About Bond Mortgage We're a full service mortgage lender with an experienced staff offering expertise in every area of mortgage lending. We have a full range of mortgage sources and all of our lending specialists are dedicated to finding the right loan - with the best rates and terms to meet your unique needs. Introducing Zach Jones: Sales Manager NMLS - 546399 I'm a native Texan but have lived in Middle Tennessee for most of my life, so this is home. I have lived in both Davidson and Williamson counties, and currently live with my wife and daughter in Franklin. We enjoy anything to do with living and playing in the outdoors. My first career was in healthcare but I decided I wanted to do something completely different, so I approached a friend about learning more about the mortgage business and hired on with his company in 2003. I fell in love with the whole real estate business at that point and now I can't imagine doing anything else. I'm a true believer in the idea that homeownership is one of the basic elements of The American [...]

Donnie Crotts recently joined Bond Mortgage, LLC as President. He began his career in the mortgage industry in 1999 and has gained a wealth of experience since that time. In the last 19 years, he has served in both sales and operations, which has provided him the opportunity to know the full range of the mortgage business. Donnie has been committed to his customers in assisting them in meeting their financial needs toward home ownership. He has also supported his colleagues and employees in achieving tremendous success in their careers. Donnie is a native Tennessean who currently lives in Franklin, TN with his wife and son. On his off time, he is a big fan of his son’s travel baseball team and enjoys watching the many games his son plays. Donnie also enjoys spending time with his family and traveling to different areas of the country. His favorite vacation spot is anywhere with a sunny, white sand beach. Benchmark Realty would like to extend a big warm welcome to Donnie Crotts, President of Bond Mortgage. We feel blessed to be associated with such a wonderful company.            Donnie Crotts – President     NMLS – 280259  

As Nashville continues to grow, the city is increasingly becoming a hot spot for tourists, helping boost the economy and hospitality industries, including the rise of more Airbnb’s in Nashville and surrounding areas. There’s been some backlash from residents against these short-term rentals. While the voice of the opposition has been loud, it turns out, it’s not representative of Nashville as a whole. Airbnb recently commissioned a poll conducted by San Francisco-based David Binder Research, gathering responses from 500 voting Nashville residents. Generally, 75 percent of poll respondents supported short-term rentals through Airbnb, and 63 percent said they consider the practice to be good for Nashville. As for a deeper dive of those results, the survey found only eight percent of respondents thought second-home or investment rentals should be completely prohibited, and only 14 percent said they should be “mostly” prohibited with “some exceptions.” In fact, 60 percent of all respondents felt these types of properties should be “mostly” allowed with “some restrictions.” While the local government has put certain limitations in place on these types of properties since the start of the year, the state Senate passed a bill—the “Short Term Rental Unit Act”—that would overturn a Nashville ordinance set to [...]

As our city continues to grow, a number of businesses and real estate companies have begun commissioning local artists to create murals as a part of the design of their buildings. For homeowners living in nearby neighborhoods, this art can have a benefit beyond adding beauty to the city. Boosting the Local Economy With Nashville’s status on the rise as a must-visit city, tourism is booming. Music City saw a record 14.5 million visitors in 2017, a 4.6 percent increase over the previous year, and murals are playing a part in drawing that business to specific neighborhoods. According to the Nashville Business Journal, more than 100 tourists visited the Gulch in a single day to photograph the neighborhood’s latest mural, while restaurants in The Nations hosted nightly viewing parties to watch an artist paint a 165-foot-tall mural over the course of 17 days. Instagram further points to the power of murals in drawing tourists, with mural-related hashtags having tens of thousands of posts. The hashtag #ibelieveinnashville has close to 25,000 posts while #whatliftsyou is now at more than 100,000 posts. Murals are Here to Stay With groups like Nashville Walls Project, the addition of this type of street art doesn’t [...]

For many Nashville residents, Airbnb has been a hot topic over the past few years, with many homeowners listing part of their property on the popular site and others buying new homes to serve explicitly as short-term rentals. Controversy has ranged from sales tax collection to arguments regarding negative impact on neighborhoods versus overall benefit to the city. Legislation has been passed at the local level and proposed at the state level on both sides. No matter where you stand, Airbnb’s growth isn’t looking to slow any time soon. This year, the company celebrated its tenth anniversary and announced its plans for growth for the next ten years as it seeks to achieve 1 billion guests annually by 2028. With only 300 million guests hosted to date, that’s a pretty significant jump. One of the ways the company plans to get there is with the introduction of new categories. Currently, rentals are sorted into groups by entire home, private room and shared room. The new categories will expand options and make searching easier for the consumer. Airbnb has revealed four new property categories as a part of its initial changes: Vacation homes: Residences dedicated to short term use Unique: Yurts, [...]