Choosing a residential agent in Nashville rewards a careful look at three signals that the Tennessee Real Estate Commission and the National Association of REALTORS treat as load-bearing: an active Principal Broker license under TCA 62-13, REALTOR membership in the Greater Nashville REALTORS association with full MLS access, and earned post-license designations such as CRS (Council of Residential Specialists, held by roughly the top three percent of agents nationally), ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative), GRI (Graduate REALTOR Institute), and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist). The 2024 NAR settlement reshaped buyer agency disclosure, and a residential office that can walk a client through written buyer representation, listing agreements, and dual-agency consent in plain language is a meaningful filter. The three Nashville teams below have each operated through multiple market cycles in Middle Tennessee, hold the affiliations above, and concentrate on the residential corridors that define the metro: Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, East Nashville, 12 South, Hillsboro Village, Sylvan Park, and the lake communities around Old Hickory.
Quick Comparison #
| Brokerage | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Zeitlin Sotheby's International Realty | Founded 1979, TREC Principal Broker licensure under TCA 62-13, Greater Nashville REALTORS membership with MLS access, Sotheby's International Realty affiliation since April 2018, agent bench including CRS, ABR, GRI, and SRES designees. | Residential resale and new-construction representation across Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, 12 South, Sylvan Park, East Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, luxury segment via Sotheby's referral network, relocation, downsizing under SRES, post-2024 NAR settlement buyer representation. |
| RE/MAX Homes and Estates, Lipman Group | TREC licensure under TCA 62-13, Greater Nashville REALTORS membership, RE/MAX Collection luxury affiliation, founder with 32-plus years as a Greater Nashville REALTOR, CRS, ABR, and GRI designations on the roster. | Residential representation across Davidson and Williamson counties, deep listing book in Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, and Hillsboro West End, buyer-side representation through the RE/MAX referral system. |
| Engel & Völkers Nashville | License Partner with TREC Principal Broker supervision under TCA 62-13, 45-year residential record on the lead, Greater Nashville REALTORS and Williamson County Association of REALTORS membership, Engel & Völkers global advisor network in more than 30 countries. | Residential resale, new construction in the Franklin and Brentwood new-build belt, equestrian and small-acreage tracts in Williamson County, luxury condominiums in the Gulch and Midtown high-rise market, written buyer representation under the 2024 NAR settlement framework. |
1. Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty #
Founded in 1979 by Shirley Zeitlin and now led by CEO Jessica Averbuch and COO Sam Averbuch, Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty is the longest-running family-held residential brokerage on this list, with a 47-year track record in Middle Tennessee. The firm announced its exclusive affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty in April 2018, layering a global luxury network on top of a Nashville-native brokerage roster that now exceeds 150 REALTORS and support staff. Principal-level brokers carry active TREC licenses and Greater Nashville REALTORS membership, and the agent bench includes CRS, ABR, GRI, and SRES designees who handle everything from first-time buyer representation in East Nashville to fine-home listings in Belle Meade and Forest Hills.
Zeitlin Sotheby’s service focus and Nashville neighborhoods #
The brokerage concentrates on residential resale and new-construction representation across the urban core and the inner-ring suburbs: Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, 12 South, Sylvan Park, East Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin. Senior agents work the luxury segment through the Sotheby’s International Realty referral network, while mid-career specialists handle relocation, downsizing under the SRES playbook, and buyer representation under the post-2024 NAR settlement framework that requires written buyer-broker agreements before MLS-listed home tours.
Leadership and community presence #
Shirley Zeitlin remains active as Founder, and the second-generation leadership team has kept the office independent and Nashville-headquartered through industry consolidation that has absorbed several local competitors. The team supports the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and has earned recognition in local press for residential market-share performance in the Green Hills submarket.
Address: 4301 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 100, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 383-0183
2. RE/MAX Homes and Estates, Lipman Group #
RE/MAX Homes and Estates, Lipman Group traces its Nashville roots to Lawrence M. Lipman’s residential brokerage launched in 1986, giving the office roughly 40 years of continuous Middle Tennessee operation. After an eleven-year affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty, the firm joined RE/MAX in 2017 and was awarded an affiliation with The RE/MAX Collection luxury division. In September 2025 Lawrence Lipman sold the local RE/MAX franchise to a North Carolina based ownership group while remaining with the office as an agent and Founder, and the Lipman Group brand continues to operate from the original Green Hills address with daughter Alexa Lipman among the active affiliate brokers.
Lipman Group service focus and Nashville neighborhoods #
The team works the full residential price spectrum in Davidson and Williamson counties, with a deep listing book in Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, and the close-in Hillsboro West End corridor. Buyer-side representation runs through the RE/MAX referral system, and the office maintains active Greater Nashville REALTORS membership and TREC-compliant principal-broker supervision under the post-sale ownership structure. Designation-holders on the roster include CRS, ABR, and GRI agents who handle relocation files routed in from the broader RE/MAX network.
Leadership and recognition #
Lawrence Lipman holds 32-plus years as a Greater Nashville REALTOR and was previously recognized inside the Sotheby’s and RE/MAX networks for production rankings within the Tennessee region. The office is listed with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau and operates out of the Green Hills professional district just east of Hillsboro Pike.
