BRRRR · Market Playbook
How to BRRRR in Knoxville, TN
BRRRR in Knoxville is a 5.59% gross yield play — $1,729/mo rent on a $371k median. Whether that cash-flows depends on your debt cost.
Data: Zillow Research (via scrape.do) · As of April 2026
Knoxville is a workable BRRRR market — tight but bankable math on disciplined deals.
- → Gross yield 5.59% — at national baseline
- → Rent $1,729/mo vs. national $1,930 — rent-weak
- → DSCR expectation at 75% LTV / 7.5%: 1.10-1.20 tight
- → Appreciation risk to refi: flat — neutral
Start with the gross math. Knoxville's typical home value is $371,202; ZORI (Zillow's rent index) sits at $1,729/mo. That's 5.59% gross annual yield. That's right at the national 4-5% baseline — workable for BRRRR, but only on disciplined underwriting and a clean refi appraisal.
Run the DSCR sanity check. Assume 75% LTV refi at 7.5% interest, 30-year, plus taxes + insurance + 8% PM + 8% vacancy/capex reserve. On these inputs you'll likely clear DSCR 1.10-1.20 in Knoxville — tight but bankable. Don't fall in love with marginal deals; reject anything that doesn't pencil at 1.15 minimum.
Rent demand color: Knoxville rents ($1,729) sit 10% below the national median ($1,930). Local rent is the constraint here — even at favorable acquisition prices, the rent side of the math is the limiting factor.
Refi appraisal risk: Knoxville home values are flat YoY — refi appraisals should support your renovated comp on a properly scoped rehab. No softening tailwind to worry about, no appreciation tailwind to lean on.
Knoxville at a glance
The numbers above pull from the full Knoxville market report.
- Median value
- $371k
- YoY
- +0.8%
- Median rent
- $1,729
- Gross yield
- 5.59%
Other strategies for Knoxville
The Weekly Deal Memo
One market memo, one off-market playbook, one tool review. Every Friday. Free.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.