Melissa Grant - Real Estate Coordinator Offering Virtual or On - Site Services

Dear Diary,

We, the people, sit here today on pins and needles, more like sleeping in a rose bush full of thorns waiting to know if the Obama Stimulus Plan will be passed and/or will work. As grown men and women all dressed up in their fancy suits and ties hold the future of America in their hands we sit back and listen, watch the mud sling, we receive emails from our National Association of Realtors " for our voices to be heard ", we hoard what money we have and we pray that someone will listen to the guy who is being more conservative wearing the JCPenny pin stripped suit rather than the guy wearing some fancy suit of some designers name I can't pronounce anyway.

Diary, my passion has always been to live freely, within my means and to help people. To both give and receive inspiring advice, to set goals, to be proud of being an American. To support our troops who fight everyday for our freedoms ( I wear Red on Fridays ). To inspire my children and other children to always be who and what they want to be. To adopt one family each year and show them Christmas miracles still exist. To volunteer at a woman's shelter and help if only one woman understand just how empowering she should feel because leaving was a brave and courageous thing to do. To live freely in knowing that I live in America, in the American dream and someone " in it " will always have my back and look out for me and my family.

Today, televisions have been brought into our homes to keep us advised, more like to keep us in a panic. The old saying of " Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see " has become an " old wives tale. " Many, sit glued to their televisions feeding themselves the doom and gloom of our nation heeding every bit of advice from some telecaster who doesn't appear to know anything more than we do. This my friend is like taking financial advice from someone pending their bankruptcy court date. Better yet it's like walking into a marriage counselors office whom might I add has been divorced four times. We listen to our Government and Media tell us we should set up lemon-aid stands to make extra earnings but yet I don't see our Government selling watermelons on the side of the street to reduce our national deficit. This is all like walking into an AA Meeting and the door prize is a 6-pack of beer.

At this point it no longer matters " Who is to blame ", " When it all started or why ". The fact is it did happen and no stimulas package to date has put a dent in what the American people actually need. What great timing to put money in our pockets with the Bush Administrations Stimulas. Our food prices were at an all time high, fuel prices exceeded $4.00 per gallon ( now calculate that $4.00 per gallon and hold it up against the minimum wage worker...need I say anymore ) and we were already seeing increases in the cost to run our electricity.

Mr. Government Officials, my money went right into my savings account, creating a stronger reserve account for " the, well...... unknown ".

Now, had you handed us our very  small, might I ad very small check during the Holiday rush....we might have bought our children the actual Rock Band version of Guitar Hero rather than the knock off Aerosmith Version. We might have bought a new Christmas dress or suit rather than digging through our closet's to see what we haven't worn in years. We might have even bought a 20 pound Turkey rather than a 15 pound turkey. To date my small check was given back to our oil industry as well as Tyson, Betty Crocker, Butterball, Campbell's and Little Debbie. I'm sorry for the losses Goody's, Best Buy and Circuit City took throughout the Holiday season but many took your advice : We went into hiding in total panic.

Diary, " They ", our Government, seem to think that a bunch of tax cuts, extra money for food stamps and extensions of unemployment benefits will create jobs and will open the housing market. I couldn't DISAGREE more. I wish someone would explain how a buyer tax credit is going to help our housing economy " open up " if the buyer desperately seeking to purchase a home cannot obtain a loan because Banks want to cut out Mortgage Brokers because Banks have upped the anti on lending criteria and because well, banks can do and say whatever they want, whenever they want and have ZERO accountability for it.

You should instead be teaching how a little hard work never hurt anyone and that a callous is a sign of hard work..like my Daddy's hands. You should be teaching the Food Stamp Recipient the power of their OWN dollar not looking to the middle class to continue paying for a person who has figured out they receive more by staying home and doing nothing. I don't understand how you can extend benefits, call it a stimulus and swear that this will return our economy to normal and yet kick a woman out of a hospital bed 24 hours after she has given birth ???? 

True Story

Last night at my daughters basketball practice I was speaking to a parent who found out that her and her husband made to much money and ended up owing Uncle Sam. Now, believe me when I tell you their income was NOTHING to smile about. In the end they were having to pay Uncle Sam all because she took on a part time job to help pay the increasing household bills which ended up costing her more in the long run because of child care expenses. In the process she also lost Health Care for her children through the State of TN, known as Cover Kids ( a program when you do not qualify for Medicaid ). All because of her part time job. She was told by a GOVERNMENT worker that she should CLAIM a separation from her husband whereas she would then be able to receive : Medicaid, Food Stamps and Schooling since she had been denied a government grant to finish her degree. Best part she was also told she could receive unemployment benefits by saying " the result of quiting her job was because of her separation and lack of child care".  Do I need to say any more on extending food stamps and/or unemployment.

