special feature pRESENTED BY
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® is proud to recognize the talents and dedication of local Realtors, Agents, and Brokers who are committed to excellence and consistently go the extra mile for their clients. Join us as we salute the incredible professionals who propel our region forward!
special feature pRESENTED BY
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® is proud to recognize the talents and dedication of local Realtors, Agents, and Brokers who are committed to excellence and consistently go the extra mile for their clients. Join us as we salute the incredible professionals who propel our region forward!
In the real estate business, you’re only as good as the housing inventory you have and the agents you have to sell it. For Chuck Fawcett, head of Chuck Fawcett Realty, having quality inventory and outstanding agents is never an issue.
Working in Chaffee Crossing since 2008, Chuck has aligned his business with Tim Mays, a premier builder, and Becky Ivey, one of the best executive brokers in the area, to bring hundreds of happy customers into their dream homes. And with their latest subdivision, The Meadows of Chaffee, Chuck is positioned to continue his run of success.
“Chaffee Crossing is a great area,” he says. “They’ve got the medical school out there, and they’ve got new businesses going out there. There are walking trails, a lake where people can fish and it is close to Ben Geren Park. Chaffee Crossing is its own community and a really successful area.”
The Meadows of Chaffee is the fourth subdivision Chuck has been part of in Chaffee Crossing with Tim Mays, the other three being The Woods at Chaffee Crossing, Highland Crossing and Lakeside Crossing. The latest development is being built exclusively by Tim, a respected builder spanning four generations of family craftsmen.
“Tim builds a top-quality house, as everybody knows,” Chuck says. “His son, Colten, started working with him in 2016, and now he’s working with his dad full time building houses. They take a lot of pride in what they do; from quality materials to the finishing touches, it’s top-notch all the way. He’s built a really solid reputation.”
Chuck said houses in The Meadows of Chaffee are already selling as fast as they are being built and he predicts the new area will enjoy the same if not more success than previous developments.
“When you bring together a builder of Tim’s stature, someone who’s built nearly two hundred homes in the Chaffee area since 2008, along with Becky Ivey and Kim Kelly who together have decades of experience in this market, that's a winning team,” he says. “We invite anyone who’s in the market for a house to take a look at what we’re doing at Chaffee Crossing. They won’t be disappointed.”
Leveraging cutting-edge technology, fresh thinking and good old-fashioned grit and hustle, Corrine Sudar and Ashley Boyd are redefining the real estate industry. The duo have become formidable players in the Fort Smith real estate market with an aggressive, informed style that’s attracting clients in droves.
“We have a very good, first-hand understanding of the real estate market and we combine that with our marketing expertise in ways that allow us to be successful,” Corrine said. “Our mission is to simplify and modernize the experience of buying and selling real estate by cultivating a spirit of innovation, integrity, and collaboration.”
“I think something that sets us apart is how well Corrine and I complement each other’s strengths,” Ashley said. “We’re very different in our personalities, but we work together so well to help our clients have the best experience possible. We’re committed to them.”
The duo’s expertise begins with a familiarity of the Fort Smith housing market that comes from their deep roots in the community. They both said as the city undergoes a housing renaissance, it’s created unparalleled opportunity in the local market as inventory has rarely been higher.
“Fort Smith is a hidden gem, it’s got some of everything,” Corrine says. “What everyone talks about in Northwest Arkansas – dining, art, shopping, good schools – it’s all here for the asking in Fort Smith, but so much more affordable. That’s why we love doing business here.”
“The thing I’ve always loved about Fort Smith is that even though it’s grown, it still maintains that small-town feel,” Ashley said. “Everybody knows everybody here, which is why we work so hard to make sure every client is satisfied. Your reputation is everything in real estate and word of mouth travels fast.”
The duo is backed by the resources of the Sudar Group which Corrine owns with her husband Doug. The innovative company’s mastery of digital marketing and other cuttingedge strategies is what makes them unique.
“Sudar Group is a completely digital firm which sets us apart in our advertising and mixed media marketing,” Corrine says. “Our whole firm is built on a very curated approach that can be tailored to each client’s specific real estate goals. We leverage a lot of SEO marketing which allows us to promote listings in a way other firms don’t.
“We’re extremely aggressive in service to our clients. We have a very concierge-type approach to listing someone’s house and our marketing is incredible. If someone is looking for a finer selling experience, they would want to buy and sell with us.”
Large enough to manage any transaction yet small enough to know the client by name, McGraw REALTORS® are real estate experts families have trusted for the past eight decades.
“Our culture is something that sets us apart; our company core values describe us best as committed, loyal and tenacious,” says CEO Bill McCollough. “Even as we have grown over the years from an independent residential real estate company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to one of the nation's top ten fastest-growing real estate companies, our people focus every day to provide the best service, marketing and technology in the business.”
The company’s rapid growth to 800 agents serving thousands of satisfied clients in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Colorado is reflected right here in The Natural State. McGraw REALTORS® entered the Arkansas market in 2020 and operates seven offices in Hot Springs, Bentonville, Fort Smith, Greenwood, Siloam Springs, Little Rock and Benton to connect with clients locally.
Business throughout has been brisk – the firm has already had to find larger quarters in Hot Springs and Benton despite only being open there since 2020 and 2022, respectively – as clients discover the McGraw REALTORS ® difference.
The company’s agents are committed to the communities they serve, which aids in their success serving customers. Supporting them is a corporate staff that allows agents to operate with the highest levels of professionalism, expertise and service. These industryleading resources include administrative staff and an in-house marketing team that assists front-line agents in marketing their listings through digital and traditional channels. Agents also undergo regular continuing education courses and training to ensure they have the latest information, technology and tools at their disposal.
