@JLeslie – I don’t know what county you are in but I found this information for Shelby County here
Among the other information it has more specific information about Tennessee estate law:
“Technically, under Tennessee Law, real estate passes automatically at death to the named beneficiaries under the deceased person’s Will or to their heirs at law if there is no Will. In reality, however, if the property is ever to be sold then at some point documentation is going to have to be filed with the Probate Court, if there is a Will, or with the Register’s Office if there is no Will. If the deceased person had a Will and only a piece of real estate, then a Petition for Muniment of Title is filed with the Probate Court, to evidence the transfer of the title from the deceased person to the named beneficiaries under the Will. If the decedent did not have a Will, then Affidavits of Heirship, stating the heirs at law of the decedent at death, must be filed with the Register’s Office. Both documents indicate who the proper recipient of the real property is after the owner’s death. Most title companies will require one or the other depending on if there is a Will or not, before they will issue title insurance on the property of a deceased person. If the beneficiaries under a Will, or if there is no Will, the heirs at law are minors (or under the age of eighteen), then a full probate proceeding will have to be initiated to deal with the real estate.”