Our Government should be taking lessons from Housewives. Take Carol Brady for example. A single mother with three children, then married with six. When Mike brought home his paycheck every Friday she didn't give herself a raise and neglect to purchase food. When Mike got a raise she didn't go purchase a bigger, fancier car because the government said we needed to stimulate the economy. She didn't go in debt because they earned a few dollars more. When you went to the bank to purchase your home you went with documents in hand and money in the bank. She never worried about debt to income ratio because way back when you were taught to save not to obtain more and more " On Credit ". Carol Brady was the divider of 4.3 weeks in a month and knew every week what she needed to have and what was leftover. If her automobile needed tires she paid for tires she didn't trade in her vehicle for a lease. When Mike received a " bonus " they didn't take fancy vacations and fly out on a private jet. Way back when there was a more practical approach.

Getting Back to Basics

How do you live in these times ? The same way you did BEFORE the Government started putting televisions in peoples homes and creating panic. You have choices. You can be the divider of 4.3 weeks in a month or you can eagerly spend all of your hard earned cash on the Hybrid because the Government says this is what you should be doing. You can take your raise or bonus and invest in your future, purchase a home or you can panic and hem it to your curtains like my great grandmother did. You can learn the power of a dollar and build a savings account or you can be a puppet to the government and spend it all at Wal-Mart because the government has you fearing one more store will shut down. You can get out their and plow your own land or cross your arms wondering what's the use ? You can get up everyday and live the American Dream in peace or you can turn on the news that is costing you more electricity by running your television only to listen to a bunch of doom and gloom or you can get up, go to work and appreciate the power of your earnings. You can worry about supporting Kroger or Publix or you can build your own garden.

Simply, you can get out there and live. Live life to it's fullest. To be inspiring or be inspired or you can make excuses to not live , to live in fear, in panic and do what our banks continue to do : give raises to yourself, not hold yourself accountable, take fancy trips you cannot afford and of course you can always leave on a jet plane only to come back later apologize and do it all over again:

As for me I will believe in " Old Wives Tales ", I will build my own garden, plow my own land, drive a paid off mini van with good, clean tires. I will work hard, I will invest in my future. I will preserve my credit and live within my means. I will give hope because I have hope. I will dream because without a dream I am stuck exactly where I am today. I will be the dictator of my life. I will not allow my home or vehicle to define me. I will inspire because I want to be inspired. I will give so that I can receive. 

 I am my own government.

Consumer Information Package : Fairfield Glade

With a dozen golf courses, Crossville is "The GOLF Capital of Tennessee!" The area is home to Tennessee's famous vacation and retirement resort, Fairfield Glade, which boasts 90 holes of golf in just their area alone; home to the first site of Jack Nicklaus' Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain State Park; home to Tennessee's highest elevation golf course at Renegade Mountain; and home to a total of eleven championship golf courses. In all, there are over 200 holes atop the Cumberland Plateau.

Fairfield Glade offers eleven lakes for fishing, multiple swimming pools, fitness complexes, paved walking and hiking trails and features award winning tennis courts and golf courses. At the highest point, Fairfield Glade is nestled between the Smokey and Rocky Mountain ranges. With an elevation of 2,000 feet we enjoy cooler summers and mild winters.

Fairfield Glade is centrally located between Nashville, home of the Grand Old Opry and Knoxville, home of the Woman's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Capturing " Mother Nature's " original design, Fairfield Glade strategically places it's homes within the original landscape of dogwoods, mountain laurel, hollies and ancient trees and offers outstanding amenities to it's homeowners and members such as :

• Championship Golf Courses

• Swimming Pools

• Walking and Hiking Trails

• Recreation Center

• Sports Complexes

• Tennis Courts

• Lakes

• Boating

• and more......

Fairfield Glade offers low property taxes and a hometown atmosphere. With traditional to contemporary home styles you enjoy the peace and tranquility of nature with waterfalls, original rock formations and lots of "green ".

Property Taxes :

The following information is based on a Residential House having a total land and building value of $150,000. The 2007 tax rate for the City of Crossville is $0.55 per hundred of assessed value. The County rate is $1.24 per hundred of assessed value.

