. Public water and a septic system serve the house, so there is no well to maintain.

This is a view parcel rather than a pasture parcel: the slope that gives you the long view also limits how much of it is flat enough to garden or fence. For a buyer shopping homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage who wants privacy and scenery first, it is exactly right.

About Crawford, Tennessee

Crawford is a crossroads on the Cumberland Plateau at close to 1,900 feet, in Overton County. Interstate 40 at Monterey is about twenty minutes south, and that on-ramp is what makes the address work. Cookeville is about forty minutes away, home to Tennessee Tech University and Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the main referral hospital for the Upper Cumberland. Knoxville is roughly an hour and a half east and Nashville about two hours west. The honest trade-off: the roads in between are steep, winding and slow when ice comes.

AHO Score: 74/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	15	25
Land / Usability	14	20
Condition	18	20
Practical Location	10	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	74	100

The math. $310,000 over 5.07 acres is $61,144 an acre, against an Overton County benchmark of $4,036 — 21st of 95. The bare land is worth about $20,460, or 6.6% of the price. At $147 a square foot the house is fairly priced for its age and finish, and the county tax roll value of $291,800 sits close to the asking price, with an annual tax bill of about $975. Condition and charm carry the score; the drive to a hospital holds it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The best-looking interior on the list, in the most scenic setting. The honest limit is the bedroom count: it is a two-bedroom house with a promising lower level, and your offer should be built on two. It is for someone who wants a finished plateau cabin to live in or rent, and who can work from home.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#8 — Cedar Grove, TN — $299,900 — 11 acres

Eleven level acres, a shop, and no covenants telling you what to do with any of it

Eleven acres in Carroll County, West Tennessee: level ground in front, a stand of hardwoods behind, and a long white ranch house with dark shutters set back from the highway under a shade oak. It is outside the city limits, in no subdivision, with no restrictive covenants.

Inside the Home

1,786 square feet on one level, built in 1951 and updated where the money matters. The roof is about three years old. The windows are new. So is the water heater, and the house has fresh paint throughout. The kitchen was remodeled with deep navy-blue cabinets, white tile counters, stainless appliances, an electric cooktop and a range hood. Three bedrooms and two full baths, all on the main level, with a double vanity in the primary bath.

The dimensions are generous. The dining room is 23 by 12 feet. The den is 17 by 16, built around a wood-burning stove set into a brick fireplace with arched built-in bookcases on either side. A second fireplace with gas logs gives the house a backup heat source. The primary bedroom is 17 by 12. Hardwood and tile floors, ceiling fans, and a separate laundry room.

Land and Outdoor Potential

This is the largest parcel in the batch and the most usable. The front is open and level, the back half is wooded, and the property has a workshop with a roll-up door plus a separate storage building, with a two-car garage attached at the rear of the house and room for two more vehicles outside. Natural gas and electricity are connected, and a private water source and septic serve the house.

Eleven acres is still four short of Tennessee’s 15-acre Greenbelt threshold for agricultural classification, so plan on standard residential taxes. But for a buyer comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage, this is the parcel that gives you the most room to raise animals, run equipment and build without asking anyone.

About Cedar Grove, Tennessee

Jackson is about twenty-five minutes southwest, and that is where the jobs and the big hospital are: Jackson-Madison County General, the flagship of West Tennessee Healthcare and Jackson’s largest employer, plus Union University. Huntingdon, the Carroll County seat, is about twenty minutes north, with Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County for closer care. Interstate 40 is about twenty-five minutes away. Nashville is two hours east and Memphis under two hours west. The honest trade-off: this is farm country, and every errand is a drive.

AHO Score: 81/100 — Strong AHO Pick

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	18	25
Land / Usability	19	20
Condition	16	20
Practical Location	12	15
Charm	7	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	81	100

The math. $299,900 over 11 acres is $27,264 an acre, the lowest price per acre in the batch after the cabin at #4, against a Carroll County benchmark of $3,459 — 13th cheapest of 95. The bare land is worth about $38,050, or 12.7% of the price, and the annual tax bill is about $685. At $168 a square foot the house is not cheap for 1951, but the new roof, windows and kitchen take the biggest costs off the list. Land and value carry the score; the house’s age holds condition back.

