Clarksville Real Estate

This past Saturday I had the honor of participating in Soldier Ride Nashville 2009.  After a week that saw flooding of many areas in the Southeast to include Nashville approximately 20 Night Stalkers linked up at the Park and Ride just off Exit 11 ready to participate as part of 'Team Tre' in honor of our Fallen Comrade MSG Tre Ponder.  It was an early morning, not uncommon to the men of the group (cant speak for the young lady in attendance).  It was also a wet morning, but nothing of what awaited us as we departed for Nashville.

As the convoy departed Clarksville heading East down I-24 the rain slowly intensified.  By the time we reached Edwin Warner Park we were met with a steady rain that showed no signs of stopping.  My first thought was that the participation for the Soldier Ridewas going to be minimized due to the rain which would be disappointing to say the least.  As we staged our bikes and gear under a nearby pavilion the vehicles just kept coming.  Upon walking to the registration area I quickly realized that we were not alone - the rain had not dampened the spirits of the hundreds who turned out to ride with some of our Wounded Heroes.

After our Country's National Anthem was sang and Chaplain Glazner gave a blessing over the Ride, our Soldiers and their Families we headed out in the rain.  The route could not have been any more beautiful than the route selected by the Wounded Warrior Project Team.  We rode through the areas that many of our Nation's Country Music Artists reside and were met periodically by folks standing at the end of their drives to pay their respects to our Wounded Heroes who led the way this wet day.

The first leg of the ride took us to the fair city of Franklin Tennessee where we were met by a large crowd of citizens and the Franklin Fire and Police Department.  I must say that tears welled up in my eyes as I knew that America did still care even though our media has done their level best in this Country to make it seem as if the majority in America no longer supported the war or our Soldiers.

After a break of approximately 20 minutes and with many of us starting to get chilled the group 'saddled up' and peddled off into the sunset rain.  Most of the riders decided to finish the 25 mile trek with some of our Wounded Heroes.  A few of us, including myself took a left and headed out on the 52.71 mile trek.  I had thought of only doing 25 miles and struggled with whether to go with our Wounded Heroes or to take that left.  Since I had made a promise to the many who had contributed to my 50 + mile ride I felt that I had an obligation to ride the route regardless of the weather (I must admit there were times that I wondered just what I was thinking).

The 50 mile route took us through the Natchez Trace which was again some of the most beautiful country I had seen.  It was also some of the hilliest country in Tennessee that I had seen (not a good thing for a novice cyclist doing his longest ride yet).  Somehow I must have missed the note about the hills on the route.  Now folks, I can hold my own and believe myself to be in pretty good shape for my 40 years of age, but these hills put the wood to me (country folks will know what I am saying).  There was one particular hill during the ride that I am sure has a name (I called it many that can't be repeated here).  I certainly thought that it would never end and everyone, regardless of their level of cycling was out of the saddle and spinning for all they were worth.  I still don't know how I managed to make it without getting off the bike or passing out.

After conquering the hill from hell I felt no other hill could be as bad as that one had been.  We stopped for a quick break at a small country store in Leapers Forkand were again greeted with many from the community.  Obviously I asked them about the remainder of the route and a couple of them smiled to my dismay and stated 'oh there is only one more hill like that one'. NOOOOOOO!!!  Surely they were mistaken, but at this point it was too late to cry over spilled milk - we cycled on!  The hill that was out there weighed on the three of us in my group - all dreading another challenge such as the one we had faced.  Every sight of an incline was quickly questioned 'Is this the hill?'

We never did figure out which hill was 'the one' on the back side of the route.  Possibly it was there and we were just too focused (or in a daze) to realize that we had been up it.  Possibly it was one to Kurt's two flat tire stops that had given us the legs we otherwise would not have had to make it up 'the hill' whatever, we never experienced another hill like the first. 

Our ride was no record shattering event - quite the contrary, we were near the last in - mainly due to mechanical failures that could not be avoided.  No matter though - we finished and for that we were all proud both as individuals and as a team.  Two of us had never been that distance on a cycle in a day and being that it was in honor of our friend and comrade MSG James 'Tre' Ponder it made the experience much more than words can describe.

Special thanks to all of those who made the Soldier Ride Nashville 2009 possible.  While I do not know many of you, I know the amount of work that goes into making events such as this come together.  To Leslie and the Girls - Tre's memory lives on ladies.  Thank you for making the day ever so special by gracing us with your presence - it was great seeing you.

