Most people don’t associate REALTORS® with more than the things the real estate professionals do to get a home from listing to closing. But that’s only part of what REALTORS® do.   

When they’re not doing real estate, REALTORS® engage in a wide variety of volunteer projects. Look closely and you’ll see them in leadership or participant roles in almost every church or civic project in town.   

A recent example was the Northeast Tennessee Association of REALTORS® (NETAR) Young Professionals Network (YPN) helping hand effort to ensure children served by the Homeless Education Program started school equipped with new backpacks and school supplies.   

YPN Chair Kayla Janeway said over there are 600 children in the local Homeless Education Program who don’t have a permanent place to call home.  They also often lack the resources to buy back-to-school supplies they need.  

According to school officials, the typical 5th grader in Johnson City needs $63 in school supplies a year. That’s where YPN wanted to lend a helping hand.  

This particular activity was called “Stuff the Bus,” and that’s what the YPN chapter and NETAR volunteers did. 

They purchased and outfitted 56 backpacks full of the necessary school supplies. And to round out the effort there was a $1,876 check from NETAR members to help pay for additional needs. 

This is only one example of the volunteer projects REALTORS® participate in to fulfill their professional and personal roles as good neighbors working to make a stronger and safer community.  

Volunteering is high on the professional and personal traits of REALTORS because it’s the glue that holds a community together. It allows them to connect to their communities and make them a better place. Often helping with even the smallest task makes a real difference in people’s lives. The same goes for community organizations that need a little extra help.   

Volunteering to build stronger communities and community relationship is such an important concept the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has a program to encourage and recognize its members who volunteer.   

The Northeast Tenn. and SW Va. area has a strong tradition of volunteering. The obvious benefits typically focus on the individuals in need, or a community issue that brings volunteers together. Stepping up to fill that need affords an opportunity for those who volunteer to become closer to the community they live in. It also broadens their horizons by helping them understand the needs of those they are trying to help. 

REALTORS® are frequent volunteers because they, as individuals and professional real estate practitioners, are a strong tread in the fabric of the community they serve and live in.  

NETAR is the voice for real estate in Northeast Tennessee. It is the largest trade association in the Northeast Tennessee – Southwest Virginia region representing over 1,500 members and 100 affiliates involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. Pending sales, Trends Reports, and the regional market analytics can be found on the NETAR websites at https://netar.us/voice-real-estate-northeast-tennessee