Mark’s Verdict

The strongest overall value on the list and the only parcel with real room to farm. The honest caveat is the bones: the updates are real, but the house is 75 years old on a combination foundation, so get under it before you close. It is for someone who wants space, a shop and freedom from covenants, within a half hour of a real hospital.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#7 — Altamont, TN — $270,000 — 3.09 acres

A working food forest next to Savage Gulf, with a barn, a tiny house and a storm shelter

Three acres on top of the Cumberland Plateau in Grundy County, and this one is not a lawn. It is a mini-farm with a mature food forest: blueberries, pear and apple trees, grapevines on a trellis and beds of flowers, all fenced and cross-fenced, with water spigots set around the property.

Inside the Home

1,800 square feet on one level: a 1997 manufactured home on its own land, with three bedrooms and two full baths. The great room is the headline at 22 by 17 feet, with a stone corner hearth and a wood stove. The owners added a sunroom across the front of the house with windows on every side, the kind of bright room that starts seedlings in February.

The kitchen measures 13 by 12 with a separate 13-by-13 dining room beside it. The bedrooms are unusually large: two at 15 by 13 and the third at 13 by 13. The house was set up for accessibility, with a ramped approach, accessible doors and an accessible entrance, which is rare at any price.

Land and Outdoor Potential

This is the most complete small homestead in the batch. Beyond the fruit, the property has a large two-car garage with a shop, a big wooden barn, a tiny house that works as a guest cottage or studio, a concrete storm shelter, several more outbuildings and an irrigation system. It is a corner lot, served by a well and a septic system.

Three acres is not much ground, and that is the point: this parcel shows how much a well-planned small property can produce. Anyone comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage should look at this one to recalibrate what three acres can hold.

About Altamont, Tennessee

Altamont is the Grundy County seat, a small town on top of the mountain. Savage Gulf State Park is minutes away, along with Greeter Falls and the Stone Door, a narrow break in the bluff where the trail drops through the rock. Grundy County has no hospital of its own; the nearest is Ascension Saint Thomas River Park in McMinnville, about thirty-five minutes. Monteagle and Interstate 24 are about twenty-five minutes south, and Chattanooga roughly an hour. The honest trade-off: local jobs are few, and most working households drive off the mountain.

AHO Score: 72/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	16	25
Land / Usability	15	20
Condition	14	20
Practical Location	9	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	72	100

The math. $270,000 over 3.09 acres is $87,379 an acre, against a Grundy County benchmark of $4,988 — 44th of 95. The bare land is worth about $15,410, or 5.7% of the price. At $150 a square foot for a 1997 manufactured home the house is not the value; the barn, the tiny house, the shelter and the orchard are. The annual tax bill is about $368. Land use and future potential carry the score; the drive to a hospital holds it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The most productive three acres on this list, next to one of the best state parks in Tennessee. The honest limit is labor: a food forest does not take the summer off, and this is not a lock-and-leave property. It is for someone who wants to eat off their own land and rent a tiny house to hikers.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#6 — Counce, TN — $199,900 — 4.02 acres

A beamed-ceiling cabin under tall pines, with solar on the roof and Pickwick minutes away

Four acres of tall pine and hardwood in Hardin County, a few minutes from Pickwick Dam and the Tennessee River. The house is a cabin-style home under a metal roof with solar panels, wrapped by a broad wooden deck, part open and part covered.

Inside the Home

962 square feet, built in 1991, with three bedrooms, one full bath and a half bath. The living room opens up to a vaulted ceiling crossed with exposed wood beams, which is what gives this small house its airy feel. Wood-look vinyl floors run throughout, and the compact kitchen has rich wood cabinets, the range, the refrigerator and recessed lighting, opening straight into the living area.

Laundry hookups are on the main floor, and the house has central heat and air. The three bedrooms are cozy rather than grand, which is the trade this house makes: small rooms, a big deck, and woods outside every window.

Land and Outdoor Potential

4.02 acres, irregular and heavily wooded, with 230 feet of frontage on an asphalt road and a gravel drive curving through the trees. The deck is the outdoor living room, with a covered section for grilling. A shed keeps equipment secured and dry. Public water and electricity are connected, with a septic system on site.

The land is timber, not pasture, and clearing it would cost money and the reason you bought it. For a buyer looking at homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage as a lake-area retreat, the trees are the asset.