Thanks, to Tim Moore, owner/operator of Bikes and Moore, Hopkinsville Kentucky - an avid supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project and the Soldier Ride.  Without Tim's volunteer efforts to ensure that every cyclist with a mechanical issue was taken care of, many of the riders would not have been able to complete the ride.  Tim goes around the country to support and ride in Wounded Warrior Rides. 

I am planning on training for longer rides in the coming year.  Hopefully I can join Tim and others in Soldier Rides in other parts in the South as it is such a worthy cause and also a great experience to share with those who have overcame a life changing injury.  The ultimate goal will be in a couple of years - a seven day ride spanning four states.

I hope to see you all at next year's Soldier Ride Nashville 2010.  I can guarantee you that you will never forget the ride nor those who you will meet along the route.  To all who contributed to this worthy cause I say thank you and God Bless. 

Until next year - God bless our Soldiers, their Families and our Great Nation!

Did you ever wonder, or did you simply take it for granted that people really wanted you to answer the questions posed on the various Social Networking sites out there?  Yesterday evening, for some reason, when I logged into Facebook I was about to post something when I realized the question posed 'What's on your mind?'

As I thought about it, I wondered, do the 2,000 friends I have on Facebook really want to know what is on my mind?  Do they want to know that I had a great day caring for a couple of Families looking for a home in the Clarksville TN Real Estate Market?  Or that Pam and I went on two listing appointments the same day?

How about the fact that I still felt exhilarated from the 52.71 mile trek that two friends and I completed on Saturday in memory of one of my friends MSG Tre Ponder during the Soldier Ride Nashville 2009? 

Honestly, my mind races - I don't know how to relax my body much less my mind.  I am the consummate worrier over anything from ensuring our clients needs are met, to ensuring that I am being a good husband and father.  I am not, nor to I ever believe I could be perfect, but I certainly want to be the best person that I can be, thus I am constantly 'thinking' so to tell my friends 'whats on my mind' would be a diatribe that would be hardly understood by anyone but me.

That said, the question 'Whats on your mind?' is a profound question for me and one that I find trouble in answering in the small block provided by Facebook.

I think I will go over to Linkedin and answer the question there 'What are you working on now?' And then on to Twitter and answer the question there 'What are you doing?' Oh, and how about Flickr and answer the question...oh wait, they don't have any question!!  Now I am stumped.

So, my question to you is: Do you think about the question that is posed before responding or do you simply place an answer that is quick and possibly quirky?

Something to ponder.

God Bless!

Please join me in participating in the Soldier Ride Nashville 2009, a part of the Wounded Warrior Projectthis Saturday, 26 Sep 09 at Edwin Warner Park, Site #3, 50 Vaughn Rd, Nashville, TN 37221.  Soldier Ride Nashville is dedicated to the memory of father, husband and soldier MSG James "Tre" Ponder of Franklin.

As many of you know, I recently got into riding road bikes as a way to stay in shape since I can no longer run.  While I have not road any farther than 30 miles at a time, this ride will be my longest yet at 50 miles.  I, and many of my Night Stalker brothers and sisters will be riding as a part of Team Tre in honor and memory of our Fallen Comrade MSG James 'Tre' Ponder. 

Tre made the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers in arms on a rescue mission in eastern Afghanistan. The date was June 28, 2005. He was killed when his MH-47D helicopter was shot down by enemy fire on it's way to rescue a Navy SEAL team that had run in to trouble. He was a member of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

All proceeds raised by the ride go to the programs of the Wounded Warrior Project to provide tangible support for the severely wounded to help them on the road to heal both physically and mentally.  I solicit all of my friends from around the country and the world to help me to raise money for this worthy and much appreciated cause:  Donation Page

If you would like to participate in the ride, they are offering both 25 mile and 50 mile routes.  To register, please visit:  Participant Registration

For more information about the Soldier Ride or the Wounded Warrior Project, please visit:  http://sr.woundedwarriorproject.org/

God bless our Soldiers, their Families and our great Country!

NSDQ!

Are Foreclosed Properties being lost in the shuffle?  It appears to be happening here in the Clarksville TN Foreclosure Market so I have a strong feeling that it is happening elsewhere around the country. 

