Bryan McKee NMLS# 1557571 - Movement Mortgage

06/13/2026

Two new spots just opened in East Knoxville and both are worth the drive.

Iron Forge Brewing Company is now at Covenant Health Park with 18 house beers on tap and a full scratch kitchen. Jackie's Dream is steps away with soul food that has been feeding this community for years.

Both locally owned. Both right on East Jackson Ave.

That corner of the city is building something real.

https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/new-restaurants-east-knoxville-2026/

Bryan McKee | NMLS #1557571 | Licensed in TN and CO

06/06/2026

Three new locally owned spots just opened across East Tennessee, and yes, I already have opinions. 🍴

A-Thai in Maryville turned its food truck following into a full storefront on Old Knoxville Highway.

Down in Sevierville, Mariscos Pacifico Nayarit is serving Nayarit style seafood with live music on weekends.

And the old A and W is now Buddy Dave's, a family run nod to Smoky Mountain roots.

Knoxville also lost a few names this spring, so I rounded up who is open, who is closed, and why a new restaurant tells me more about a town than the listing sheet does.

Full June spotlight is on the blog, tap the preview to read it. Where should I eat first? 👇

https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/new-east-tennessee-restaurants-june-2026/

Bryan McKee · The Mortgage Foodie · NMLS #1557571 · Equal Housing Opportunity

06/05/2026

Did your Knox County reassessment notice land in your mailbox yet?

I have been getting a TON of questions from buyers and homeowners this past month about the new appraised values. And honestly, some of them are shocking on first read. A lot of homes jumped 30 to 50 percent in appraised value.

Here is the thing most people miss.

A bigger appraisal does NOT automatically mean a bigger tax bill.

Tennessee law requires the county to set a revenue neutral certified rate when values jump. Translation: if your home went up about the same as the county average, your bill stays close to flat. If your home went up MORE than the average, your bill goes up. If it went up LESS, your bill actually drops.

So I built a free calculator that runs your real numbers in 30 seconds. Plug in your 2025 value, your new 2026 value, and whether you are inside city limits. The tool runs the math against the actual Tennessee Comptroller rates. No login. No catch. Optional PDF copy emailed to you.

👉 Run yours below. https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/knox-county-property-tax-change-calculator/

Got questions about how this changes your buying budget, your refinance plan, or your monthly payment? Drop them below or shoot me a text.

Bryan McKee | NMLS #1557571 | Movement Mortgage, LLC | Company NMLS #39179 Licensed in TN and CO | Equal Housing Opportunity | nmlsconsumeraccess.org

05/09/2026

Most people make the mortgage process harder than it has to be. One of the biggest reasons closings get delayed is not credit scores or income. It is missing documents.

After 11 years and 500 plus families, I can tell you the document list is completely predictable. W2s, tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements. There is a logic behind every item and once you understand it the whole thing gets a lot less stressful. I also cover what changes between pre approval and the closing table, what self employed buyers need that is different, and the one thing that derails more closings than anything else.

Full breakdown is on the blog.
https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/mortgage-application-documents-checklist/

Mortgage application documents checklist from Bryan McKee, Knoxville loan officer. Know exactly what to bring and close faster.

05/08/2026

Eleven years in mortgage and I still get excited on closing day in Bearden.

Not because of the paperwork. Because of what happens after. You step outside the title company and you are standing on Kingston Pike with some of the best restaurants in Knoxville within a 10 minute walk. The question is just where to go.

Here is what I have learned from doing a lot of Bearden closings:
The spot you choose matters more than you think. It sets the tone for the whole afternoon. Get it right and the first hours of owning your new home feel like exactly what they should feel like.

So I put together a guide. Five places I personally take clients to on closing day in Bearden. Every single one I have eaten at myself. Wood fired pizza right in Western Plaza. A sushi bar on Kingston Pike that has been there since 2008 and earned every bit of its reputation. An upscale New American spot that is perfect for a move-up buyer who wants the meal to match the moment. A Tennessee BBQ institution that works for any group. And a laid-back craft beer spot for the investors who just want to exhale.
If you are buying in Bearden or thinking about it, this post is for you. The food alone is part of why people pay the Bearden premium.