About Counce, Tennessee

Counce sits on the Tennessee River minutes from Pickwick Dam and Pickwick Landing State Park, in the corner where Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama meet. Packaging Corporation of America runs a large containerboard mill here, and the Tennessee Valley Authority runs the dam. Hardin Medical Center in Savannah is about twenty-five minutes north, and Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Mississippi, a full regional hospital, is about thirty-five minutes south. The honest trade-off is big-city distance: Memphis is roughly two hours west.

AHO Score: 71/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	15	25
Land / Usability	14	20
Condition	14	20
Practical Location	12	15
Charm	8	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	71	100

The math. $199,900 over 4.02 acres is $49,726 an acre, against a Hardin County benchmark of $3,021 — the 6th cheapest county in Tennessee. The bare land is worth about $12,140, or 6.1% of the price. At $208 a square foot this is the second most expensive house per foot in the batch, which is the lake premium showing. The annual tax bill is about $556. Location and land carry the score; the small house and the as-is sale hold it down.

Mark’s Verdict

A lake-country cabin in the cheapest land county in this batch, and the price reflects the lake more than the land. It is sold as is, so the inspection is for pricing your offer, and you should ask in writing who owns the solar panels and whether they are paid off. It is for someone who wants a weekend base near Pickwick that can also pay its way as a rental.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#5 — Iron City, TN — $185,000 — 2.13 acres

A 1920s brick house with Craftsman trim, a new roof and a creek across the back yard

2.13 acres in the Shoal Creek valley of southern Lawrence County. Up front, a large level lot with an open garden space. Out back, a stream called Buck Branch runs across the property and splits the yard from a stand of woods.

Inside the Home

1,344 square feet on one level, built in 1920, with 9- and 10-foot ceilings, Craftsman-style trim and solid wood doors throughout. You enter through a foyer. The kitchen and dining area are wrapped in warm wood paneling with a raised brick hearth, and the dining space is large enough to serve as a second living room. The layout works as two or three bedrooms, and the front bedroom has its own exterior door, which suits a home office or guest room.

Two full bathrooms with classic yellow tile and stained-glass-style windows. Central heat and air. The washer, dryer and refrigerator are about two years old and stay with the stove. Flooring is a mix of carpet, tile and vinyl, and high-speed internet is available.

Land and Outdoor Potential

The lot is level and open in front, which is rare in these hills, and the garden space is ready to plant. Behind Buck Branch the property turns to woods. There is a large attached carport, a garage, covered front and back porches, and an open-sided shed. The roof is new, put on in 2023. Public water serves the house, with a septic system.

Two acres is modest, and this is the smallest parcel in the batch. What it offers anyone comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage is the combination: a garden, a creek and a century-old house in sound condition, for less than many new-build lots.

About Iron City, Tennessee

Iron City is small, about 270 people at the 2020 census, a town that grew up around an iron foundry and the railroad in the 1880s. Shoal Creek is two minutes away for kayaking. Loretto is about fifteen minutes for groceries and essentials, and Lawrenceburg, the county seat, is further up the road. Florence, Alabama, is about twenty-five minutes south, with North Alabama Medical Center, the University of North Alabama and the Shoals job market. The honest trade-off: Iron City itself has almost no retail.

AHO Score: 74/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	18	25
Land / Usability	12	20
Condition	16	20
Practical Location	12	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	7	10
Total	74	100

The math. $185,000 over 2.13 acres is $86,854 an acre, against a Lawrence County benchmark of $4,579 — 38th of 95. The bare land is worth about $9,750, or 5.3% of the price, the lowest share in the batch. At $138 a square foot this is the cheapest house per foot among the move-in-ready homes, and the county tax roll value is $127,600 with an annual tax bill of about $641. Condition and charm carry the score; the small parcel holds land back.

Mark’s Verdict

The best-kept older house on the list, and the most character per dollar. The vintage finishes are a matter of taste, not structure, but a century-old house still deserves a look at its wiring and crawl space. It is for someone who wants a real old house with a garden and a creek, and a job or a hospital across the Alabama line.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#4 — Crawford, TN — $150,000 — 6.25 acres

A 415-square-foot pine cabin on six wooded acres, with fiber internet and an RV hookup

6.25 surveyed acres of hardwood forest in Overton County, entered through one of two gated entrances on a circular gravel drive lined with white three-rail fence. At the center sits a rustic cabin with a barn-style roofline in red metal and a covered front porch.

