Maurice Vaughn/ The Vaughn Team

What can I do to help sell my home?

When you start thinking about selling remember the three things that buyers look for are location, location and location. You already own the home and can't move it, so what else matters? I believe the WOW factor can make one home sell over another. How do you give your home the WOW factor?

1. Fresh paint, nothing too wild, and make sure the colors flow from one room to another

2.Wallpaper, I know you love all the different patterns, but buyers can be turned off by wallpaper

3.Floors, Clean the carpets

4. Clean the windows

5. Landscaping, First impressions are lasting impressions.

Clean out the shrubs, have fresh mulch, and in season be sure to keep the grass mowed.

Remember if you were looking for a used car and the lot had two models very similar, one had been wrecked or looked like it had been rode hard and the other looked like new, which one would you buy?

Should I remodel or look for a larger or newer home?

One of my biggest pet peeves in buying a home is to never purchase the most expensive in the neighborhood. That same rule applies to doing a major remodeling to a home. Some homeowners are under the impression if they spend $25,000.00 on a remodeling project, they will recoup that investment when it is time to sell. Two things occur, 1. It's rare you can recoup 100% of the original investment 2. Major remodels often price the home at the very upper end for that area. As a result, the home owner is stuck with the fact that to sell they are going to lose money and in some cases could even hurt their chances of finding a buyer. Often home improvements are done to suit the present owners' lifestyle, and a prospective buyer may not value the changes as much.

It's great to improve or redo your home to your liking, but please keep in mind the average time to own a home is five years. Ask yourself will I be able to get my investment out when I sell?

All over the US the housing market is down, sales are slow at best, but not in Clarksville Tennessee. The US home-price index for the fourth quarter of 2008 has just been released and compared to the same time frame in 2007 it shows an 18.2% reduction in home values nationwide. Clarksville homes enjoyed a 3.5% increase in value for the same period. Our inventory of homes is holding around 1700 and with a time on the market of 100 days we are able to absorb new listings as they come on the market. With the new first time homebuyers tax credit in place and spring just around the corner the sales pace is picking up daily. I invite you to visit www.thevaughnteam.com and view all the Clarksville/Fort Campbell homes. Happy house surfing.

Hemlock Semiconductor

The announcement from Hemlock and Dow Corning of a new plant in our fair city is one of the most important events in Clarksville's history. The far reaching impact HSC will have on our community will change us in many ways. The possibilities are numerous, but here are a few of my thoughts.

-The number of jobs created by HSC

-The possibility of additional companies (suppliers) locating in the Clarksville area

-Austin Peay in total will receive over eleven million dollars to tailor a program for future HSC employees

-HSC and Dow Corning's involvement in the Community and our schools The jobs created by the construction (over 1,000) will last for years

As a life long citizen of this area, and one that takes pride in our city and the wonderful way of life we have, I say THANK YOU to HSC, Dow Corning and all the political leaders for making this a reality.

- Maurice Vaughn

5 Myths about Clarksville's Real Estate Market:

1. The housing market is terrible.

2. Every other house has a "for sale" sign in the yard.

3. Clarksville has a record number of foreclosures.

4. Builders are hurting, so a new home can be purchased well under cost.

5. Sellers will do anything to unload their home.

I get so tired of all the media with their gloom and doom stories. I truly believe they sensationalize to try and out do the competition. Yes, the financial market has problems and in most regions of the US you will find areas that have a large amount of foreclosures. Real Estate is and always will be a local business though, granted the internet has changed the way we do business and greatly enhanced the quality of service real estate agents can offer their clients. All factors (lending practices, unemployment, income, etc.) are not the same in every city of our country. I found an article from the Nashville Tennessean dated 2-5-05 that stated (source www.foreclosures.com) area code 37042 had experienced 326 foreclosures in the past year. I checked www.foreclosures.com today and all area codes in the Clarksville/Montgomery County area collectively have 106 homes in foreclosure. September 1, 2007 Clarksville had 1614 single family homes on the market, compared to 1803 as of September 1, 2008. September of 2007 homes were selling for 98.71% of list price with an average of 63 days on the market, compared to September 2008 with homes selling for 97.71% of list price and an average of 93 days on the market. One more fact, the average home in September of 2007 closed at $149,060.00 and in September of 2008 the average closed price was $$155,665.00 (source MTMLS). I realize I have inundated you with figures, but the comparison clearly shows the Clarksville Tennessee Real Estate market is very healthy. I encourage you to visit www.thevaughnteam.com to learn more about the Clarksville/Fort Campbell area or to view all the homes currently on the market.