Hughes Real Estate Services

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Hughes Real Estate Services
3727 Peavine Road
Crossville, TN 38571
PH: (931) 456.2555

Hughes Real Estate Services is Built on the Foundation of Customer Service Principles Learned From His Father.

By DONALD E. NAPIER
H&H Publisher

When Jeff Hughes was growing up in Marion, Kentucky –one of his favorite past times was to ride with his father while he traveled around the county visiting his friends and neighbors who were also his insurance customers. The elder Hughes was a landmark in his hometown, known far and wide for his attention to every little detail and for his outstanding service and friendship to his clients.

Now, some 40 years later, his son has come full circle. The owner of a successful real estate company here in Cumberland County, Jeff Hughes continues to be inspired by his father’s business creed, causing him to put customer service ahead of the listing or the sale.

“We pride ourself in our ability to listen to our customer’s needs,” Jeff said. “And we are dedicated to providing a fresh and unique approach to servicing the real estate needs of our clients while maintaining the integrity and ethical standards set forth so long ago by my father.”

Jeff learned a great deal during the time spent as his father’s traveling companion. He learned of his father’s love for his neighbors, friends and community. He learned respect for those who are not as fortunate as he, and that there were some things more important than making money.

The man Jeff Hughes is today is a tribute to the kind of life his father lived, and Jeff, despite his business successes, continues to strive to give back to his community –and he does. “When dad died, people came up to me and told me all kinds of stories about how he had impacted their lives in a positive way by being there for them when they were struggling financially or from illnesses or how he helped people who were getting started in businesses,” Jeff said. “Not too many days go by that I don’t think of him or my hometown.”

Five years ago this summer, Jeff made it possible for the entire Cumberland County Playhouse cast to make the 250 mile trip to his hometown where they gave two performances of Smoke on the Mountain. His long time support of the Cumberland County Playhouse not only benefited the Arts in our county, but the Community Arts Foundation of his hometown. Jeff paid what most people would consider to be a small fortune to take the Playhouse to his friends and former neighbors in Marion, Kentucky in may of 2000. He followed the experience up with a return trip to put on The Sanders Family Christmas later that year. It was such a success five years ago, that next month (Sept. 2005), Jeff will once again bring the entire Playhouse troupe back to Marion for an encore presentation. On both trips, Jeff provided the transportation, food and accommodations for the cast as well as hauling the set, the musical instruments, etc. Not much chance anybody in Marion, Kentucky will ever forget Jeff, despite the fact that he moved away some 20 years ago.

Here in Crossville, Hughes Real Estate Services fills the role as the Cumberland County Education Sponsor for the Playhouse, earning top billing with major sponsors like Vanity Fair and Cracker Barrel. The Playhouse has provided many special memories for many people since it opened its doors in 1963, but few can it provided them with their spouse. That’s what happened to Jeff Hughes, no wonder he has given them such a prominent place in his heart.

Tracey Hughes, then Tracey Barnes, first came to Crossville to perform at the Playhouse. Originally from Elizabethtown, North Carolina, Tracey appeared in Women of Troy at the playhouse and assisted Jim Crabtree in production.

She later met her husband Jeff when he was working in Fairfield Glade. They were married on June 17, 1995 at the Fairfield Glade Community Church. After one night at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, they spent a week in St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Today, they are the proud parents of a son and a daughter: Jackson Oakley, age 5, who attends the Crossville Christian School; and Sydney Caroline Hughes, age 2 (will be 3 in September).



Jeff's career path
After growing up in tiny Marion, Kentucky, Jeff attended the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and later returned home to work in the family insurance business. “While the years working for my father were educational and rewarding,” Jeff told H&H, “I couldn’t shake the overwhelming desire to make my own path in the world.” So, in 1983 he joined the teal at John Hancock Financial Services.
By the time he had invested three years with John Hancock, he had climbed to become one of the top representatives in the country, handling insurance, securities, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and savings and investment programs for employees of large companies. It was there he finally found a voice that was all his own.
But the long hours on the road became increasingly harder for Jeff to bear and so when Fairfield came calling in 1986, he ventured to Georgia to head up their financial department. “That union led me to Crossville where I got my start in real estate,” Hughes said.

He spent 15 years with Fairfield, finishing his career there as Director of Sales for Glade Realty, where he platted, priced and developed property while overseeing the sales and construction of numerous homes each year.
In 2002, he and his wife Tracey (and partner Cal Smart) launched Hughes Real Estate Services, a family oriented business dedicated to providing a fresh and unique approach to servicing the real estate needs of their client. “This has been the most challenging, and rewarding experience of my career,” Jeff said. “And my wife is right there at work everyday working with me working on the challenge.”
But challenges are what drives Jeff Hughes and one of his many projects is their new development Park Trace, located on Highway 127-South, between CMC and the Cumberland Mountain State Park. Jeff got his feet wet a long time ago developing new neighborhoods for Glade Realty and Fairfield Homes. That experience has come in handy with the opening of Park Trace.

