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 June 3-11, 2023. Projects to get involved with during Volunteer Days are posted below and are subject to change.
Open Streets Knoxville brings together community groups and local businesses, giving people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to walk, ride bikes, hula hoop, and much more - all in a setting that is fun and safe! More than a street festival, Open Streets Knoxville gives residents an opportunity to explore their neighborhood and local businesses in a safe, fun, and family-friendly way.
Open Streets if from 2-6pm. Volunteers will be at the Association tent offering free polaroid photos, helping make picture frames, and discussing fair housing.
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 will be provided for students from Chattanooga, all the way to Johnson City, Tennessee.
You can read more about East Tennessee Realtors' involvement with Youth Villages HERE
Our 5th Annual Birdies for Backpacks Golf Tournament was Friday, April 14, 2023 at Egwani Farms Golf Course. It was a rainy day, but we still had a ton of fun! Congratulations to our winners:
1st Place: Jenkins Builders
2nd Place: Apex Apparel
3rd Place: Atkins Home Group
Longest Putt: Cory Crain
Longest Drive: Amber Fawcett
Closest to the Pin: Byron Wood
Our 6th annual Birdies for Backpacks Golf Tournament will be Friday, May 3, 2024 at Egwani Farms Golf Course.
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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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®.…
East Tennessee REALTORS® hiring Government Affairs Coordinator to expand advocacy and serve members
East Tennessee REALTORS® (ETNR) is a regional trade association representing more than 6,000 members across 12 counties in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. Our association is dedicated to building a strong real estate community in East Tennessee through partnerships, advocacy and education. The Government Affairs department works to cultivate member…
January 2026 Market Pulse Newsletter
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2026 Housing Market Forecast
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December 2025 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – December 2025 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways As we review 2025 and look ahead to 2026, the East Tennessee real estate market continues to recover. The market has stabilized nationally and locally, and the…
Resources: How to pay for growth
The Market Pulse Survey gathers on-the-ground information about local market conditions from members of East Tennessee REALTORS® based on their client interactions and real estate transactions in the previous three months.
November 2025 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – November 2025 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways As the Knoxville metropolitan statistical area approaches the milestone of 1 million residents, news headlines this month have highlighted the exceptionally high cost of housing, rising homelessness and expected growth. This underlines…
October 2025 Market Pulse Newsletter
Market Pulse – October 2025 Market Pulse is a monthly research newsletter providing a rundown of the latest housing and economic research and analysis across East Tennessee. Key Takeaways September home sales were healthy, improving 10.4% over September 2024. Pending sales increased 14% year over year, showing a potential for continued momentum in Q4. Our members…
Q3 2025 Market Pulse Survey
The Market Pulse Survey gathers on-the-ground information about local market conditions from members of East Tennessee REALTORS® based on their client interactions and real estate transactions in the previous three months.