Tim and Pam Cash - Clarksville TN Real Estate Professionals

Preparing your home for sale. One of the most frequently overlooked ingredients to a timely sale is the diligent care taken by the homeowner when preparing their property for sale. Potential buyers are drawn to properties that have been strategically groomed for the marketing process.

Here are some ideas that you might find helpful.

Getting Your Home Ready To Sell: You would never dream of inviting guests to your house without making certain preparations, so you wouldn't invite potential buyers without first making the necessary updates by preparing your home to sell. If you are like most sellers, you want to get as much as possible for your home and you want to do it as quickly as possible.

Letting Go: After you've lived in a house, it becomes much more than four walls and a ceiling. It's a home and it has a lot of good memories. Your first step to preparing your home to sell is to realize that you will take these memories with you wherever you go, but you won't be taking the house. It can be difficult to let go, but the task will be much easier if you start to think of it as a new beginning rather than an ending.

Cleaning House: An important part of getting your home ready to sell is in staging the decor for potential buyers. When you stage a home, you create an environment that is free of any personal items, such as photos and/or anything that stands out as being customized for you or your family. When a potential buyer walks through your home, they need to envision their belongings and decor without being distracted by yours. While these items may be special to you, they could possibly prevent the buyer from being able to imagine their own style complementing the home. In addition to removing any personal items, make sure that you remove any clutter from the home. A clean home seems larger and more inviting, whereas a lot of stuff laying around could give the impression that the home is too small or cramped for storage. Pack up any knickknacks, remove your children's drawings from the refrigerator, and clean up your counter space in both the kitchen and bathrooms.

Staging Your Home: Now that your house is clean, it's time to put the finishing touches on the staging process. A solid, neutral shade in a tablecloth should be selected for the dining room table. Depending on your decor and wall coloring, a solid white, sand or ivory covering will work well. In the center of the table, a vase with fresh cut flowers (or silk, if you have allergies) will add a nice accent. Did you know that the kitchen and bathroom are two of the main selling points to any home? Keep this in mind when preparing your home for potential buyers.

The living room should have one focal point, whether it be a fireplace or breathtaking view of the outside world. If you have too many features screaming out at potential buyers, they may feel overwhelmed, so focus on one aspect and make it shine. If you have a mantle, line it with three candles that match your decor in color. Place a large candle in the center with one smaller one on each end, which will be reminiscent of a perfectly matched bookend set. A home with a stunning view should have window dressings that accent the positive, instead of hiding it. If your furniture has a design of any kind, mask it with a solid slipcover to complement the flooring or wall color. Some homeowners also add a fresh coat of paint to their home, which will bring life back into a fading color. Turn on the lights and open the blinds and draperies to create a bright and inviting environment throughout your home.

Where To Store Your Stuff: Now that you know how important it is to remove any clutter and oversized or bulky furniture, you need to know where to put it. If you already have a new home, you can simply move it there. Otherwise, you can put it into storage until you are ready to move. It's important to leave some essentials in your former home for potential buyers to see, such as a dining room table, a sofa and chairs, bed, etc. Any additional furnishings that seem to interrupt the flow of your home, or make it feel cramped, should be removed. You do not want potential buyers to feel as though the house is too small.

Details, Details, Details: As a final strategy to prepare your home to sell, make sure that you have any carpet stains removed, windows cleaned, fresh linens placed in the bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. You would be surprised at how many people pay attention to even the smallest of details, so be sure to fix any small repairs that could be a turnoff for buyers. Last, but not least, make sure your home looks just as good on the outside as it does on the inside. This means that your lawn should be cared for, flower beds must be maintained, and any outdoor clutter must be removed.

Experience has proven that when homeowners take the time to adequately prepare their home for the market the time it takes to sell their home is reduced significantly.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We are happy to consult with you without any obligation regarding the sale of your property. You can reach us at any time at 931-338-1375 or 931-436-7617.

Clarksville Real Estate Professionals, please join Pam and I for an Agent Open House at 1275 Flagstone Court.

When: 17 November 2009

Time: 11 to 1

As always there will be door prizes and lunch!

Directions: From Trenton Rd turn right on Hazelwood Dr. Right on Flagstone to R on Flagstone Ct.

We hope that you can make the time to come view this wonderful property and visit! We look forward to seeing you.

