Let's Talk Chattanooga Real Estate

About Let's Talk Chattanooga Real Estate

Listening to this podcast will make you smarter, save you money, help you make more informed decisions about your home, and help you through the home selling or buying process. You’ll be armed with knowledge about the Chattanooga real estate market, and you’ll be able to move forward in any real estate transaction with more confidence. If you own real estate in the Chattanooga Tennessee area, or want to own real estate here, then this podcast is for you. Your host, Blake Watson, is a licensed real estate agent in Tennessee and Georgia with Epique Realty. Blake is also a real estate investor in Chattanooga Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. This podcast is about buying and selling homes in the Chattanooga area. Through expert interviews and real-life experience, we’ll be covering all the details you need to find and purchase your next home, resources and tips for your home maintenance and home improvements, and best practices, tips and advice for selling your home. We’ll keep you informed on real estate market trends and real estate developments in the Chattanooga area. We’ll also discuss real estate investing: buying houses and land for rental income, Airbnb, or fix and flip – all with a focus on investing in Chattanooga and Northwest Georgia. Blake Watson is a Realtor with Epique Realty, and can be reached at (423) 315-1815. You can find Blake on Facebook and Linkedin as Blake Watson, and on Instagram as rocknrollblake. Show notes are at www.realestatebyblake.com and past episodes can be found at www.chattanoogarealestatepodcast.com

Publisher

Blake Watson

Category

business · education · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Dec 2023

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

86 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   How Did Homeownership Become Part of the American Dream? Is It Still Possible Today?

   As America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Blake Watson looks at how homeownership became such a central part of the American dream. The opportunity to own a home did not develop through individual effort alone. Laws and public policies shaped who could own land, how families could finance a home, and who had access to those opportunities. In this episode of Let's Talk Chattanooga Real Estate, Blake traces that story from the Homestead Act through the creation of FHA loans, the GI Bill, fair housing protections, and efforts to stabilize the mortgage market. He also discusses people who were excluded from those opportunities. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Chattanooga or Northwest Georgia, contact Blake Watson at 423-315-1815 or visit www.AtHomeChattanooga.com. (https://blakewatson.epiquerealty.com) You can also find Blake on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/blake.watson.501) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakewatson/) as Blake Watson, and on Instagram as @rocknrollblake (https://www.instagram.com/rocknrollblake/) Epique Realty 888-893-3537

2. 

   3 Aug 2026

   Up to $21,000 for First Time Homebuyers! Chattanooga’s New Down Payment Assistance Program Explained

   In this episode of Let’s Talk Chattanooga Real Estate, Blake Watson talks with Don Oakes of Highlands Residential Mortgage about a new City of Chattanooga down payment assistance program designed to help qualified first-time homebuyers overcome one of the biggest obstacles to purchasing a home: the upfront cash needed for the down payment and closing costs. The Chattanooga program works alongside financing through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, commonly known as THDA. Depending on the buyer’s qualifications and loan structure, the combined programs may provide enough assistance to cover most of the down payment and closing costs. Blake and Don discuss how the program works, the assistance that may be available, income and credit requirements, the $400,000 purchase-price limit, and the requirement that the property be located within Chattanooga’s city limits. They also explain that “first-time homebuyer” generally includes someone who has not owned a home during the previous three years. The conversation also covers the required homebuyer education course, home inspection, minimum buyer investment, employment history, and how deferred assistance is handled when the home is eventually sold. Don also briefly discusses THDA’s special options for qualifying first responders and teachers, along with USDA Rural Development and Georgia Dream programs for buyers considering homes outside Chattanooga. Program requirements, assistance amounts, income limits, and interest rates can change. Be sure to contact a qualified lender to confirm current terms and determine whether you are eligible. To speak with Don Oakes at Highlands Residential Mortgage, call 423-624-0448 or visit HighlandsMortgage.com. If you are ready to begin searching for a home in Chattanooga, Northwest Georgia, or the surrounding area, contact Blake Watson, a Realtor with Epique Realty at 423-315-1815 or visit AtHomeChattanooga.com (https://blakewatson.epiquerealty.com). Blake is licensed in Tennessee and Georgia. You can find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/blake.watson.501) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakewatson/) as BlakeWatson, Instagram as @rocknrollblake (https://www.instagram.com/rocknrollblake/), and YouTube @realestatebyblake (https://www.youtube.com/@realestatebyblake) Epique Realty: 888-893-3537.

3. 

   15 Jul 2026

   4,120 Homes For Sale in Chattanooga: Mid-Year Market Update and What to Expect For the Rest of 2026

   We're just over halfway through 2026, so this week, host Blake Watson of Epique Realty breaks down the data from the first half of the year to see where the Chattanooga real estate market really stands, and what to expect for the rest of the year. In this episode, Blake looks at the latest numbers pulled from the Chattanooga MLS, operated by the Greater Chattanooga Realtors, comparing June 2026 to June 2025 and the first half of 2026 to the first half of 2025. Topics covered: Why real estate doesn't behave like the stock market, and what the 2007 to 2010 housing crisis really tells us about long term home values, including how the VW plant announcement helped soften that downturn locally Inventory update: total listings jumped from 3,334 in June 2025 to 4,120 in June 2026, a 23.6 percent increase year over year, the highest inventory level in more than 10 years What rising inventory means if you are buying: more homes to choose from and more time to decide What rising inventory means if you are selling: the importance of pricing your home correctly and presenting it well Median sale price update: up from 347,000 dollars in June 2025 to 355,000 dollars in June 2026, a 2.25 percent increase that tracks close to the national inflation rate Sales activity: just over 1,000 homes sold in June 2026 versus 978 in June 2025, a 3.6 percent increase. For the first half of the year, sales rose about 5.5 percent, from 5,024 homes in the first half of 2025 to 5,300 in the first half of 2026 Why Chattanooga has shifted from a seller's market to a balanced market, and what months of inventory tells us about that Average days on market: up slightly from 54 days in June 2025 to 57 days in June 2026 Interest rate trends in 2026, including the dip below 6 percent early in the year and the increase tied to the war with Iran, plus rising oil and fertilizer prices Blake's prediction for the rest of 2026: interest rates holding around 6.5 percent, home sales up roughly 5 percent year over year, and prices remaining steady to slightly higher Whether you are thinking about buying, selling, or just want to understand what is happening in the local market, this episode gives you a clear, data driven look at the Chattanooga real estate market at the midyear mark and where things are headed. Contact Blake Watson Phone or text: 423-315-1815 Instagram: @rocknrollblake (https://www.instagram.com/rocknrollblake/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/blake.watson.501) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakewatson/): Blake Watson Website: athomeChattanooga.com (https://blakewatson.epiquerealty.com) Epique Realty office: 888-893-3537 Licensed realtor in Tennessee and Georgia

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

92

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

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