Inside the Home

415 square feet, built in 2018, and nearly every surface is wood: knotty pine walls, a vaulted tongue-and-groove ceiling and hardwood floors. It is one open room with a sitting area, a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, and a sliding barn door to the bathroom, which has a walk-in shower and corrugated-metal walls. A split unit handles heating and cooling.

There is no bedroom. Instead there are two lofts, about 7.5 by 10 and 6 by 10 feet, for sleeping or storage, included in the square footage. Many furnishings and outdoor amenities stay with the sale.

Land and Outdoor Potential

This is the most finished recreational parcel in the batch. There is a covered pavilion and a fire pit ringed with log benches, an RV hookup with water and electric in place, and Twin Lakes fiber-optic internet. A survey and soil map are available, and public water serves the property.

It is not a full-time house as it stands, and anyone shopping homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage should read it as a cabin with land rather than a home with land. But 6.25 wooded acres with utilities, fiber and a finished cabin is a strong starting point for a hunting camp, a rental or a future build.

About Crawford, Tennessee

This is Crawford again, the same plateau crossroads as #9, so look the other direction. Livingston, the Overton County seat, is about twenty minutes away, with Livingston Regional Hospital, a 114-bed facility, and the county’s largest employer, Hutchinson FTS, an automotive parts plant with around 450 workers. The fiber line is not luck: Twin Lakes won a state broadband grant specifically to wire Crawford. Dale Hollow Lake is within an hour. The honest trade-off: Livingston covers the basics, but specialists still mean Cookeville.

AHO Score: 75/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	16	25
Land / Usability	16	20
Condition	17	20
Practical Location	10	15
Charm	8	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	75	100

The math. $150,000 over 6.25 acres is $24,000 an acre, the lowest price per acre in the batch, against the same Overton County benchmark of $4,036. The bare land is worth about $25,230, or 16.8% of the price — the highest land share on the list, because the building is so small. At $361 a square foot the cabin is the most expensive space per foot here, and the annual tax bill is only about $167. Land and condition carry the score; the missing bedroom holds value back.

Mark’s Verdict

The cheapest acre on the list with the most finished amenities on it. The honest caveat is financing: with no bedroom and 415 square feet, lenders and insurers see a cabin, not a house, so plan on cash or a land loan. It is for someone who wants a weekend place or a rental now and room to build later.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#3 — Collinwood, TN — $130,000 — 4.01 acres

A goat barn, a chicken coop and fifty-amp RV service on four acres of Wayne County hills

4.01 partially wooded acres rising from a quiet paved road into the trees. The home is a three-bedroom manufactured house with a long covered front porch, and the land already has the start of a homestead on it.

Inside the Home

1,680 square feet on one level, built in 1990, with three bedrooms and two full baths. The living room is the surprise: a ceiling crossed with wooden beams and a fireplace in a stone surround, with paneled wainscoting below the windows. The dining room has a chandelier and built-in shelving, and the kitchen has a long run of dark wood cabinets with the oven, electric range, dishwasher and refrigerator included.

Laminate floors run throughout. Heat is central electric and cooling comes from wall units. The finishes are tired, and the home needs repairs and updates; the layout is sound and the rooms are generous.

Land and Outdoor Potential

The homestead pieces are already here: a chicken coop, a small open-front goat barn, a storage building, and an RV parking slip with 50-amp service. The property runs on a well and septic. Shade trees stand over the house, and the woods at the back give the land a natural boundary.

Four acres of mixed open and wooded ground is the classic starter homestead size, and for buyers comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage at the lowest price points, this is where livestock-ready land begins.

About Collinwood, Tennessee

Collinwood is about ten minutes away, a town of around 900 where the Natchez Trace Parkway runs right through the city limits and the 1916 railroad depot is now the library and museum. Waynesboro, the Wayne County seat, is about twenty-five minutes north, with Wayne Medical Center for emergencies. Florence, Alabama, is roughly forty minutes south for larger hospitals and bigger payrolls. Locally, work means timber, the schools and county jobs. The honest trade-off: the paycheck is usually a commute.

