Tennessee home loans and THDA down payment assistance, done straight.
Program figures verified July 2026 — details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Cornerstone First Mortgage lends in all 95 Tennessee counties, from Davidson and Williamson in the Nashville MSA to Shelby County in Memphis and Knox County in Knoxville. Real numbers, loans built around your file, run by a branch manager who closes the complicated Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee deals.
A Tennessee-licensed team that runs THDA Great Choice, Chenoa Fund, and Arrive Home programs real Nashville and Memphis buyers actually close on.
Real numbers on your Davidson or Rutherford County purchase. No script. We say plainly when THDA down payment assistance is the wrong move for a Franklin or Brentwood buyer.
First-time in Clarksville, self-employed in Chattanooga, jumbo in Belle Meade, a DSCR investor in the Knoxville rental market: the full toolbox under one roof.
Mike and his Tennessee-licensed team handle every Memphis, Murfreesboro, or Johnson City file directly. No handoffs. You always know where your loan stands.
Pick the path that fits your situation.
Each guide below goes deep on one Tennessee buyer: the Nashville move-up seller, the Shelby County first-timer, the self-employed Chattanooga owner. Land on the answers that fit your county.
Down Payment Assistance
THDA's Great Choice family (with the 10-year forgiveness facts most sites get wrong) plus Chenoa, Arrive, and Essex/NHF national DPA we originate directly. The full 2026 Tennessee map, explained straight.
See Tennessee DPA details →Buy Before You Sell
Bridge financing that removes the contingency from your Nashville or Franklin offer. Buy the next house before your current Williamson County home sells. Brentwood listing agents call this the deal-saver.
See BBYS details →Self-Employed Loans
Bank-statement, 1099, and asset-qualifier paths for the self-employed Chattanooga contractor or Knoxville business owner. Qualify on what your business actually deposits, not what your return shows after Schedule C write-offs.
See Self-Employed details →Jumbo & Doctor Loans
Full doc, alt doc, and super jumbo for Belle Meade and Germantown, plus the Medical Professionals program for Vanderbilt Health and HCA TriStar physicians: up to 100% LTV, no PMI, FICO 680.
See Jumbo / Doctor details →Investor & DSCR Loans
DSCR loans that qualify on rental income and finance below a 1.0 ratio. Short-term-rental and long-term options for Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis investors.
See Investor / DSCR details →First-Time Home Buyer Loans
FHA, USDA, and Conventional 97 with low down payment, plus THDA Great Choice DPA-paired structures. Designed for the real Rutherford or Montgomery County buyer with everyday income and credit, not the perfect-paper applicant.
See First-Time Buyer details →A Tennessee-licensed loan officer, not a call-center voice.
Mike Certo is the Branch Manager at Cornerstone First Mortgage, licensed in all 95 Tennessee counties. He leads a team of Tennessee-licensed loan officers and works the file himself, from a Murfreesboro pre-approval to a Knoxville closing table. No junior LO running your Davidson County purchase behind the scenes. No handoffs mid-escrow in Franklin.
What you get when you work with Mike:
- Direct line. A real cell number and calls back the same day, whether you are buying in Memphis or the Tri-Cities.
- Real numbers. Honest math on THDA Great Choice versus a plain FHA loan for your county, including when down payment assistance is the wrong call.
- Files that close. Complex income docs, Buy Before You Sell contingency removal in Williamson County, Vanderbilt-resident jumbo with student debt, Chattanooga investors at scale.
Common questions.
Why does TN Loan Experts have multiple websites?
Down payment assistance, self-employed, jumbo, and investor buyers each ask different questions, so we built a dedicated Tennessee guide for each one. A first-time buyer in Clarksville needs THDA Great Choice math; a Belle Meade physician needs jumbo Medical Professionals terms. TN Loan Experts is the parent brand that links every Tennessee guide together.
What kind of borrowers do you typically work with?
First-time buyers pairing THDA Great Choice Plus with FHA in Rutherford County, self-employed owners in Chattanooga who need bank-statement or 1099 loans, Vanderbilt and HCA TriStar physicians using the jumbo Medical Professionals program, DSCR investors buying Memphis and Nashville rentals, and move-up sellers in Franklin who need Buy Before You Sell bridge financing.
Do you work with real estate agents?
Yes, we close the complicated Tennessee deals. Williamson County listing agents bring us their contract-contingent-on-buyer-sale files so our bridge removes the contingency. Memphis and Knoxville buyer agents bring the self-employed, complex-doc, or unusual-property files. The For Agents page has the full referral playbook.
What's the fastest way to find out if you can help me?
Call (480) 296-6513 and ask for Mike, or send your Nashville, Memphis, or Chattanooga scenario through the contact form. Our team calls you back shortly, and a full pre-approval usually takes 24 to 48 hours once your credit and income docs are in.
Ready when you are.
Get pre-approved in 24 to 48 hours, or talk to Mike first to figure out which Tennessee path fits, from a Memphis FHA loan to a Nashville jumbo.