James Crotty has been buying and selling property for quite a while — both in Montgomery County and other counties — and he's convinced that the national real estate crisis hasn't descended on Clarksville yet. "I've sold property, and I've bought a lot lately," said Crotty, who has been working closely with Dick Littleton, current president of the Clarksville Association of Realtors and affiliate broker with Prudential Professionals Realty.

"What I'm finding is that the market isn't that bad here.

"Everywhere I look in Clarksville, there are subdivisions going in, and people are literally waiting to get in these homes," Crotty said.

He credits, in part, the presence of Fort Campbell, "but I don't think Clarksville's ever been in a position where we haven't been selling homes.

"I've personally had no problems recently selling acreage here, often with a turnaround of only six months.

"In other counties, I've had land for sale that's sat there for years," he said.

Littleton said the proof of a vibrant Clarksville real estate market is still in the numbers.

In 2007, based on figures from the combined Clarksville Regional Multiple Listing Service (MLS), a total of 4,182 home sales were closed here, compared to 4,098 in the previous year — reflecting an annual increase of 84 home sales.

"Those are closed, residential listings," Littleton said. "That sort of runs counter to what you're hearing right now from a lot of real estate agents in our community, who are of the opinion that our market wasn't as good last year."

Littleton thinks that's more of a perception, than reality.

"Consider that, in 2006, our Association started the year with 578 real estate agents in this market, and then last year, by the end of the year, we had over 830.

"So what obviously happens by having a lot more agents is that the existing pie of total homes available for sale gets divided up into smaller pieces," he said.

In truth, Littleton said, Clarksville finds itself, right now, "in a particularly advantageous niche."

He echoes the recent sentiments of other local Realtors who say Clarksville consumers and potential homebuyers shouldn't be too influenced by national news reports about a stale, if not sinking U.S. housing market.

Again, Littleton, like other business leaders locally, points to a report on Kiplinger.com that projects Clarksville as the best real estate market in the nation through 2009.

In that report, Fiserv forecasts that more than three-fourths of the cities it follows will post negative results this year, with most of the rest posting gains of 4 percent or less.

Fiserv's forecasting model factors in the two primary drivers of growth in any local economy: income and demographic trends.

It projects that over the next two years, Miami's market (which tops the five-year winners list) will suffer the most (down 23 percent), followed by Punta Gorda and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Phoenix; Stockton, Cal.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Las Vegas.

In Los Angeles and San Francisco — the two most expensive cities in the country — Fiserv expects home prices to lose 14 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, by mid 2009.

"The city slated to do the best is Clarksville, Tenn. ... with a projected 6.4 percent gain through 2009," the much-celebrated report reads.

"Here in Clarksville, we're sitting in the catbird's seat," Littleton says in response to the projection. "Fiserv has pinpointed us as the most advantageous place in the whole country to buy and sell real estate.

"Nationwide, there are some cities where home prices are really dropping, but Clarksville is kind of the exception to that trend.

"I can say this. This is my twenty-second year to be in this business, and I cannot remember a better time for someone to try to buy real estate in Clarksville-Montgomery County," Littleton said.

"Interest rates are down right now, and there is plenty of inventory. "I do think our real estate market is amid a state of correction, but not serious decline. The deployment of troops always affects us. But to some extent, that's more perception today, than reality. Seeing the troops return will help boost public confidence, even though many of the military families already own homes here, so there won't necessarily be this huge buying spree all at once when they get back."

Littleton said that, when he's asked about the current state of the market here, he usually stresses the importance of "patience, not panic.

"I don't think panic should be in our vocabulary here. In fact, the market we're in now more closely resembles the good markets that we had seven, eight or nine years ago. We're not down in the valley, but you naturally have various market swings. It just takes a little more patience.

"Generally speaking, it just makes sense that, if your inventory gets up a little high, then there has to be a leveling-off period. So our builders have recently kind of pulled back a little bit. But once that corrects itself — which, I think, will happen by this Spring — I think we'll see a dramatic improvement again in this market," he said.

For home sellers, Littleton said patience right now is especially important. "They need to give themselves plenty of time in this market. If there's ever been a time when a Realtor is needed in a transaction, it's now. Realtors can offer valuable negotiating skills and their time."

Already ranked as one of the nation's least-expensive cities in which to live, Clarksville's real estate marketplace may only be missing one component, according to Littleton — more new home inventory tailored toward retirees.

"Clarksville is becoming an attractive place for retirees. We already have a wonderful retirement base here. I think we're poised to become a major center for retirement, but at some point, our builders may have to consider building more condos with unique, and specific amenities for the retirement community," he said.

"These are people who are looking for convenience, and often, features in homes that offer enhanced physical assistance."