AHO Score: 65/100 — Niche Opportunity

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	17	25
Land / Usability	15	20
Condition	9	20
Practical Location	10	15
Charm	6	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	65	100

The math. $130,000 over 4.01 acres is $32,419 an acre, against a Wayne County benchmark of $3,142 — the 9th cheapest county in the state. The bare land is worth about $12,600, or 9.7% of the price. At $77 a square foot this is the cheapest house per foot in the batch, which is the repair list talking. The annual tax bill is about $207. Price and land carry the score; condition holds it down hard.

Mark’s Verdict

A real homestead start in one of Tennessee’s cheapest land counties, with the barn and coop already built. Get a contractor’s number before you offer, and line up financing early, because lenders are pickier about older manufactured homes that need work. It is for a hands-on buyer who sees the four acres first and the house second.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#2 — Millington, TN — $85,000 — 2.22 acres

A 1955 cottage on two acres of land Shelby County zoned to stay rural

2.22 acres in the country north of Memphis, with a small 1955 house set back behind a curving gravel drive and open grass on every side. The land is zoned Conservation Agriculture, which is Shelby County’s designation for ground meant to stay rural.

Inside the Home

869 square feet on one story, with two bedrooms and one bath. The main rooms have fresh gray walls, white trim, ceiling fans and new carpet, and the living room has a decorative white mantel. The kitchen is a compact run of wood cabinets with an electric range and refrigerator. Forced-air heat.

Some rooms still show original parquet-style wood floors; others are down to the subfloor. The bathroom is original, with patterned tile and a pedestal sink. It is a compact house with a clear to-do list, priced for an investor or a hands-on buyer.

Land and Outdoor Potential

Two acres of open, mostly level ground with trees along the edges and room to garden, fence a run for animals or add a shop. The zoning is the defining feature: Conservation Agriculture protects the rural character around you, but it also limits subdividing and adding structures, so the use you plan must be confirmed with the county.

This is the only property in the batch inside a metro county, and for anyone looking at homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage within commuting distance of a major city, that is its entire argument.

About Millington, Tennessee

Millington is about ten minutes away for schools, groceries and everyday stops. For a hospital, Methodist North in the Raleigh area of Memphis is about twenty-five minutes, and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton in Covington is about the same. Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, thousands of acres of bottomland forest along the Mississippi, is about twenty minutes west. Downtown Memphis and the FedEx World Hub, the largest private employer in the Memphis area, are both roughly forty minutes south. The honest trade-off: metro county, metro traffic.

AHO Score: 66/100 — Niche Opportunity

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	19	25
Land / Usability	12	20
Condition	9	20
Practical Location	13	15
Charm	5	10
Future Potential	8	10
Total	66	100

The math. $85,000 over 2.22 acres is $38,288 an acre, against a Shelby County benchmark of $5,264 — 52nd of 95, close to the state average. The bare land is worth about $11,690, or 13.7% of the price. At $98 a square foot the house is inexpensive for Shelby County, and the county’s tax roll value of $93,800 sits above the asking price, with an annual tax bill of about $631. Price and location carry the score; condition holds it down.

Mark’s Verdict

The cheapest priced home with acreage on the list, twenty-five minutes from a hospital in Tennessee’s largest county. The caveat is the zoning: before you buy with a plan for a second home or a lot split, call the county planning office. It is for an investor or a first-time rural buyer who wants land near a city and is ready to renovate.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

#1 — Johnson City, TN — Live Auction — 5.27 acres

Creek frontage, a pond and a 2011 home north of Johnson City, selling to the highest bidder

5.27 acres in the rolling hills of the Gray and Boones Creek area north of Johnson City, with Cedar Creek running along the property line and mountains on the horizon. The house is a long single-story home built in 2011, on a paved road with public water.

Inside the Home

1,350 square feet on one level, with two bedrooms and two full baths. The plan is open from end to end: a great room under vaulted ceilings with crown molding flows into the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen has a large center island, double wall ovens, a separate range, stainless appliances and a full wall of wood cabinets. The primary suite is generously sized.

Some of it is unfinished. Flooring, paint, fixtures and cosmetic touches are waiting in places, and one bathroom still shows open framing. The structure is young and the layout is done; the finishing is the buyer’s to choose.

