Community Involvement
Community makes up who we are. As an association, our members and affiliates desire to invest in their communities: local, regional, state, and national. East Tennessee Realtors strives to provide opportunities and resources for our members to do just that.
REALTORS are Good Neighbors
Every year, the National Association of REALTORS® hosts a week of volunteering as a part of their REALTORS® are Good Neighbors program.
This year, REALTOR® Volunteer Days are May 30-June 7, 2026. Projects to get involved with during Volunteer Days will be posted.
Dogwoods Across the Knoxville Region
In September 2022, the National Association of REALTORS launched a Tree-Planting initiative. The goal was to plant 1.5 million trees across the country. As a part of this goal, East Tennessee Realtors is working with Dogwood Arts to plant 500 trees in the East Tennessee region. These trees will not only beautify the landscape of the association and Knoxville community, but also provide clean air, and a sanctuary for local wildlife.
Birdies for Backpacks
Since 2010, East Tennessee Realtors has supported the children of Youth Villages through the Backpack Heroes initiative. Over that time, Association members have provided backpacks completely filled with school supplies for over 4,000 children. That totals over $300,000 in generous donations. Money for this program is raised through the Birdies for Backpacks Golf Tournament. Birdies for Backpacks raises $15,000 each year to fund the Backpack Heroes program at Youth Villages. This program provides backpacks and school supplies to children in need across East Tennessee. Because of your support, 300-400 fully supplied backpacks were provided each year for students from Chattanooga, all the way to Johnson City, Tennessee.
You can read more about East Tennessee Realtors' involvement with Youth Villages HERE
Increasing Literacy with Little Libraries
In 2021, only 40% of Knox County students were reading on grade level by the third grade. East Tennessee REALTORS partnered with Read City USA as a part of an October and November community involvement initiative.
Association members built 13 Little Free Libraries that were installed in the 12 county region that the Association serves. Brokerages and agents sponsored the libraries and continue to monitor them, keeping them stocked and maintained.
Check out the article from KnoxTN Today: Jacobs Thanks KAAR for Reading Boost
In 2023, East Tennessee REALTORS members built 7 more Little Free Libraries that were placed around a 12 county region.
Refugee Children Christmas Donations
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Latest News:
HOPE: Healing Souls with Hope
Each child needs $55 for a new pair of shoes. Your support directly impacts Scott County TN families #3 in Poverty ranking in Tennessee and helps us continue The Mission Statement Healing Souls with Hope one pair of Shoes at a time. Ernie Brewster Jr. and Debbie Terry, a REALTOR® and retired REALTOR® respectively, ask…
April 2026 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – April 2026 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways March home sales were lukewarm for East Tennessee after rapid growth in December, January and February. Looking ahead, pending sales for April are more promising, up 10%…
Muse @ Open Streets in Downtown Knoxville!
This volunteer opportunity has a wide variety of hours and shift opportunities, depending on the date and time of the community event. Volunteer shifts can range from 2-6 hours in length. Shifts are scheduled via Give Pulse, Volunteer East Tennessee, or other volunteer recruitment platform. Muse Knoxville, Gay Street Knoxville, TN 37902. {{date}}May 17{{date}} {{time}}1:30…
Third Creek Paddle
Keep Knoxville Beautiful will be hosting our sixth annual Third Creek Clean Paddle on May 9 from 10am-12pm at UT Gardens! We will be removing litter and invasive species from the area around Third Creek, both on land and in the water. UT Gardens, 2518 Jacob Drive Knoxville, TN 37996. {{date}}May 9{{date}} {{time}}10:00 AM –…
Earth Day Cleanup and Meet and Greet at Vienna
Join Keep Blount Beautiful and Vienna Coffee Company for an Earth Day Cleanup and Community Meet and Greet at Vienna! This event is a great chance to celebrate Earth Day and learn more about Keep Blount Beautiful. Vienna Coffee Company, 212 College St. Maryville, TN 37804. {{date}}April 25{{date}} {{time}}9:00 AM – 11:00 AM{{time}} {{register}}https://volunteer.unitedwayblount.org/event/detail/?event_id=117952{{register}}
Vine Middle School Workday 2026
Join us at Vine Middle School on April 22nd from 4pm-6pm! We will be beautifying and cleaning up around the school through our SchoolScapes program. Thank you to the Knox County Community Gardens & Growers Alliance for their partnership with this project! Vine Middle School, 1807 Martin Luther King Jr Ave Knoxville, TN 37915. {{date}}April…
March 2026 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – March 2026 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways East Tennessee February real estate sales showed the most robust consumer interest since 2022, with double-digit growth over last year. Consumers responded favorably to interest rates, warmer…
February 2026 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – February 2026 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways Looking at January’s performance, East Tennessee home sales are already showing vast improvement over last year. This is likely due to a recent jump in affordability for…
Opportunities
Opportunities Government Affairs Coordinator This entry-level position supports the Government Affairs and Policy department, helping to implement and administer the annual advocacy goals of the association. Read more and apply Communications Coordinator The Communications Coordinator leads all of the association’s internal and external communications and outreach, communicating the value that ETNR provides to its members…
East Tennessee REALTORS® hiring Communications Coordinator
Founded in 1912, East Tennessee REALTORS® is a regional trade association representing more than 6,000 members across 12 counties in every aspect of the real estate industry, including residential, commercial, property management, and appraisal services. Members of East Tennessee REALTORS® are also members of our state association (Tennessee REALTORS®) and the National Association of REALTORS®.…