Clarksville, TN is one of the top cities for affordable housing for 20-something adults, says Annette Bratcher, a Realtor specializing in home sales in Middle Tennessee. Millennials are born between 1980 and 1994, and Zoomers, also known as Generation Z, are born from 1994 to about 2010.
“The twenty-somethings were less affected by the recession than many other demographic groups and are ready to buy homes,” says Bratcher. “Cost is still a factor to them. They also want to near to the action and not in the middle of nowhere just because of price.”
Several surveys, including one by Realtor.com, show that Clarksville is popular for its affordability and other quality of life amenities. Among U.S. cities, it has the third-largest percentage of new home buyers in their 20s. More than one in four of the city’s residents are Millennials.
Clarksville’s cost of living is about 8 percent below the national average, says Annette Bratcher. The city is known for Fort Campbell, and traditionally military families have been the top home buyers. Now, however, 20-something civilian families are taking over the top spot.
Clarksville also has a growing downtown and a diverse population, she says. Its location, about 45 minutes from Nashville, also is an attraction.
“The younger buyers are looking for three-bedroom newly constructed or newly renovated homes,” says Annette Bratcher.
Bratcher is an experienced Realtor in Middle Tennessee. She holds several certifications, including residential construction, new home specialist, accredited buyers representative, seniors real estate specialist, short sales and foreclosure resource certification, brokers price opinion resource, and e-Pro certification. An e-Pro certification means that she has mastered advanced digital marketing techniques.
Annette Bratcher was born in Western Kentucky. After graduating from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, she spent time in the Atlanta building material business. She then moved back to Middle Tennessee in 1995, where she became involved in the real estate/residential construction business initially as a financial resource. She then became a licensed contractor and Realtor. She has been active in the communities in which she’s lived, becoming a director and then president of the Chamber of Commerce, a director in Kiwanis Club, a member of the Economic Development Board, and a founding director of the United Way. She supports several charities, including the Rutherford/Cannon County Child Advocacy Group and First Shot Basketball.