Clarksville · Investment Property
Investment property in Clarksville
Numbers first: a price that leaves room for profit, and the negotiating to get it.
Fort Campbell matters, but it isn't the whole market
Fort Campbell is a real part of Clarksville's rental market. The Defense Department's Military OneSource profile of Fort Campbell lists about 30,113 active-duty service members, and says 66% of assigned soldiers and their families live off post, in Montgomery and Stewart counties in Tennessee or Christian and Trigg counties in Kentucky. That creates a steady flow of households looking for housing.
Clarksville also has civilian renters, including people connected to local employers and Austin Peay. Military demand is a reason to study a property. It isn't a guarantee that it will rent at a certain price or stay occupied.
Talk About an Investment
Where investors start looking in Clarksville
Where I'd look depends on the renter and the numbers. These are starting points, not rankings:
- 37042, the Fort Campbell side of town: practical three- and four-bedroom homes with a commute that works for the tenant.
- 37040: street by street and property by property, not one market.
- Sango and 37043: a larger or newer home may appeal to renters who want that location and layout, but the higher purchase price has to make sense against the rent it can actually bring.
Condition, price, commute and nearby competing rentals matter more than a ZIP code label.
The accidental landlord
We see this often here. A military household buys while stationed at Fort Campbell, gets PCS orders, and thinks about keeping the house as a rental. I understand why. You know the home, and you may want it for a future return.
Before you decide, I'd get a current rental comparison and price out everything: management, repairs, vacancy, insurance, taxes and the mortgage payment. And I'd want a plan for who handles a repair when you're living in another state. Sometimes keeping it makes sense. Sometimes selling does. See selling your home in Clarksville for the other side.
The mistake to avoid
Don't run the deal on advertised rent alone. Clarksville has a lot of rental choices, and asking rents vary a lot by home type and location. A clean, well-priced house competes very differently from one with deferred maintenance or a rent set above similar homes. I compare leased properties where available, check the active competition, and run the numbers with a vacancy and repair allowance before recommending a purchase.
Clarksville can be a good place to own a rental, especially with Fort Campbell bringing people in and out. But I want the house to work as an investment on paper before we count on somebody else's PCS orders to make it work. Read the full investment property guide, or more about Clarksville. Send me the property or the numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clarksville a good place to buy a rental?
It can be. Fort Campbell and civilian renters create steady demand, but the property has to work on paper with realistic rent, vacancy and repair costs.
Should I keep my Clarksville home as a rental after I PCS?
Maybe. Get a current rental comparison and price out management, repairs, vacancy, insurance, taxes and the mortgage, and plan for repairs from another state.
Clarksville
What investment property looks like in Clarksville
Home base: Fort Campbell, I-24 and neighborhoods from brick ranches to acre lots.
There isn't one version of Clarksville: older homes with mature trees near town, established brick neighborhoods, newer subdivisions and homes farther out with real land.
- The homes
- No single version of Clarksville: older homes with mature trees closer to town, established neighborhoods of brick ranches, townhomes, newer subdivisions with open floor plans, and homes farther out with more land. The city has grown quickly, so new construction sits alongside neighborhoods that have been here for decades.
- Why people choose it
- Many come because of Fort Campbell: service members and their families arriving on orders, military families buying their first home, and veterans who stay after leaving the Army. Also people moving for local jobs, and people who want to be near Nashville without living in Nashville.
- Getting around
- Mostly a get-in-the-car city; there are local buses, but for most buyers the drive matters. I-24 is the main route toward Nashville, and where you live in Clarksville makes a big difference before you reach the interstate. Drive times vary, so test the commute during the hours you will actually travel. The same goes for Fort Campbell, where the gate you use matters.
- Nearby
- Fort Campbell, and Nashville close enough for a day trip or a commute.
- The trade-off
- Compared with Nashville: more choice if you want a house and a yard, but fewer restaurants, less entertainment and less big-city convenience. Compared with a smaller town: more shopping and housing options, but more traffic and growth.
Investment Property: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Keri Gilles, REALTOR®?