Address: 2002 Richard Jones Road, Suite C-104, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 463-3333
https://homes-and-estates-nashville-tn.remax.com/
3. Engel & Völkers Nashville #
Engel & Völkers Nashville is led by License Partner and Broker Neal Clayton, who has been an active Nashville REALTOR since 1980, giving the License Partner himself a 45-year residential track record in Middle Tennessee. The Nashville shop joined the Engel & Völkers global brand and now operates from a flagship advisor office in Green Hills with a second location in Williamson County, putting the brokerage in the same Belle Meade and Brentwood luxury corridor as the two other firms above while drawing on Engel & Völkers’ European-rooted international referral network. Neal Clayton continues as Owner and Broker, with son John Clayton named President to manage day-to-day operations.
Engel & Völkers service focus and Nashville neighborhoods #
Advisors specialize in residential resale, new construction in the Franklin and Brentwood new-build belt, equestrian and small-acreage tracts in Williamson County, and luxury condominiums in the Gulch and Midtown high-rise market. The brokerage participates in Greater Nashville REALTORS and the Williamson County Association of REALTORS MLS, and the License Partner structure requires TREC principal-broker supervision and adherence to the NAR Code of Ethics for every advisor on the roster. Buyer representation contracts follow the written-agreement standard that took effect under the 2024 NAR settlement.
Leadership and global reach #
Neal Clayton serves as a City of Belle Meade Commissioner alongside his brokerage role, anchoring the office in the city’s most established residential submarket. The Engel & Völkers brand provides outbound referral access to advisor shops in more than 30 countries, which the Nashville office uses to source international buyers for high-end Williamson County listings.
Address: 3912 Hillsboro Circle, Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: (615) 300-8585
https://nashville.evrealestate.com/
Selection Methodology #
Tennessee residential brokerage practice runs under the Tennessee Real Estate Commission at TCA 62-13, with Principal Broker license required for the office of record. The filter for the three brokerages above started at the TREC verify.tn.gov license lookup for the Principal Broker, then worked through Greater Nashville REALTORS membership with full MLS access, agent-bench credentials at the CRS, ABR, GRI, and SRES level on the roster, four-plus decades of continuous Nashville operation under named ownership, post-2024 NAR settlement buyer-broker agreement implementation visible on the public site, and Davidson or Williamson County brand-anchored office addresses. Out-of-state brokerages routing local inquiries to non-Tennessee-admitted agents were excluded.
Choosing the right Nashville residential brokerage #
A buyer or seller working any of these three offices should expect three things before signing paperwork. First, confirm the agent’s TREC license status and Principal Broker supervisor at verify.tn.gov, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance public license lookup that covers TCA 62-13 licensees. Second, ask which designations the lead agent holds (CRS, ABR, GRI, SRES) and how those designations apply to the transaction at hand: a downsizing seller benefits from an SRES, a first-time buyer benefits from an ABR, and a referral-network listing benefits from a CRS who can route the file through the Council of Residential Specialists. Third, request the written buyer-broker agreement up front under the 2024 NAR settlement framework, and read the compensation paragraph in plain language before agreeing to MLS-listed tours. The three offices profiled here have each operated long enough to walk a client through that paperwork without surprise, and each maintains active Greater Nashville REALTORS membership and full MLS access for residential listings across Davidson and Williamson counties.
Reference Notes #
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission licensing under TCA Title 62, Chapter 13 (broker, affiliate broker, time-share, and principal broker supervision standards).
- NAR Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, articles governing dual agency disclosure, advertising, and cooperation with other REALTORS.
- 2024 NAR settlement (Burnett v. NAR) reshaping buyer agency disclosure and written buyer-broker representation agreement requirements, effective August 2024.
- Greater Nashville REALTORS (GNR), the local NAR association operating the RealTracs MLS used by Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, and Wilson county brokerages.
- Council of Residential Specialists (CRS), Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), Graduate REALTOR Institute (GRI), and Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designations awarded through NAR-affiliated institutes.
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance license verification at verify.tn.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How do I verify a Nashville residential real estate agent holds the right license?
A: TREC license status is verifiable at verify.tn.gov, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance public lookup that covers TCA 62-13 licensees including Principal Broker supervisor status. Greater Nashville REALTORS membership is confirmable through the GNR member directory, and NAR-affiliated designations (CRS, ABR, GRI, SRES) are confirmable through each designation-issuing institute’s directory.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville residential brokerage field?
A: Each brokerage carries verifiable Nashville tenure, current TREC Principal Broker licensure, Greater Nashville REALTORS membership with full MLS access, and a working street address with a brand-name anchor at its published website.
Q: Are any of the three brokerages paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No brokerage sponsored placement.
Q: How should I prepare for a first consultation?
A: Bring a written summary of the matter, a list of dates and documents involved, any prior correspondence, and a written list of questions about scope, fee structure, communication protocol, and timing. Request the written buyer-broker agreement and listing agreement up front under the 2024 NAR settlement framework before signing.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.