Land and Outdoor Potential

This is the most complete acreage package in the batch. Cedar Creek runs along the property line, there is a pond with a small footbridge, an above-ground pool with a deck and a covered pavilion, a storage shed, an attached carport and garage space. The topography slopes gently, so the house sits up with a view across the pastures.

For buyers comparing homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage near a real job market, five acres with creek frontage, public water and paved access this close to a city is rare inventory.

About Johnson City, Tennessee

This is the Gray and Boones Creek side of Johnson City, a growing corner of the Tri-Cities. Ridgeview Elementary and Daniel Boone High School are both within about a mile and a half. Franklin Woods Community Hospital is about fifteen minutes away, with Johnson City Medical Center just beyond it. Tri-Cities Airport is about twenty minutes, and Eastman Chemical’s headquarters in Kingsport, the region’s industrial anchor, about twenty-five. Interstate 26 is minutes away. The honest trade-off: new subdivisions keep coming, and this will not stay the quiet edge of town forever.

AHO Score: 76/100 — Solid Rural Deal

Category	Score	Max
Price / Value	15	25
Land / Usability	16	20
Condition	13	20
Practical Location	14	15
Charm	9	10
Future Potential	9	10
Total	76	100

The math. There is no real price to divide. This property is selling at a live public auction on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 10 a.m., and the $10,000 figure on the listing is not the asking price, the starting bid or the expected sale price; the auction company entered it so the listing would publish on property websites. For a frame of reference, the county tax roll values the property at $399,400, with an annual tax bill of about $1,707. Against a Washington County benchmark of $9,728 an acre — 91st of 95, one of the most expensive counties in the state — the bare land is worth about $51,270, or 12.8% of that roll value. The Price / Value category is scored mid-band because the final price is unknown.

Mark’s Verdict

An auction is one of the few places a house still sells for what the room decides rather than what a seller hopes: no negotiation, no counteroffers, and usually far fewer buyers than an open house. The owner is downsizing and motivated. The trade is the terms: cash or financing arranged in advance, an as-is sale with no inspection contingency, a buyer’s premium on top of the winning bid, and a deposit due when the hammer falls. Read the auctioneer’s terms and walk the property during the preview. It is for a prepared buyer who wants acreage near a city and can finish a house.

👉 View listing on Zillow →

Final Thoughts on Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage

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 strongest score went to 11 acres in Carroll County, one of the cheapest land counties in the state, and four of the five highest scores sit in counties below the state average of $5,156 an acre. Cheap land is not the whole story, but it is where the room to grow was.

The second is that price per acre and price per square foot tell opposite stories. The Crawford cabin is the cheapest acre on the list at $24,000 and the most expensive square foot at $361. The Collinwood house is the cheapest square foot at $77 and one of the cheaper acres. 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 $85,000 house in Millington is a genuine opportunity for the right buyer, but the $299,900 property in Cedar Grove delivers eleven usable acres, a shop and a three-year-old roof for $27,264 an acre. When you shop homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage, the question is never just what it costs. It is what the acreage lets you do. Go stand on it before you decide.

A Checklist for Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage

Before you make an offer on any of the homes for sale in Tennessee with acreage, work through this list with the county, not with the listing.

• Check the Greenbelt math before you count on lower taxes. Agricultural and forest classification needs at least 15 acres, open space at least 3, and first-time applications are due by March 15. Converting classified land triggers rollback taxes for three years (five for open space).
• Pull the flood zone on any creek or river parcel. At least three properties in this batch sit on or next to moving water. A flood determination and an insurance quote belong before the offer, not after.
• Know where the water comes from. Public water, a private well and a spring are three different maintenance and lending conversations. Test any well for flow and quality in writing.
• Get the septic inspected, not just located. In Tennessee, septic permits come from the Department of Environment and Conservation or the county office acting for it; a failing system on acreage is one of the most expensive surprises in rural real estate.
• Confirm zoning and covenants. Cedar Grove has none; Millington is zoned Conservation Agriculture. What you plan to build, split or raise has to be allowed before you buy.
• Read the tax roll, not the Zestimate. Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value. The county’s appraisal and last tax bill tell you the real carrying cost.
• Match the loan to the property. Manufactured homes, cabins without bedrooms and as-is sales narrow the list of lenders. Get a written pre-approval that names the property type.
• Drive the route at rush hour and in bad weather. The hospital, the grocery store and the job are the real distances. Plateau roads in ice and metro traffic near Memphis both change the math.