🔗 https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/bearden-knoxville-restaurants-closing-day/

Bryan McKee | Certified Mortgage Advisor | NMLS #1557571 | Movement Mortgage | NMLS #39179 | Equal Housing Lender | Licensed in TN and CO

05/08/2026

🏦 FRIDAY MARKET UPDATE | May 8, 2026

April jobs surprised everyone. The economy added 115,000 jobs when forecasters were calling for roughly 60,000. Unemployment held at 4.3%. The Fed stayed put at their April 29 meeting and doesn't meet again until June 16.

Rates pushed higher on the week. The Freddie Mac weekly average moved to 6.37% rate / 6.54% APR (Bankrate national avg, May 7, 2026), up from 6.30% last week but still more than a third of a point below this time last year.

Here's what I keep coming back to: pending home sales are up 10.7% year over year nationally. Buyers are still moving.

Here in Knox County, inventory is up 16% from last year and homes are taking 8 more days to sell. For buyers who've been watching from the sidelines, this is real room to work with.

Full breakdown drops at 11 AM. Jobs, rates, East TN county numbers, all in one place.

Weekly update drops Friday at 11 AM. Sign up here: https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/weekly-market-update-landing-page/

Want more of this daily? Join the Mortgage Capital Markets Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mortgagecapitalmarketsandthehousingindustry

What are you hearing from your buyers this week? 👇

05/08/2026

Closing day in Bearden is one of my favorite days in this business. You just signed papers on a character home with some of the best restaurants in Knoxville within walking distance. So where do we go?

Here are the 5 spots I actually take my Bearden clients to celebrate after we close.

🔗https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/bearden-knoxville-restaurants-closing-day/

Bryan McKee | NMLS #1557571 | Movement Mortgage | NMLS #39179 | Equal Housing Lender

Five walkable Bearden Knoxville restaurants Bryan McKee takes clients to after closing day near Western Plaza — Hard Knox Pizzeria, Nama Sushi Bar, Harvest, Calhoun's Bearden Hill, and Bearden Hill Fieldhouse.

05/03/2026

Most of the money Knoxville buyers leave on the table has
nothing to do with the housing market.

In 11 years and 500 families helped across East Tennessee,
I keep seeing the same handful of mistakes come up right
before closing. Wrong loan program. A new car payment after
preapproval. No real preapproval before shopping. Closing
costs that blindsided them. And the assumption that they did
not even qualify when they actually did.

These five mistakes can cost buyers $20,000 to $40,000 or
more over the life of a loan. Every single one is avoidable.
I broke down all five on the blog with real numbers, a
program comparison table, and exactly what to do differently.

Full breakdown right here.

https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/mortgage-mistakes-knoxville-buyers/



—
Bryan McKee | NMLS #1557571 | Movement Mortgage NMLS #39179
Equal Housing Opportunity

Mortgage mistakes Knoxville buyers make can cost thousands. Here are 5 errors I see every week and exactly how to avoid them. Bryan McKee NMLS #1557571.

05/03/2026

One question that most Bearden Hill condo buyers never think to ask before writing an offer: is this project warrantable?

If the answer is no, you can still buy. But your down payment goes up, your rate goes up, and your reserve requirements go up with it. I have watched deals fall apart at the 11th hour because nobody checked project approval status before the buyer fell in love with the unit.

Warrantable vs. non-warrantable comes down to six things: owner occupancy ratio, single entity ownership, HOA reserve funding, HOA delinquency rate, commercial space percentage, and whether there is any pending litigation. Every one of those can be verified before you go under contract.

Full breakdown is on the blog, including a pre-contract checklist you can run on any Bearden condo.

https://homeswiththemortgagefoodie.com/bearden-hill-condo-financing-warrantable-non-warrantable/



—
Bryan McKee | NMLS #1557571 | Movement Mortgage NMLS #39179
Equal Housing Opportunity

04/11/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Bryan McKee by Christopher C - Friendly and always available, he made a stressful process painless and very simple for me and my family

Click to see all 151 reviews of Bryan McKee, Loan Officer