Moving to Nashville with a remote job

By Grant Shippel · Updated October 19, 2026

Keeping your job can make a move feel simpler. Before you rely on that income for a mortgage, confirm what will stay the same after you move—and what your lender needs to document.

If you are a salaried software developer, project manager, customer-support specialist or another employee who works remotely, the useful question is more specific than “Can remote workers buy a house?” It is: “Can my employment and income support this purchase from my new location?”

Start with four questions for your employer

Use these as conversation prompts, not a required legal form. Your lender will tell you which documents or direct verification are appropriate for your loan.

1. Can I keep this job while living in Tennessee? An informal work-from-home arrangement may not answer whether the company permits a permanent out-of-state move.
2. Will my pay or schedule change? Ask about salary, guaranteed hours, bonus or commission arrangements, and any location-based adjustment. Tell Grant about changes before relying on an earlier payment range.
3. Is the arrangement ongoing or temporary? A short remote-work exception and a permanent arrangement raise different planning questions. Describe the arrangement accurately.
4. Who can confirm the details? Identify the HR or payroll contact who can respond to employment-verification requests. Avoid waiting until the week of closing to find that person.

Prepare the information, then confirm the document list

Fannie Mae’s employment documentation guidance provides several ways to document employment and income. It does not mean every remote buyer needs the same letter. The loan program, your pay structure and the details of the move determine what must be reviewed.

Remote employee and self-employed are different conversations

A designer on a company payroll and a designer running an independent studio may both work from home, but their income documentation can be different. Tell Grant if the move includes switching from employee to contractor, starting a business or changing clients. A remote-work letter does not replace the broader income review.

If you own your business, the business-owner mortgage prep kit helps organize the next conversation. Conventional documentation should remain part of that discussion alongside available alternatives.

Compare the actual homes across Middle Tennessee

You might be comparing Nashville in Davidson County with Franklin in Williamson County, Murfreesboro in Rutherford County or Gallatin in Sumner County. Build the housing estimate around each address: taxes, insurance, any HOA dues and the other costs that affect your monthly budget. County names alone do not establish the payment or the right place for you to live.

Remote work also changes what you may need to check during a showing. Confirm internet availability at the address with the provider, decide where you will work, and consider any required trips to an office. Those are useful home-search questions alongside financing.

A planning example: same employer, different location

Hypothetical example: A salaried project manager wants to move from Atlanta to Nashville while keeping the same employer. The next step is to confirm the Tennessee work arrangement and any pay changes, then review income documentation and the current home’s expenses with the lender. That review should happen before treating a prior preapproval or a preferred closing date as settled.

The point is to identify an unanswered question early enough to act on it. If the move instead involves a new employer, read buying before your new job starts.

Sources and next steps

• Fannie Mae: employment and income documentation standards
• Free Nashville moving plan and worksheet

Source checked October 19, 2026. This is a preparation guide, not an approval or a universal document checklist. Program requirements and underwriting determine eligibility.