$150,000 Total value of land and building x 25% Residential Assessment at 25 percent of value $37,500 Residential Assessment of land and building x .0124 2007 Cumberland County Tax Rate of $1.24 per hundred of assessed value

$465.00 Total County Taxes for land and building based on 2007 Tax Rate

Crossville and Cumberland County Schools

368 Fourth Street, Crossville, TN 38555

931- 484-6135

http://ccschools.k12tn.net HYPERLINK "http://ccschools.k12tn.net/"

Note: All area codes are (931) unless otherwise noted.

High Schools

• Cumberland County High School 484-6194

• Stone Memorial High School 484-5767

Elementary Schools

• Brown Elementary 788-2248

• Crab Orchard School 484-7400

• Glenn Martin Elementary 484-7547

• Homestead Elementary 456-8344

• North Cumberland Elementary 484-5174

• Pine View School 865-354-1986

• Pleasant Hill School 277-3677

• South Cumberland Elementary 788-6713

• Stone Elementary 456-5636

For more information on School please visit : http://cumberland.k12.tn.us

For more information on Cumberland County please visit : http://www.crossville-chamber.com

If you love nature, come to Crossville TN and combine both nature and golf with picturesque mountain views, plenty of trees and lots of water !

Golf Courses in our Area include :

Fairfield Glade Courses :

Dorchesters Country Club 931-484-3709

Druid Hills Country Club 931-484-3751

Heatherhurst Golf Glub ( The Brea Course ) 931-484-3799

Heatherhurst Golf Club ( The Crag Course ) 931-484-3799

Melissa Grant is a Licensed Real Estate Professional and Consumer Advocate serving Cumberland County, Putnam County, Fentress and Morgan Counties. Melissa Grant is licensed and permitted to practice Real Estate in the State of Tennessee. Melissa Grant works with other high quality and professional Real Estate Agents Nationwide to bring buyers, sellers and agents together outside the state of Tennessee. If you reside in another state and are looking to buy, sell and/or relocate, Melissa Grant can provide you with exceptional service to finding the agent that fits your needs.

• Melissa Grant, Consumer Advocate
• 931-210-8277 Direct
• www.crossvilletnrealestateforsale.com
• www.servingcrossvilletn.com
• lissalgrant@yahoo.com

Crossville TN has just been designated one of the top 10 best locations to retire by Biz journal magazine, and Rand McNally. Crossville TN is located atop the Cumberland Plateau, with a 2000 foot elevation, named " The Golf Capital of Tennessee " with championship Golf Courses, panoramic mountain views, babbling creeks, streams and several lakes.

Crossville TN is home to Museums, The Cumberland County Playhouse, Shopping Plazas, and more. With plenty of businesses for job opportunities and growth our hometown atmosphere provides many Cumberland County citizens excellent places to work. Premier Medical Centers, Excellent Schools, and more, make The Cumberland Plateau a great place to live, work, raise a family and play !

Along the Cumberland Plateau you find easy living with endless choices and possibilities. From rustic and log cabin style homes to contemperary and modern. From lots with full amenities like golf, swimming, hiking and more to rolling pasture and acreage.

With subdivisions likeLake Tansi, Cumberland Cove, Holiday Hills and Fairfield Glade to country side living with no restrictions. Enjoying the good life has never been easier with low property taxes, no state tax and where a handshake is still your word.

Fine Dining is just a taste bud away with resturaunts like Forte's at Lake Tansi, Gondola's Italian Restaurant, Cancun Mexican Restaurant and for a little bit of everything and a Sunday Football game you enjoy Ruby Tuesday's.

For one stop shopping come on out to the Outlet Mall where you can shop for the whole family with Rack Room Shoes, Vanity Fair, Dress For Less, Vitamin World, The Black and Decker Store, and so much more...

• Melissa Grant , REALTOR®
• 931-210-8277 Direct
• www.crossvilletnrealestateforsale.com
• lissalgrant@yahoo.com

I remember when I purchased my first home. I could never understand why it seemed like I was jumping through fire to get approved. So many documents in what seemed like so little time. From pay-stubs to rent receipts to a nice sit down on why there was a medical bill reported on my credit. There were a lot of factors in purchasing my first home. My salary was scrutinized for the most part and overtime not even calculated. I remember argueing that I worked it, I earned it. However, in a Mortgage Lenders eyes it was not permanent. His job was to simply make sure I could ALWAYS afford the home I wanted to purchase. They didn't just look at what I could afford today. There was a much bigger picture.

