Rolling farmland, quiet subdivisions and views of Lookout Mountain off in the distance characterize Ft. Oglethorpe. Residents find all the necessities of life; such as, churches, good schools, great shopping, sports activities readily available.

• Ft. Oglethorpe is a small town within a 30 minute drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• Atlanta is less than 2 hours away.
• It is close to Interstate 75.
• Neighboring cities include Ringgold, Chickamauga, Rossville and Lafayette.
• Located in Catoosa & Walker Counties.

The Colonade

In the Ft. Oglethorpe area Catoosa County built the Colonnade. It has a small theater for theater and entertainment events, a learning center, and a new library.

Ft. Ogelthorpe History

• Ft. Oglethorpe sits on the edge of Chickamauga Battlefield Park.
• The park is full of history and draws visitors from all over America.

North Georgia Real Estate

If you are looking for a home in the area, here are a few resources that may be of interest:

• Search Fort Oglethorpe real estate for sale.
• Search Chattanooga real estate for sale.
• Learn more information about the Chattanooga area.

There is an upcoming real estate career event Crye-Leike's Hernando Office. Map to Hernando office with Mapquest)

We invite you to find out more about a real estate career and services for Crye-Leike sales associates.

• Date: Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 6:00 PM

Register for this real estate career event in Hernando.

Crye-Leike, Realtors is 4th in the nation and has real estate offices throughout the area providing North MS real estate. We started in 1977 and have since been building a reputation as a leading real estate company. Crye-Leike provides the support, on-going training, technological edge, competitive commission splits, market identity and recognition to help our real estate associates excel.

• Compare real estate companies to
• Cost of a real estate career - Add It Up!
• Crye-Leike's Unique Advantage

There's plenty of news coverage about foreclosures, bankruptcies, and rising inventory. Most of the puclic assumes that NO SALES are occurring. Food for Thought: there IS light amongst the darkness.

Memphis Homes Are Selling

A simple search of "Pending Sales" in a few areas covered by the Memphis MLS shows the following: Did you know there are...

• 184 Pending Sales in Cordova
• 65 Pending Sales in Collierville (including reserves)
• 48 Pending Sales in Germantown
• 87 Pending Sales in Bartlett

Communicate the Message

Realtors you can show the same to the people you work with. Search your market and get the pendings or closed sales for the past 60 days. COMMUNICATE the message to people you talk to. If you are in the media and reading this, consider contacting a local Realtor and doing a story about sales that are taking place.

4th Quarter 2007 Report from National Association of Realtors (NAR)

This week NAR distributed a report for the 4th quarter of 2007 showing "increasing" or "decreasing" prices in 150 U.S. markets. 73 (nearly half) of the markets report RISING home prices. (Don't look for that statistic in the USA Today or Wall Street Journal or New York Times.) In fact, sales VOLUME is falling in most markets, but prices are a different story. It's a mixed bag.

Good News on the Mortgage Front

The new FHA maximum loan limit for the Memphis market has increased to $271,500 effective March 14th, 2008!

• These are assumable (with qualifying) loans with more liberal underwriting guidelines;
• Reasonable appraisal/repair guidelines;
• Seller concessions of 6% of loan amount allowed;
• Low downpayment requirements;
• "Gift funds" are allowed from approved sources,
• Great rates, hovering around 6%.

Do your own searches of pending and sold activity. Get the word out: SALES ARE OCCURRING. Whether buying or selling, it's time to get real.

Executive Corner
From the Desk of...
Steve Brown
Executive Vice-President
Crye-Leike

• Situated on the edge of the Tennessee Valley, near the center of the southern boundary of Tennessee.
• Located just 50 miles south of Nashville.
• 25 miles north of Huntsville, Alabama

Its topography, beautifully contoured by rocks and high winding ridges in the north (1,100 ft. elev.) stretches to deep fertile valleys of Richland Creek and Elk River in the south [600 ft. elev.] Giles County is approximatley 30 miles [north to south] and 20 miles [east to west] with an area of 619 square miles.

Giles County Population

• Population of Giles County is 29,447
• The county's main town of Pulaski has a population of 7,871.
• Ardmore on the eastern side with 1,082.
• Elkton on the southeastern side has 510.
• Minor Hill also on the southern side has just over 400 people.
• Lynnville on the northern end has a population of just over 400.

There are many good reasons to expect growth to continue: good highways, natural beauty, good labor climate, exceptional quality of life, low costs of living, a willing and eager supply of labor, cooperative city and county governments.

Martin Methodist College (MMC)

Founded in 1870, Martin Methodist College is a four-year liberal arts college related to the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. On an historic campus located in Pulaski, TN., in the beautiful hills of southern Middle Tennessee, the college is convenient to both Nashville and Huntsville.

Milky Way Farms

Located in charming Giles County, Tennessee, historic Milky Way Farms offers scenic landscapes and a peaceful way of life. New development will incorporate the history of the farm with the amenities of today. With home sites, a golf course, equestrian facilities and more, residents and visitors will be able to experience the magic of the area. With a rich history and scenic locale, Milky Way Farms is an ideal location for those looking for that special place to call home.

Article Courtesy of: Brooklynn Bass Young, Crye*Leike Wilson Bass & Jones. Originally published in Crye-Leike area information About Giles County.

Clarksville, Tennessee Real Estate Is Strong!

Most are aware of the gloom & doom is the nation's real estate market. However, Realtors' can all agree; real estate is local; or at least, it's all about location, location, location.

There is a local-location in Northwest Middle Tennessee. It is shining bright, among all the bad news. This local-location is Clarksville, TN in Montgomery County and its real estate market is strong.

Consider this; in 2006, Clarksville-Montgomery County had a record setting year.

• There were 4,127 closed residential homes
• With an average sales price of $137,083
• This is coming from an estimated population of 144,000 plus

Then, stop and compare 2006 to 2007.

• In 2007, Clarksville-Montgomery County had 4,226 closed residential homes
• With an average sales price of $144,078

Steady growth in Clarksville TN is the trend.

Take into consideration; these numbers do not reflect other categories, such as condominium, multi-family, land, and commercial sales, which are also all trending up. Moreover, there are other contributing counties not reflected herein, for instance Stewart, Houston, parts of Robertson, & Cheatham Counties, and bordering counties in Kentucky. Numbers drawn from RealTracs Solutions (the local MLS) show these counties are growing, as well.

Others have taken notice of this growth.

A report from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine projected Clarksville, Tennessee to have the largest increase in the nation, with a 6.4% gain through 2009. (Fivser, a provider of technology solutions to the financial world, was Kiplinger's source.) Other media, such as News Channel 5, The Tennessean, The Nashville Business Journal, and The Leaf Chronicle also picked up this report.

Why is Clarksville Growing?  Read the rest of the article by David Greene, Crye-Leike Managing Broker at Clarksville Real Estate market report.