Joel Abbott

I was born and raised in Cleveland Tennessee until my family moved to Knoxville when I was 13 years old. My Mom and Dad opened the very first Baskin Robbins ice cream franchise in Knoxville at West Town Mall where I worked helping my parents build their business all during my high school years at Bearden High School and a couple of years while attending the University of Tennessee. After graduating with a B.S. degree in Business Administration from UT, my career has blessed me with some interesting sales career opportunities in several different fields, as well as some business opportunities while living in several different Southeastern states. Wherever I have lived in my life outside of the state of Tennessee, I always eventually became homesick for the city I hope to now call my forever home, Knoxville, Tennessee. I am a passionate, die hard fan of the UT Vols football and basketball team, and will always love and support my Vols win or lose! I love to hike, picnic, and relax in the Smokies. I am pretty good cook with a grill and a smoker, and can even bake some really good oatmeal pecan or peanut butter cookies. I also really enjoy my Dollywood and Splash Country season passes every summer with my daughter.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I am single Dad with a 12 year old daughter about to be 13 in February who unfortunately lives too far away from me with her Mother in Sarasota, Florida. I’m extremely blessed to still have both of my retired parents alive and still living happily in Knoxville. I have one older sister who lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I am currently serving families in Tennessee with their home loan needs as a TN licensed Mortgage Loan Originator with Homestar Financial Corporation, NMLS #1997786 In the past I have worked as a Realtor, Bank Loan Officer, Medical Sales Rep., Air Freight Sales Rep. and business owner. God willing, I hope to be successfully helping as many families as I can buy homes, or saving people money by refinancing their mortgages until I decide to retire several years in the future. I love the satisfaction and reward of educating, and advising families, especially first time homebuyers how to qualify to purchase their own home even with low or no down payment. I also love the fact that I can have a profound impact on the families I serve by helping them build long term generational wealth by investing in real estate.

Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
There are so many great ones to choose from, but I would have to say Stock and Barrel for the best burger in Knoxville, and J.C. Holdway for a fine dining experience that you will love prepared by a former Blackberry Farm James Beard award winning chef from Knoxville, Joseph Lenn. You will love anything on their menu and the service is second to none as well.

Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I have lived and worked in Knoxville at different times in my life for 30 plus years.

 

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
After this pandemic is behind us, it would have to be a long vacation to see all of the European countries I’ve always wanted to visit like, Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and France. I’ve always been intrigued with the fascinating culture and history of Europe.

Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
It’s impossible to give you just one, but a movie I was blown away by is a must watch vigilante action thriller from 2009 with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, “Law Abiding Citizen” You won’t be disappointed. Another all time favorite movie of mine is “Shawshank Redemption” In my opinion, “Breaking Bad”, “Better Call Saul”, and “Ozark” are three of the best TV shows I’ve ever binge watched.

Q: What advice would you give to people?
Since I currently help people with their home loans, I have to say buy real estate as soon as you possibly can in life because over time owning real estate has proven to be one of the best long term investments as well as tax benefits anyone can have in their life which also gives you a comfortable place to call home, and make precious memories with your family. I would also advise anyone to start saving whatever you can possibly afford to save (10% minimum or more invested preferably in stock index funds) from your paycheck automatically, because the power of compound interest will make you very wealthy when you retire if you commit to saving money consistently at a very early age. In addition, teaching your kids to start saving even small amounts of money when they’re young will be one of the best gifts you can ever give them.

Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I’ve been attending UT football games at Neyland stadium since I was 8 years old. Number one on the list would have to be attending a National Championship football game or a Final Four basketball tournament watching my Vols hopefully win a National Championship. The odds of this bucket list item getting crossed off the list for my Vol football team aren’t real good right now unfortunately, but maybe coach Barnes and the Basketball Vols can make my Final Four bucket list item a reality before I die!

Q: What is your go to band when you cant decide what to listen to?
It really depends on my mood, but Luke Combs is really hard to beat. Garth Brooks is a close second.

Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Two very different iconic eating establishments make me nostalgic about our community. Sam and Andy’s deli at UT that I frequented many times in the early AM hours while a student at UT, and many years after. The fond memories of Regas Steakhouse’s impeccable dining experience makes many Knoxvillians including me nostalgic.

Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
It would have to be Peyton Manning because I know he would have so many interesting and funny stories about his career at UT and in the NFL. We would have to step it up and go to J.C. Holdway. Only the best for one of the greatest QB’s of all time.

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
The fact that you can step foot into one of the most visited, beautiful National Parks in America, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in less than an hour. We take this for granted and are so very lucky to live where we do.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
I hope to still be blessed with excellent health, living happily in Knoxville, and recognized by my peers as one of the top producing Mortgage Loan Originators in the state of Tennessee while still being able to have time to stop, smell the roses, and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I lived in North Carolina for a few years in my younger years and became very good at Carolina shag dancing, (a form of swing dancing) to Carolina beach music.

Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
I guess it would have to be the Grand Canyon which is magnificent, but the Smokies at Clingman’s dome in the fall are every bit as beautiful in my opinion.

Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
October because of football season and the peak fall colors. Christmas My birthday

Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Daily meditation

Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Jim Rohn

Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
A big juicy steak cooking on a charcoal grill or a pork shoulder smoking in my smoker.. The smell of fresh cinnamon bread baking in the oven at Dollywood.

Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Home is where your memories lie. Safe, secure, stable. Home is a place of love, comfort, and good food cooking in the kitchen.