A s important as these operational systems are, they are just one part of the company’s success formula. Equally critical are the company’s culture which is lived every day in every transaction.
“We are wholeheartedly dedicated to one another, to the people we help walk through the real estate process, and to doing everything with excellence,” says Susie Sparkman, Arkansas principal broker. “We are firm and constant in our support and allegiance to one another, to our clients and to the values that have guided us through more than eight decades of service.
“We are persistent, determined, and unyielding in our commitments to our values and culture, to our relationships with one another and our clients, and to representing McGraw and the industry with integrity. These aren’t just things we say, these are the principles we live with every client and in every deal we do.”
Husband-wife powerhouse Mike & Mika Mulhern bring a dynamic set of skills to the local real estate market, offering clients two experts for the price of one. “The same thing that makes a marriage work is what makes this team work,” Mike says. “We are not the same people; we have a complementary set of skills. One person is very extroverted and creative; the other person is very detailed and analytical.” “I am the extrovert, Mike is an engineer by trade,” Mika says. “We always knew when I came into real estate, we wanted to be a team together someday. The partnership you see now has been a long-held goal of ours.”
The couple, who are affiliated with Keller Williams Platinum Realty, are known for attention to detail. From yard signs equipped with LED lighting to stand out at night to the partnerships they maintain with top-quality lenders, everything speaks to the Mike & Mika
Difference. “Everything we do shows our attention to detail,” Mika says. “Nothing is going to fall through the cracks, everything is going to be on time and the details are going to be taken care of because you get two people looking at things and making sure it gets done right.”
Mike said another differentiating factor is the relationship-building the couple engages in before, during and after the sale. This has earned the couple the nickname Dynamic Duo. “We were doing a walk-through and the husband and I were figuring out where he wanted to pour the pad for his garage,” Mike says. “Mika and the wife were looking at the pantry and the wife said to Mika, ‘This is great. I’m in here doing my thing and he’s out in the yard doing his thing. You two are the perfect pair to show houses.’”
“We are not transactional real estate agents. We are relational real estate agents,” Mika says. “We want to have a relationship with each one of our clients. We want to stay in contact with them. We want to follow up with them and check on them from time to time.”
With a career spanning more than twenty years, Vicki Bush has learned the ins and outs of real estate from the ground up. In addition to being a highly successful REALTOR® she’s also co-owner and managing partner of Linsey E. and Co. Realtors of Fort Smith where she works every day on behalf of clients throughout the area.
Vicki said experience, longevity and lifelong roots in the community set her apart in the local market. She grew up locally and early in her career gained expertise in the financing side of buying a home, a skillset that she learned on the job, and which today makes her unique among her peers.
“When I first started twenty-one years ago, I started working for a builder of entry-level homes,” she says. “During that time, I learned a lot about financing – mortgages, special grant programs, that sort of thing. Knowing everying about financing, such as the
difference between FHA loans, conventional loans, and VA loans, really helps me to understand and help clients in ways that others in this business can’t. I also learned about construction, which helps me today in advising sellers about getting ready for home inspections, what are major issues and what aren’t and other things that can affect the transaction.”
Vicki’s combination of skills earned her the Diamond Level Award of Excellence from the Arkansas Realtors Association and she is a past Affordable Housing Realtor of the Year by Crawford Sebastian Homeownership Center. She’s also an active member of the Fort Smith Board of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.
But beyond all that, she’s most proud to be considered among the very top of her profession in terms of sales results, ethical business practices and as a trusted advisor to generations of clients. “I read one time ten percent of agents sell ninety percent of the property,” she says. “Through hard work and servicing my loyal clients I am proud to say, I’m in the ten percent.”
When it comes to buying or selling a home or property, there’s nothing more important than expertise with the personal touch. And for the past fourteen years, that’s exactly what Nick and Ellie Glidewell have provided to hundreds of satisfied customers.
“ We’re a team that complements each other’s talents,” Nick says. “We both do different things well, but what we share in common is a commitment to the process and serving our customers to the fullest. We follow up on every single phone call and sweat all the details, crossing the t’s and dotting the i's. I think that’s the strongest indicator that this business will never fully be handled remotely. Something we tell our younger clients is that while technology is great and it makes some parts of the process a lot easier, you just can’t get the kind of hands-on service that we provide working through an app.”
The couple is associated with Sagely & Edwards Realtors, consistently ranked at the top among area real estate firms. This gives them access to the latest technologies, endless resources and trustworthy colleagues, all to make the buying or selling process a smooth one. The couple leverages this relationship with their own knowledge of the local market, which is also their hometown. Both Nick and Ellie grew up in Fort Smith and love to help people achieve their dreams of home ownership in a community that has meant so much to them personally.
“ I’ve had the privilege of living my whole life here in Fort Smith,” says Ellie. “I love this community and truly believe this area is one of the best spots in the world to live. I like the people and the land, so real estate has been a logical way for me to have great encounters with both.”
Nick says he and Ellie measure their success one transaction at a time and have enjoyed considerable repeat business because of it. “There’s a family we’ve helped buy and sell a few homes,” Nick says. “During COVID when the market was going crazy, they thought they’d try selling by owner. After a couple hours of the sign being up, they called and said, ‘This is crazy, this is too much to handle right now. Will you please just get over here and take care of this?’
“ It’s not just a paycheck we’re after, it’s a relationship. Ellie does something that’s amazing; after the transaction’s over, sometimes after a few days, sometimes a few months, she’ll pick up the phone and say, ‘Are you guys doing OK? How’s the home? Is there anything I need to work on?’ It’s little things like that that set us apart and has allowed us to serve families over and over.”
