Estate sales and auctions in Franklin, Tennessee
Estate sales in Franklin, Tennessee are handled by Common Hour Auction Co., a Tennessee auction firm that serves the Williamson County seat. We run estate sales and auctions for contents, houses and land, mostly online. We can come take a look at a Franklin house or farm before anything gets hauled off.
Old Franklin on both sides of the Harpeth
Franklin was laid out in 1800 as the seat of Williamson County, and it grew up on both banks of the Harpeth River. Hincheyville, along West Main and Fair streets, was subdivided in 1819 as the city's first residential addition. Its oldest building dates to about 1828. Most of its houses went up in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with Bungalow, Colonial Revival and Tudor houses following in the 1920s and 1930s.
That age shapes a sale. A house in a local district such as Hincheyville, Adams Street or Downtown Franklin falls under the city's Historic Preservation Overlay. Roofing, windows, siding, fences, additions and demolition can all need a certificate of appropriateness before work starts. Property sells as is at auction, and bidders verify on their own, so learn the overlay status before a house goes to market.
Battlefield history and horse farm land
The Battle of Franklin was fought here on November 30, 1864. The Carter House, Carnton and the Lotz House all still stand, and the battlefield is a National Historic Landmark. If an estate holds Civil War items, Walking Horse show ribbons or old Main Street signs, send us photos before anyone cleans house. Militaria and old advertising can belong in a catalog, and some pieces belong with a specialist.
Franklin's farm history runs through Harlinsdale, the Tennessee Walking Horse breeding farm founded in 1933 and now a city park of about 198 acres. The Harpeth forms its west edge, and about a third of the site lies in the 100-year floodplain. Anyone weighing the sale of acreage near the river should pull that map first.
When auction fits in Franklin, and when it does not
Auction fits a property that comparable sales cannot price well: an old house with a story, a tract on the river, or an estate that calls for a sale in the open. A recent house around Cool Springs with plenty of comparable sales is usually a poor fit. We say so before taking a listing, and we will point you elsewhere.
Services in Franklin.
Questions from Franklin.
Who handles probate for a Franklin estate?
In Williamson County, probate matters are filed in Chancery Court, and the Clerk and Master's office in Franklin is the clerk for that court. Your estate attorney can tell you what the estate needs before contents or property are sold. We cannot give legal advice.
Who sends the property tax bill for a house in Franklin?
The Williamson County Trustee bills and collects both county and City of Franklin property taxes. The Williamson County Property Assessor answers value questions. At a Common Hour real estate auction, taxes are prorated through closing unless the sale's Special Terms say otherwise. Ask your CPA how that plays out for an estate.
Does a National Register listing limit what can be done to a Franklin house?
Not by itself. Design review comes from the city's Historic Preservation Overlay, which covers local districts only. A house can be on the National Register and still sit outside that overlay. The city's preservation planner can tell you where a parcel stands.