“We have an awesome piece of God’s handiwork at Park Trace,” according to Hughes. “It is located five minutes from I-40 (vi the bypass), two minutes from Bear Trace Golf Course and 30 minutes from a marina on Watts Bar. You can get to our award-winning hospital (CMC) quicker than you can drink a cup of coffee. It’s just an awesome place to build a retirement home or to raise a family.”

“We are proud to announce the addition of Park Trace Villas, two and three bedroom units which we will be breaking ground soon,” Jeff said.

A work in progress
Having been working on the business that carries his name for just three years, Jeff is a slave to the real estate business. He has assembled a very talented staff of agents and support staff who work as a team to make sure that Jeff’s foundation for his business –unequaled customer service, is never lost in the shuffle.
“We use superior negotiating skills to help our clients who are looking for property –to get the best buy possible,” Jeff said. “This requires product knowledge which only comes from attention to detail and getting to know our clients –a little trick I learned from my dad.”

Jeff and Tracey are surrounded with outstanding professionals, from every walk in life, who have decided to place their real estate licenses with Hughes Real Estate Services. Several of their current agents came on board after Jeff sold them their home. Morris Myers, who is a new agent for Hughes, said, “I got to know Jeff when I was buying my home in Fairfield Glade in 2004. He impressed me with his knowledge, savvy and endless energy to please his customers. When I got my real estate license, naturally I wanted to work with him and have a chance to learn from him.”

“Jeff actually negotiated the purchase of my home site when he was with Glade Realty,” agent Ken Purvis said. He then worked with Ken on the construction of their home, when he was Sales Director at Fairfield. “After my retirement, Jeff suggested I get my license and said we’d work together, and I took him up on his offer. Not only do we have a business relationship, we are good friends and we make a good team,” Purvis said. “We think alike.”

Here’s what Glade resident Larry Nolta had to say about his association with Jeff. “In 1998, Jeff was responsible for arranging a fair and equitable agreement that resolved a very sticky situation on the sale of our house here in the Glade,” Larry said. “This year, when we put our current house on the market, we chose Jeff as our agent. His high energy, friendliness, dedication and integrity made him a clear choice to represent us. He has also put together a solid organization with Hughes Real Estate Services.”

“We met Jeff when we first came to the Glade in about 1986,” Jacob DuPree said. “We were at Fairfield, waiting for the person who had been assigned to us and Jeff saw that we were waiting –came up and introduced himself. From that time on, he has been there whenever we needed anything for whatever.”

“We have known Jeff and Tracey since before they were married,” Zellie DuPree said. “They sold us our first house and helped us with our current home –they are simply marvelous. He is the most genuine person we have met since moving here. He listens to get a feel for what people want, then goes all out to find just that perfect property,” Jacob said. “We feel like we can call on him day or night, anytime. We refer everyone to Jeff. As far as we’re concerned, he and Tracey are real gems.”

“I can tell you that they are not jus real estate –but service too,” Judy Henderson said. “When we moved here, if I needed anything, I would just call Tracey or Jeff, and they would point me in the right direction –I think they are wonderful.”

“I can’t say enough about them. We moved here from Rochester Hills, Michigan, January 17,” Mrs. Henderson said. “Jeff holds seminars at Troy, Michigan, which is where we me. We met a lot of people there. We made appointments for Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Jeff met us when we came to Tennessee. We were interested in lake properties and bought the first home Jeff found for us. We had a list and he listened and zeroed in and found us what we were looking for.”

“It was the best real estate experience we ever had,” Mrs. Henderson said. “Now when we meet them in a restaurant or in some store, we give each other a hug, --we just love them.”

It’s not enough for Jeff Hughes’ company to set high standards for customer service and for their staff hirings, he also has set the bar high for his role in public and community service.

From the sponsorship of countless charity golf tournaments to being active in the Fairfield Glade Fire Department or his participation in the promotion of the Playhouse, Jeff approaches this aspect of his personal life the same way he does everyting, --with his ear to the ground and his nose to the grindstone.

An obvious family man, Jeff has a clear vision for his future. “Everyone says I’m a work-a-holic,” Jeff says. “But I want to make it clear, that the reason I work so hard is so I can take care of my wonderful wife and family. They mean everything to me.” He had a good role model –as a daddy, a husband, an employer, a friend and someday, it will be his son’s time to learn the way to build a successful business.

I’ll bet he’ll be ready!