Smoky Mountain STR & Real Estate Specialists

Sevierville, Tennessee
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Smoky Mountain STR & Real Estate Specialists

Karen CubberleyBusiness Member
Realtor · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 0 votes

We’re Karen Cubberley and Shelly Gillum, real estate professionals specializing in the Smoky Mountain market, including Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and surrounding areas.

We work with buyers, sellers, and investors looking for short-term rentals, investment properties, new construction, land, vacation homes, and residential properties. With strong local and vacation-rental experience, we enjoy helping clients understand the market, evaluate opportunities, and make informed real estate decisions.

We’re excited to be part of the community and look forward to connecting, sharing knowledge, and building relationships with other real estate investors and professionals!

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  • Jason WrayPro Member
    Banker · Nationwide · Member since 2020 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    2d

    Hi Karen & Cubberley,

    Good to see you making an intro on th BP forum TN is a Hot market! I jut closed (3) loans in Sevierville for my clients who are loving the STR daily rentals! Be great to connect I tend to have a lot of clients looking to buy in TN and it's always good to have an agent who is seasoned in STR and Investment properties. Feel free to check out my profile and send me an email.

    [email protected]727-637-4289
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    • Karen CubberleyBusiness Member
      OP
      Realtor · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 0 votes
      1d

      Hi Jason! Thank you so much for reaching out! It sounds like we definitely need to connect.

      Shelly and I specialize in the Smoky Mountain market, particularly STRs and investment properties throughout Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the surrounding areas. We work with investors from the initial property search through analyzing rental potential, navigating STR-specific considerations, and getting to the closing table.

      We’d love the opportunity to be a local resource for you and your clients who are looking to invest in East Tennessee. And of course, we’re always happy to send great clients your way when they need financing as well!

      I’ll definitely check out your profile and send you an email. Looking forward to connecting and hopefully working together soon!

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  • Brad SeidBusiness Member
    Lender · Licensed in 28 States · Member since 2026 · 127 posts · 33 votes
    23h

    @Karen Cubberley Hi Karen and Shelly! Great to connect. I’d love to connect and learn more about the Smoky Mountain market. If you ever have clients or investors looking for lending options for their next deal, I’d be happy to see how I can help. Let’s connect!

    [email protected]248-408-3855
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    • Karen CubberleyBusiness Member
      OP
      Realtor · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 0 votes
      21h

      Hi Brad! Thanks so much for reaching out! Shelly and I would definitely love to connect.

      We specialize in the Smoky Mountain market, particularly STRs, investment properties, new construction, land, and residential real estate throughout Sevier County. We’re always looking to build relationships with great lenders who understand investment properties and can offer our buyers a range of financing options.

      We’d also be happy to serve as a resource for any of your clients considering a purchase in the Smokies. We’d love to connect, learn more about what you offer, and see how we can help each other and our clients!

      — Karen & Shelly

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  • Michael Eskenasy
    Investor · Pacific Northwest · Member since 2026 · 531 posts · 298 votes
    23h

    Karen — if you two really work the Smokies, the thing I’d lean into with investors right now is basis.

    We’ve been tracking Sevier County pretty hard, and revenue by itself can tell a completely wrong story.

    We have cabins reporting $100K+ gross that still got ahead of themselves on valuation and had to reprice hard.

    We also have properties where revenue has slid materially for a couple years, but the owner’s basis is low enough that the asset still behaves completely differently.

    Same market. Same tourists. Completely different deal.

    That’s why I wouldn’t tell an investor “this cabin does $90K.”

    I’d tell them:

    It does $90K, here’s the basis, here’s the debt it can actually carry, here’s how this exact product class is trading, and here’s what happens if revenue gives back 10%.

    That’s a useful agent in the Smokies.

    If you want to have some fun with it, send me one cabin you think the market is getting wrong. We’ve got enough Sevier County data now to really tear one apart.

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    • Karen CubberleyBusiness Member
      OP
      Realtor · Sevierville, TN · Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 0 votes
      21h

      Hello Michael,

      I completely agree with you. Revenue is only one piece of the puzzle, and I think that’s where a lot of buyers can get into trouble in the Smokies. A cabin showing $90K or $100K in gross revenue doesn’t automatically make it a good investment if the purchase price, expenses, debt service, or current market value don’t support it.

      That’s actually a big part of how Shelly and I want to differentiate ourselves. We don’t want to simply sell someone a cabin because the revenue numbers look good on paper. We want our investors to understand what they’re buying, what the property can realistically support, and what happens if revenue softens.

      And yes—I’d absolutely take you up on that! I can think of a couple of Sevier County properties right now that would be interesting to tear apart. I’d love to compare what we’re seeing on the ground with the data you’re tracking.

      I think there could be a lot of value in us staying connected, especially since we’re working with investors in the same market from different sides of the transaction.

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  • Diana Khan
    Attorney · 10451 Mill Run Cir #755 Owings Mills, MD 21117 · Member since 2024 · 330 posts · 123 votes
    18h
    Quote from @Karen Cubberley:

    We’re Karen Cubberley and Shelly Gillum, real estate professionals specializing in the Smoky Mountain market, including Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and surrounding areas.

    We work with buyers, sellers, and investors looking for short-term rentals, investment properties, new construction, land, vacation homes, and residential properties. With strong local and vacation-rental experience, we enjoy helping clients understand the market, evaluate opportunities, and make informed real estate decisions.

    We’re excited to be part of the community and look forward to connecting, sharing knowledge, and building relationships with other real estate investors and professionals!

    Welcome to BP, @Karen Cubberley and Shelly! I work with real estate investors on the legal side, and one thing I've seen with STR buyers is that the property can look great on paper, but the details behind the deal are what really matter.

    Before a buyer gets too far in, I like to see the STR rules, permits, title, deed restrictions, HOA documents, and the purchase contract all line up with how they actually plan to use the property. I've seen good investment ideas get much harder simply because one of those pieces was missed early.

    I’d be glad to stay connected with both of you. It is always good to know agents who really understand the investor side of the transaction and are willing to look beyond just the purchase price.

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