I reported a while back about a lovely foreclosed property in Clarksville TN that our clients had made an offer on and received a 'verbal' acceptance from Freddie Mac only to have the offer rejected two days later.  The Freddie Mac Sales Manager emailed and said that the property was being sold back to the primary lender because the lender could not afford to take a loss (20K projected loss based upon sales price, closing and commission projections).  Being the military minded person that I am, this upset me just a bit - possibly because I felt we had failed our clients, but mainly because of the way the whole transaction went about - very odd indeed.

Since the Freddie Mac Sales manager had emailed us direct and the listing agent had stated the listing was no longer hers, I emailed Freddie Mac again after a week to see if I could get contact information to the primary lender to try to save the deal and get our clients in the home that they truely loved.  His comment back was "I do not have time to answer questions about every property I manage.  Please do not email me again"  Obviously this is no way to conduct yourself when you are in the business of helping people, but I decided to let it lie.

Weeks passed and I checked the tax records daily to see if the home had switched hands which it never did.  About the same time the news broke that Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage had fallen on hard times and had been placed on suspension (this was the primary lender)

The home in question went into Foreclosure (or into Freddie Mac's control) on 13 February 2009 and has been sitting ever since.  It was listed until May and has been in limbo ever since.  No power, no occupants - basically a statistic that is slowly deteriorating.  Looking at properties held by Freddie Mac in the Montgomery County Tennessee area, there are two others (six total) that are in the same situation.  I have to check HUD and Fannie Mae to see if I can get similar reports and will let you know.

Tonight, I emailed Freddie Mac Corporate Relations as I could not get a straight answer on the phone and no email response through other avenues to see if they were even aware this home was out there lost in the shuffle.  I hope to hear back from them soon.  Our clients are still in search of another home that meets their needs - hopefully I can get them into this property, but at the very least I hope that the home gets listed and occupied before is simply implodes.  Homes are not meant to be empty as many builders and Realtors will tell you.

If we are to fix the foreclosure issue in America, there has got to be a concerted effort by the Freddie and Fannie to get the properties moved.  Concerning themselves with a $20 - 25k loss on a single property after the citizens of the United States doled out billions for this very situation is not the answer.  We must be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Are you one of the many who are considering building a home in Clarksville TN?   Maybe you are new to the Clarksville TN area.  Possibly you own a home and have considered taking advantage of the historic low interest rates and looking to upgrade from your current home which has not grown as fast as your Family.  Or, you are on the other end of the spectrum and find you have more home than what you need and are looking to downsize.

Whatever the case may be, building a home in Clarksville TN can be a wonderful experience or a stressful experience depending on the path that you choose.  Many prospective buyers believe they can deal directly with the builder to get a better price on a new home.  This might be the case if you are building on your land in an established neighborhood or out in the country, but highly unlikely if you are looking to build in a new development.

Okay, you are wondering why I would say such a thing correct?  Or perhaps, you are thinking 'He is just saying that to get me to contract him as my Clarksville Realtor'  Obviously I would be lying if I said I did not want you to have one of the best Clarksville TN Real Estate experiences (self-promotional plug), but that is not the sole reason.  Here are some points for you to consider:

• Most Clarksville TN Builders have developed a relationship with a Realtor or Brokerage in town who they entrust to market their homes, thus will be hesitant to break that trust.
• If building in a unfinished development, the builder has to look at the long term gain, as opposed to the short term.  What I mean by this is that the selling price will impact the future price of homes that they build in the development. 
• When building a home, you want a dedicated Realtor to take care of ensuring you and your Family's interests are represented. 

Simply put, you are paying for the services of a Realtor whether you choose to realize it or not - especially in a new development.  So make sure you are getting the most for your money.

Here is a list of Clarksville TN Home Builders.  Many are realizing the power of the internet and have started blogs and customer/Realtor message services that assist in making the building process a much less stressful process.  Some, such as Grant Construction Inc. have even joined the Social Networking phenomina.  All listed are builders that Pam and I would recommend due to their quality craftsmanship, service after the sale and customer service:

• Grant Construction
• Chris Warren Construction
• Crabbe Construction
• David Reese Construction
• Prestige Group
• Blackwell Construction

There are many other quality Clarksville TN Home Buildersbut sadly when you do a google search for Clarksville TN Home Builders only a couple come up in the search.  Not to worry though, The Cash Team can set up interviews with builders in Clarksville to assist you every step of the way.

Contact us today.  We are ready to help you realize your dreams.

Well, a form of prospecting, albeit not the same as Clarksville TN Realtors do day in and day out.  These little guys are about at the end of their life, yet they work non-stop from birth till the day they persish ensuring that we have beautiful flower which to admire.