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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.

June 4: Open Streets Knoxville

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.

Sign Up to Volunteer

June 5: Mission of Hope
June 6: Habitat
June 7: Second Harvest
June 8: Young-Williams
June 9: STAR
June 10: SoKno Pride

Dogwoods Across the Knoxville Region

Dogwood Arts - Brazillion Blooms logoIn 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.

 

Click HERE to order your Dogwoods

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

Birdies for Backpacks logo

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

This past December, East Tennessee REALTORS is partnered with Bridge Refugee Services to provide Christmas gifts for refugee children in Knoxville. Over 200 gifts were donated and wrapped by Association members and staff. Bridge aims to provide opportunities for refugees to rebuild their lives after suffering persecution so that they may become productive, contributing members of the community.

Latest News:

2024 Housing Market Forecast

By hancen@kaarmls.com | February 1, 2024

East Tennessee REALTORS® 2024 Housing Market Forecast is an annual report providing an outlook for the East Tennessee housing market for the year to come.

Middle Housing Polling Report 2023

By hancen@kaarmls.com | December 11, 2023

Middle Housing Polling Report 2023 In 2022, the City of Knoxville, East Tennessee Realtors, and Knoxville-Knox County Planning partnered to have Opticos Design, experts in the field, analyze the city’s zoning code to identify opportunities and barriers to Missing Middle Housing. As a result of the report, the City of Knoxville has proposed a slate…

South Waterfront Development Opportunities

By hancen@kaarmls.com | September 1, 2023

South Waterfront Development Opportunities Prepared by The Counselors of Real Estate® (CRE) Consulting Corps, this report provides strategic guidance for local leaders as they work to create a riverfront that is an award-winning example for the nation that binds and connects people to the river, to Knoxville, and to the adjoining nature preserves and parks.…

Advance Knox Polling Report 2023

By cweathers@moxleycarmichael.com | August 9, 2023

Advance Knox Polling Report 2023 The effort underway to create a new comprehensive land use and transportation plan, known as Advance Knox, will have an important and lasting impact on the future of Knox County. As an organization committed to serving our members by promoting sustainable community development and expanding housing opportunities, the East Tennessee…

Q2 2023 Market Pulse Survey

By hancen@kaarmls.com | August 8, 2023

Q2 2023 Market Pulse Survey Results The Market Pulse Survey is a poll of licensed real estate professionals and members of the East Tennessee REALTORS®. The Q2 2023 iteration of the survey was conducted online from June 12-20, 2023, and received a total of 213 responses. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 5.5% at…

2023 State of Housing Report

By hancen@kaarmls.com | May 22, 2023

2023 State of Housing Report Explore how supply and demand, population trends and economic conditions are affecting the East Tennessee housing market with the latest data provided by East Tennessee REALTORS®. Whether you’re a member, resident or policymaker, this comprehensive analysis explains what you need to know to make informed decisions. Key Findings and Expectations…

Q1 2023 Market Pulse Survey

By hancen@kaarmls.com | April 5, 2023

Q1 2023 Market Pulse Survey Results 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. The Q1 2023 iteration of the survey was conducted online from March 16-23, 2023, and received a total…

Q4 2022 Market Pulse Survey

By hancen@kaarmls.com | January 13, 2023

Market Pulse Survey – Q4 2022 The Market Pulse Survey gathers on-the-ground information about local market conditions from members of the Knoxville Area Association of REALTORS® based on their client interactions and real estate transactions in the previous three months. Key Findings Both buyer and seller traffic declined in the fourth quarter. 68% of respondents…

2023 Housing Market Forecast

By hancen@kaarmls.com | December 20, 2022

2023 Forecast Report East Tennessee’s housing market experienced extraordinary growth over the past two years, culminating in booming home sales and home prices growing at the fastest pace on record. Much of that growth can be attributed to a substantial supply-demand imbalance and fundamental market forces, such as favorable demographic trends, migration and, changing household…

Missing Middle Housing Scan

By hancen@kaarmls.com | December 1, 2022

Missing Middle Housing Scan – City of Knoxville The study explores the idea of ‘missing middle housing,’ which refers to house-scale buildings with multiple units in walkable neighborhoods, highlighting building types that were common 100 years ago but have since become obscure in new development as zoning laws have changed. In early 2022, the Knoxville…