	Residential	MLS No.1130937
Status Active	Area 76	List Price $185,000
Type Site Built	Er/Ea Exc. Right to Sell	Media
Address 1275 Flagstone Ct	City Clarksville	Zip 37042
County Montgomery	Sub/Dev Autumnwood Farms	MLS Map
Lot Number	Tax ID 018L J 018.00	Deed Book/Page V1081/878
Directions From Trenton Rd turn right on Hazelwood Dr. Right on Flagstone to R on Flagstone Ct.

Operation Rising Star - Thea Agnew. Many of you have seen blogs on both this contest and on Thea Agnew's singing talents. Ms. Thea is not only a very talented singer, she is a mother and a Army Spouse. Also, she is a wonderful friend.

Voting is today, Sunday, 21:30:00 (930pm) to 23:30:00 (1100pm) Eastern Standard Time (America/New York). The broadcast can be seen at 7 pm central on the pentagon website: www.pentagonchannel.mil clicking on steaming live or if you see Operation Rising Star, click there. Voting is done on www.oprisingstar.com clicking on VOTE then Thea Agnew.

Please assist Thea is realizing a dream that she has been chasing for many years now!

This editorial was co-written by Bill Larson and Tim Cash, and contains a gallery of images from the 2009 Veterans Day parade.

America has long had a fascination with Heroes: cowboys wearing a ten gallon hat and riding a white stallion, a firefighter rescuing someone from a building engulfed in flames, the Sheriff putting dangerous criminals behind bars, the athlete, the underdog overcoming impossible odds, and of course the special kind of person that volunteers to serve our great Country.

Becoming a Soldier is a choice that involves sacrifices. The sacrifice of knowing you may be required to leave your family, loved ones, and the comforts of home on a moments notice. The sacrifice of knowing that the time spent away from your loved one's can never be reclaimed. The sacrifice of knowing that there is always the possibility that you may not make it back. The choice to become a soldier is never an easy one.

Welcoming our Soldiers home

Soldiers do not enlist because they want to go out and kill, they do so for a myriad of reasons, some do so for a paycheck, some for assistance with college tuition, some because they lack of other viable choices. Every Soldier has their own individual reasons for enlisting, but for most at the root of their decision to enlist, stems a deep and abiding love for their country, and our freedoms. For these Soldiers patriotism isn't an abstract concept, it is an essential part of their being.

When Soldier swears their oath, they mean every word of it:

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

They also recognize that their duty to their oath does not end, just because they have left the service of their nation.

Clarksville Online's Tim Cash was one of those soldiers....

Due to circumstances beyond our control neither my family or myself could provide the opportunity for me to attend college right out of high school. The Army offered me a chance to serve, and in exchange they would provide me with the assistance to allow me to attend college. Which I did eventually did, and I am a mere twelve credits from earning my bachelor's degree.

A sense of duty to our Nation, and my Family turned what was to be a three year tour, into a twenty year career. This was not something I had planned on, but my path in life became clear to my during my fledgling years of service. I, like many who served before me, and who still today, did not make the career choice based upon money.

For most soldiers it is the knowledge that we were (and are) protecting our Families and way of life here in the United States, that drives us to make that difficult choice. We would gladly lay down our lives fighting in a far away land, rather than allowing our enemies bring their fights to our shores. Many of our soldiers have ended up paying that ultimate price, and should be revered by all Americans for the sacrifice they and their families made for us.

Soldiers are not political, they march off to war because they believe that they are doing so in service of a just cause. Our Soldiers service gives us the ability to sleep in peace at night; to wake up in the morning; and to allow us enjoy the freedoms promised under our Constitution, without fear of retribution.

As we honor our Veterans today, please take a moment to say a prayer for all those who have served, are serving, or will soon serve their nation on this hallowed day!

Clarksville Real Estate Professionals, please join Pam and I for an Agent Open House at 3353 Clearwater Drive.

When: 12 November 2009

Time: 11 to 1

As always there will be door prizes and lunch!

Directions: From I-24 take Exit 1, turn right onto Tiny Town Road; Right on Clearwater Drive; Home is on the right.

We hope that you can make the time to come view this wonderful property and visit! We look forward to seeing you.

	Residential	MLS No.1130043
Status Active	Area 75	List Price $187,500
Type Site Built	Er/Ea Exc. Right to Sell	Media
Address 3353 Clearwater Dr	City Clarksville	Zip 37042
County Montgomery	Sub/Dev Marymont	MLS Map
Lot Number	Tax ID 007O B 002.00	Deed Book/Page V523/1588
Directions I-24 @ Exit 1* turn Right on Tiny TownRoad* Right on Clearwater Drive . House is on right.