CEO/Association Executive of the Central West Tennessee Association of REALTORS

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography by Kristina Only.

J. Brent Ward began his real estate career in 1997. He joined his parents who had been in real estate for about 5-6 years. “Being a single dad, I was only able to swing part time so I could only assist them for two years when I retired my license,” said Ward.

“While my license was in retirement, my parents, along with a few other partners, started RE/MAX Realty Source in Jackson. After a year or so in retirement, I reactivated my license, rejoined my parents fulltime, and we became the “aWARD Winning Team.”

“My father retired from fulltime real estate work in 2006 about 2 years after my mother, which left me as the only team member. I had higher goals for real estate, so in 2007 I took over as the Managing Broker for RE/MAX Realty Source. Also during that time, my father turned over his share of the company to my brother and me where we operated as owners along with our two remaining partners. In 2011, I turned over the broker duties to one of our other owners, and I partnered with my brother to once again form ‘the aWARD Winning Team.’”

“Education as a REALTOR had always been and still is today one of my biggest goals and passions. I served as the Chairperson of the Education Committee 4 times, Chairperson of the MLS Committee twice and fulfilled a 3-year election to the Board of Directors and was voted the President-Elect for 2015. In order to help other REALTOR members with their education needs, I received my license and became a certified instructor for continuing education (CE) for the State of Tennessee for real estate courses.”

“In 2014, the opportunity to be considered for the position of Association Executive for the Central West TN Association of REALTORS opened up, and I was encouraged by many of my REALTOR peers to apply for the job. In late 2014, I was unanimously voted in as the AE/CEO for CWTAR by the Board of Directors. My first day as the new CEO began on January 1, 2015, and I have never looked back. This has been the most enjoyable part of my real estate career—being able to serve all of our members. When I started in 2015, we had an office staff of two, including me, about 350 REALTOR members, and we operated in seven counties: Madison, Henderson, Chester, Decatur, Gibson, Haywood and Crockett.”

“Fast forward to today. We now have a staff of three, about 580 REALTOR members, and we operate in nine counties with the addition of Dyer and Lauderdale counties.”

“To quote The Jackson Sun article written about me in 2015, the title of Association Executive was ‘The Perfect Position’ for me.”

VIP: Share a brief history of CWTAR.

Brent Ward: The Central West Tennessee Association of REALTORS was formed in 1921 and at that time was known as the Jackson Real Estate Association. The name was later changed to the Jackson Area REALTORS and then once again to the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS. THE JAAR name remained for quite some time until the 2000s when JAAR merged with Henderson County, Gibson County, and Chester County Associations and JAAR was granted jurisdictional rights to Haywood and Crockett Counties.

As the Jackson Area Association of REALTORS was growing, so was our area. We now encompassed seven counties and another name change was in order. In 2009 our name changed once again to the Central West Tennessee Association of REALTORS for which we are known today. In 2015, we merged with the Dyer County Association of REALTORS, and the Central West Tennessee Association of REALTORS grew once more to encompass nine West Tennessee Counties including Madison, Chester, Henderson, Decatur, Gibson, Crockett, Haywood, Lauderdale and Dyer. We also have substantial members in Weakley and Carroll Counties with the addition of MLS of choice through the National Association.

Our association’s archives chronicle a history of association members being involved in a variety of community service fundraisers.

NAR and our local REALTORS are champions for Home Ownership and Home Owners Rights.

The Central West TN Association of REALTORS follows our Mission Statement by providing the tools, the training, the information and the technology to create a membership of ethical and successful real estate professionals. This leads into CWTAR’s Vision Statement to be “The Voice for Real Estate” in the Middle West Tennessee area.

We stay connected to the public through the use of our West TN Home Search magazine, which may be picked up at over 330 locations throughout 11 counties and our weekly real estate radio talk show, “The Voice for Real Estate Show” every Tuesday afternoon or morning on 101.5 FM or 93.1 FM.

CWTAR is the glue that holds our members together in order to do the best job they can for their customers to offer the most professional and seamless transition when buying or selling a home.

The CWTAR celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

VIP: What are the chief functions of CWTAR?

BW: We provide the tools, the training and the technology that REALTORS need in order to be successful, professional real estate practitioners.