Common Questions About Homes for Sale in Tennessee With Acreage

What is a good price per acre in Tennessee?

The USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture puts the average value of farm land and buildings in Tennessee at $5,156 an acre across all 95 counties. A good price depends on the county: Chester County averages $2,781, Hardin $3,021 and Wayne $3,142, while Washington County reaches $9,728 and Davidson County $12,414. Always compare against the parcel’s own county.

What’s the cheapest land in Tennessee?

Chester County in West Tennessee has the cheapest farm land in the state, at an average of $2,781 an acre in the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture. Hardeman ($2,804), Decatur ($2,946), McNairy ($2,954), Henderson ($2,956) and Hardin ($3,021) follow. The six cheapest counties in Tennessee are all in the western farm belt.

How much is 20 acres of land worth in Tennessee?

At Tennessee’s statewide census average of $5,156 an acre, 20 acres of farm land is worth about $103,120, according to the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture. The county changes that sharply: 20 acres averages about $55,620 in Chester County and $248,280 in Davidson County. A house, well or septic on the land adds far more.

How many acres do you need for greenbelt in Tennessee?

Tennessee’s Greenbelt law, the Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976 (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 67-5-1001 to 1050), requires at least 15 acres for agricultural or forest classification and at least 3 acres for open space. First-time applications go to the county assessor by March 15, and converting the land later triggers rollback taxes.

How much of a Tennessee home’s price is the land?

Usually a small share. Across nine homes with 2 to 11 acres listed in Tennessee in September 2026, the bare land was worth an average of 9.1% of the asking price at each county’s USDA 2022 census value. The range ran from 5.3% in Lawrence County to 16.8% for a small cabin in Overton County.

How are homes with acreage taxed in Tennessee?

Tennessee assesses residential property, including the land under a home, at 25% of its appraised value, then applies the county and city tax rate. Acreage below the 15-acre Greenbelt threshold is taxed as ordinary residential land. In one September 2026 batch of homes on 2 to 11 acres, annual tax bills ran from $167 to $1,707.

Is Tennessee a good state to buy land?

For many buyers, yes. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, assesses homes at 25% of appraised value, and its average farm land value of $5,156 an acre in the USDA 2022 census sits well below many neighboring markets near cities. The trade-off is distance: the cheapest counties are often an hour from a large hospital.

You Might Also Like

• Buying Rural Property in Tennessee — the full state guide: regions, costs and how the buying process works.
• Best Counties in Tennessee for Homesteading — the twelve cheapest land counties and the homestead rules.
• Property Taxes in Tennessee When Buying Property — how the 25% assessment and county rates add up.
• Why Cheap Rural Homes Don’t Sell — the hidden reasons a low price sits on the market.
• How the AHO Score Works — the full rubric behind every score on this page.

Disclaimer

American Home Opportunities is not a real estate broker, agent, lender, or financial or legal advisor, and is not affiliated with Zillow or with the listing agents for any property shown here. Property information is drawn from public listings and is subject to change without notice — prices, availability and details should be verified independently through the official listing and with a licensed professional before you act on anything here.

The county figures on this page come from the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture and describe the estimated market value of agricultural land and buildings on working farms. They are the right tool for comparing counties and the wrong number to quote at a closing. The AHO Score is an editorial comparison tool, not an appraisal, an inspection or investment advice.

Greenbelt eligibility, zoning, septic and well rules and property tax rates vary by county in Tennessee and change over time. Everything in the checklist above must be confirmed with the county assessor, the county planning and building offices and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the specific parcel you are considering. Rural properties involve wells, septic systems, access, surveys, easements, repairs, insurance and financing that deserve professional review.

Property photographs are from each property’s public listing and remain the copyright of the listing agent, brokerage or photographer. American Home Opportunities is not a real estate brokerage and claims no ownership of these images. Every property above links to its original listing. The article’s cover image is a digital illustration and does not depict a specific property. See our Copyright & Takedown Policy.