Our Story

The Greater Nashville REALTORS® is a trade association of real estate professionals formed in 1891 and at the time it was known as the Nashville Real Estate Exchange. The name was changed to the Nashville Real Estate Board in 1907. The name was changed to the Nashville Board of REALTORS® in 1967, which was again changed in 1996 to the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®. In 2017, the association began to do business as Greater Nashville REALTORS®, focusing its name more on the REALTOR® brand. 

When the association started, there was no Tennessee or National Association of REALTORS®. As a matter of fact, the first attempt to create a national association of real estate boards was right here in Nashville, Tennessee in 1892. The attempt did not succeed, due in part to a national recession in 1893. What is now known as the National Association of REALTORS® was formed in 1908 in Chicago, Illinois. Nashville has been affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS® since 1911!

The association’s archives, housed at the Nashville Library, chronicle a history of association members being involved in a variety of community, political and social issues, as well as providing excellent professional services to clients and customers using their expertise.  Those archives also reveal that the four fundamental services provided by the association at its beginning remain the fundamental services it provides today. They include:

1. Education and Professional Development Opportunities
2. Legislative involvement at the local, regional, state and national levels
3. Dispute resolution for members and those they serve
4. Communication – with the public, to highlight the importance of property ownership and the value of using a Realtor – and with members, to keep them informed of opportunities for involvement, networking and growth.

As a licensed real estate professional, you have a choice in where you will place your REALTOR® membership. We appreciate your interest in belonging to the Greater Nashville REALTORS®.