Today, purchasing my first home reminds me of the lessons my grandparents taught me while growing up. The importance of balancing your checkbook EVERY month, paying ALL of your bills or at the very least making payment arrangements in the event something happened and you couldn't meet a certain monthly obligation. Saving money for a rainy day - you never know when that tire will blow out or your water heater takes a dive sort of thing. I was taught since I could add and subtract the importance of " living within your means". My grandmother was the type of person for example : she knew when her billing cycle started and stopped with her credit cards. If she needed to make a purchase she would wait if her billing cycle was coming to a close. She did this because it gave her a month to save on the balance she would be charging rather than it charging on the current month and owing the balance in as little as a few days when the bill came in the mail. These teachings have stuck with me now into my adult life and it has helped me tremendously in saving for a rainy day, it has helped me to simply, well, " live within my means ".

Today, history repeats itself. It repeats in that today as I sit with my clients I find myself offering tips and advice on what " grandma" and "grandpa" taught me. I can sit and assure a buyer that their Mortgage Lender is not trying to get or make things personal. He is simply making sure they will ALWAYSbe able to afford their new home in the event a " rainy day does come ". He is simply reminding some that " everyone starts somewhere ". That small is the new big, conservative is a smart choice ! Do you remember your first car ? Chances are it was the hand me down clunker purchase for 500 or 800 dollars. You know the one where the side mirror was hanging off and looked as if it came from a battle ground. In the end we were okay with that. We were okay with that because it was nothing that a screw and a bolt wouldn't fix and who really cared about the dents anyway. We were driving, we got to tote our friends around and show off those dents...it was ours ! Bought and payed for and in the end that is all that mattered.

Purchasing your home is sort of the same example. You start small and work your way up. It's the memories within the walls of your new home that matter. Not the fancy chandeliers that hang or the 12 foot cathedral ceilings that increase your electric bill. Its the fact that you can sit and say with every coat of paint...It's mine and it's paid for. It's the fact that when that water heater takes a dive you can afford to pay for both the water heater and your mortgage. It's about saving for the rainy day, starting small with the beat up hand me down and working your way up to something bigger.

It's funny how history repeats itself. It's funny that I now sit back as a Realtor and listen to the same questions, answers and demands once placed upon myself to purchase a home. In a time where white out didn't exist on those W2's and documentation of your whole life would give you the keys to your home not "pretend play house" where overtime was calculated but never shown. I am happy that history is repeating itself. I am happy because I know you will now be able to ALWAYS afford your home. I am happy because one day when you want a little more I will be able to be there as you mark yet another milestone in your life. And when you sell the home that you worked hard for and built so many memories in ....I will be happy to sit back and watch you hand over the keys to someone who was once just like you. Making memories out of nothing at all.

Brought to you by, Melissa Grant, Crossville TN Real Estate. Affiliate Broker serving Cumberland Cove, Fairfield Glade, Lake Tansi and the Cumberland Plateau. Bringing buyers and sellers together in Crossville TN.

Wishing you and yours a very Safe and Happy Holiday Season.

photos courtest of realestateclipart.com

• Melissa Grant , REALTOR®
• 931-210-8277 Direct
• www.crossvilletnrealestateforsale.com
• lissalgrant@yahoo.com

Crossville TN Real Estate

Veterans Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the World honors some 24.9 million military veterans in America. A significant day in remembering those who fought for our freedom, who stood on enemy lines protecting and serving. Today, we honor those who stand with flags remembering their fight, we honor those who gave their lives for the freedom we have today.

Today, I can't help but to remember the stories my great-grandfather and grandfather told me. Their experiences at war, the loss of friends literally right beside them. The fear of how they never thought they would make it home and with every blood shattered the longing for peace within their hearts.

Today, as we remember our Veterans I also cry for the young man so very close and dear to me leaving for Afghanistan. Behind he leaves his wife and 6 month old baby boy. An only child his Mother Jennifer weeps with fear. Micheal, (" Mikey " known to all his family and friends ) is a strong young man. Hard to believe once running around in diapers giving me a run for my money. I have known Mikey since he was two years old. He grew up within my family and has always been like a little brother. It's a sad day when you think of those you love, have loved being sent off to war. You simply cannot prepare.

Honor our Veterans today as we honor those already serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Honor the families of those serving our country both past and present. Pray for our troops today and everyday ............