VIP: Describe a typical day for you in your role as CEO of CWTAR.

BW: On Mondays and Tuesdays: A LOT of phone calls, at least one Zoom meeting, thumbing through TN License Law, TN REALTORS contracts, our Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, shooting at least one video and if it’s Tuesday, getting ready to go on the air for our weekly radio show. The rest of the week we set up for classes and meetings and possibly teach a class, and prepare for fundraising events and much, more more.

VIP: Tell me about the selection process of choosing 9 West Tennessee counties that fall under the umbrella of CWTAR. Why were these counties chosen?

BW: Naturally, Madison is our home having started out as the Jackson REALTORS, but we grew by merging with other smaller associations surrounding Madison County such as Chester and Henderson Counties, then Gibson County and then absorbing Crockett and Haywood who were without an association and then in 2015 merging once again with another smaller association to gain Lauderdale and Dyer Counties. When you look at a Tennessee State map, it’s easy to see that we have counties in the Middle West TN area touching the Mississippi River on the left and the Tennessee River on the right, hence, the name—the Central West TN Association of REALTORS.

VIP: How do realtors utilize the services of CWTAR?

BW: As we are a private organization, you must become a member. Once you become a member of CWTAR, depending on what type of member you are, different services will be offered. We have mostly REALTOR members, but we also have a handful of Affiliate members as well as a few Honorary members.

VIP: Do realtors work with CWTAR on both residential and commercial properties?

BW: Yes. As we are still considered a medium-sized board with almost 600 REALTOR members, there’s not much that takes place in the real estate world our members don’t know about. Therefore in our market area, we have all areas including residential, commercial, farm, land and investment.

VIP: What real estate trends are you seeing now in West Tennessee?

BW: A lot of folks are moving here from out of state—California and the Northern states to be exact. For the first time ever, TN ranked #1 in U-Haul’s report on where people are moving in 2021!

VIP: What are the hot real estate markets in Jackson at present?

BW: The hottest market in Jackson are the ones that have houses for sale. New construction is still mostly concentrated in the Northwest area of Madison County as the fastest growing sector, but small pockets in the downtown, midtown, and East Jackson areas are also seeing a rise in home ownership with some new construction taking place. You’ll also find growth going East and South if you know where to look. Jackson is growing, and it’s growing fast.

VIP: What about downtown living?

BW: Our downtown area appeals to a lot of our “out of towners” who are accustomed to walkability areas. It also appeals to the younger, single, or newlywed owners who like it for the same reasons. But don’t count out our older Jacksonians. Those folks who grew up in the downtown, midtown and LANA areas are enjoying the regrowth of their home area and aren’t planning on leaving any time soon, unless, of course, the price is right.

VIP: How has COVID-19 affected the real estate market in West Tennessee?

BW: Thankfully for home owners and REALTORS, C-19 did not affect the market. If anything we actually saw the market take off. With low interest rates (as low as can be remembered) and low inventory, it created a huge sellers’ market for which I’ve not seen in my 24 years in the business.

VIP: Looking ahead, what do you envision in the housing market in Jackson/West Tennessee, especially as hopefully COVID-19 is ending?

BW: The NAR Economic Forecast predicts that the housing market will remain pretty much unchanged through the second quarter of 2022. I feel that should be the case for the Jackson and West TN area as well. After that, we will have to see how interest rates are holding, the foreclosure moratorium release, lumber prices and other housing indicators that help shape the future.

VIP: If you could wave a magic wand, what changes would you like to see in the residential and commercial real estate market?

BW: Trust me. If I could wave a magic wand and make change, it wouldn’t be over the real estate market. It would be over all the division we have in our country right now, but I digress. As far as commercial business, I would like to magically make all of our business that closed and went out of business during the C-19 panic return and re-open which is good for consumers, business and commercial real estate.
When it comes to residential, I can honestly say there is nothing I would like to see change. Jackson has been a great place for my family and me, my business, and my friends. As we keep it between the line and moving forward, I see great things in the future.

What To Know

Central West Tennessee Association of Realtors
935 Old Humboldt Road, Jackson, TN 38305
(731) 668-4907
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30am-5pm
www.westtnhomesearch.com