When you hire a REALTOR® in the Chattanooga area, you gain more than one professional; you tap into a coordinated network at the local, state, and national levels that is designed to protect consumers, raise standards, and keep transactions on track. Today, I want to focus on how you, as a consumer, benefit from the local and state partnership.
At the local level, Greater Chattanooga REALTORS® is driven to provide timely market information, best practices, and community education so buyers and sellers can make decisions with clear expectations about pricing and timelines. Because our city sits on the Tennessee–Georgia line, roughly a third of our members are licensed in both states. That two-state reality means many clients compare homes in North Georgia and Southeast Tennessee, and they benefit from practitioners who understand both sets of contracts, disclosures, and state laws.
Education is a significant part of how this local support shows up in the public's experience. Greater Chattanooga REALTORS® hosts continuing education courses built on state and national curricula, so skills translate directly to the kitchen table and, ultimately, the closing table. For those working with buyers, we offer the Accredited Buyer's Representative program, which emphasizes comparing homes accurately, negotiating price and repairs thoughtfully, and coordinating inspections and financing so deadlines don't slip. On the listing side, the Seller Representative Specialist coursework focuses on pricing to current market conditions, preparing and presenting a home well, weighing the strength of offers beyond the headline number, and negotiating through to a clean closing. And because every client deserves fair and respectful service, At Home With Diversity deepens fair-housing knowledge and equips Realtors to navigate cultural or language differences. Hence, the experience is equitable from first showing to closing.
Beyond transactions, Greater ChattanoogaREALTORS® invest in our community. Most recently, we awarded a Placemaking grant to Walker County to enhance safety at Walker Rocks Park. The project will fund a protective fence around the playground's perimeter to create a secure space for children with special needs. We also support Habitat for Humanity in expanding affordable homeownership, volunteer with the Snack Pack Ministry to ensure local students have food security on weekends, and provide scholarships to incoming first-year students attending an accredited university or trade school. These efforts reflect our belief that strong neighborhoods are built by both good housing choices and the places and programs that surround them.
Advocacy is another part of a Realtor's commitment to consumers. Our association engages city and county leaders on practical issues that affect everyday homeowners, including zoning and permitting clarity, reasonable timelines for development and renovations, fair and transparent signage rules, and policies that support housing supply, safety, and property rights. The goal of our advocacy efforts is simple: to help our region grow in ways that protect consumers, strengthen neighborhoods, and keep opportunity within reach.
At the state level, our advocacy work is essential to property rights across the state. The Tennessee and Georgia Associations of Realtors are the owners and stewards of the contract forms used by Realtors. These forms are used daily with consumers, from listing and purchase agreements to addenda and disclosures. As laws and regulations change, the state associations revise those documents to keep them legally sound, clear, and practical, reducing surprises for buyers and sellers on both sides of the transaction.
State associations also lead advocacy in Nashville and Atlanta on issues that shape affordability and access, taxes, insurance, property rights, fair housing, and housing supply. Because many policy questions have federal dimensions, the state associations coordinate closely with the National Association of Realtors to ensure local voices from Tennessee and Georgia are heard in Washington, too.
Dispute resolution for consumers occurs at the local and state levels. Locally, Greater Chattanooga Realtors' policies regarding listing data in the multiple listing service ensure reliable, timely data about the local real estate market. Also, regarding enforcement of the Realtor Code of Ethics, we partner with the state association to ensure a transparent, uniform process. In Tennessee, members also have access to a Legal Hotline that provides timely guidance on state law and forms. Because policy decisions in Nashville and Atlanta shape affordability, insurance taxes, and property rights, your Realtor's network also advocates on behalf of consumers in both capitals. The result is a front door to real estate service that is close to home, familiar with both sides of our state line, and built to help you move forward with confidence.
Here in a two-state market, local service and state expertise work hand in hand, backed by clear contracts, a transparent ethics process, practical education, and community investments that strengthen our neighborhoods. It's a structure designed to protect consumers and keep real estate transactions on track. #That'sWhoWeR
Series note: This is Part 1 of a two-article series. Part 2 will cover how Realtors' efforts at the national level support ethics, research, and advocacy.
Greater Chattanooga REALTORS® is The Voice of Real Estate in Greater Chattanooga. A regional organization with nearly 3,000 members, Greater Chattanooga Realtors is one of some 1,200 local boards and associations of Realtors nationwide that comprise the National Association of Realtors. Greater Chattanooga Realtors service Hamilton and Sequatchie counties in southeast Tennessee, and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in northwest Georgia. For more information, visit www.gcar.net or call 423.698.8001.