Josh Norris

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Josh Norris believes that real estate is about more than buying and selling property. It's about helping people make confident decisions while investing in the future of the communities they call home. As a REALTOR® with New Direction Real Estate, Josh combines analytical expertise, entrepreneurial experience, and a genuine passion for East Tennessee to help clients navigate one of life's most important decisions with confidence.

Licensed since 2021, Josh serves buyers and sellers throughout East Tennessee, with a primary focus on Sevier, Knox, Blount, Cocke, Jefferson, and Hamblen Counties. His experience includes residential homes, luxury properties, land, vacation homes, short-term rentals, and investment real estate. Having personally purchased acreage, managed vacation rental properties, and built an investment portfolio of his own, Josh understands the real estate process from both the professional and client perspectives.

Raised in Sevier County since grade school, Josh grew up watching his mother build New Direction Real Estate into one of the area's trusted family-owned brokerages. Her entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to excellence, and passion for helping others inspired his own interest in business, problem solving, and serving his community.

Beyond real estate, Josh is an entrepreneur with firsthand experience in investment properties, vacation rental management, and digital marketing. He owns and manages both short-term and long-term rental properties, giving him valuable insight into investment real estate throughout the Smoky Mountain region. As the owner and operator of a local digital billboard company, he also understands how strategic marketing and advertising can help properties stand out in today's competitive market.

Whether helping a first-time homebuyer, guiding a family to their forever home, assisting a client in purchasing acreage, or helping an investor identify their next opportunity, Josh believes every client deserves an organized, responsive, and enjoyable experience. His attention to detail, positive attitude, and deep knowledge of the East Tennessee market allow him to provide guidance that extends well beyond the closing table.

When he's not working with clients, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife, Megan, who is also a REALTOR®, and their two young children. Whether hiking in the Smokies, kayaking, boating, planting trees on his property, or helping build New Direction Real Estate's parade floats for local community celebrations, he enjoys investing his time in the place his family is proud to call home.

For Josh, real estate isn't simply a career. It's an opportunity to help people build their future while continuing to invest in the future of East Tennessee.

Josh's commitment to East Tennessee extends far beyond his business. He currently serves as the 2026 President of the Sevier County Hospitality & Tourism Alliance (SCHTA), where local hospitality organizations work together to strengthen tourism, workforce development, and economic growth across Sevier County. Since 2021, he has served on the Board of the Sevierville Hospitality Association in numerous leadership roles, including President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, and Scholarship Chair. He also serves as Education Committee Chair for the Pigeon Forge Hospitality & Tourism Association, is a member of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Events Committee, serves on the Steering Committee for the Pigeon Forge Comprehensive Plan and Corridor Plan, and previously represented Sevier County on the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association Board. Through these leadership roles, Josh has helped modernize nonprofit operations, coordinate community events, advocate before state legislators, support scholarship programs, and help shape initiatives that strengthen the future of Sevier County.

These experiences have allowed Josh to build lasting relationships with local business owners, builders, contractors, elected officials, and community leaders throughout East Tennessee. Those connections provide valuable insight into future developments, infrastructure improvements, and economic growth that can directly benefit his real estate clients.

Josh's dedication to professional excellence and community service has earned recognition at both the local and state levels. In 2022, he received the Under 30 Rising Star Award from both the Sevier County Hospitality & Tourism Alliance and the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. He is also a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and has proudly supported numerous nonprofit organizations, scholarship programs, and community events throughout his career.

Josh earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Bachelor of Science in Statistics, and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Tennessee. He also completed all doctoral coursework toward a Ph.D. in Economics, where his research focused on how businesses adapt to changing technologies and evolving markets. Rather than pursuing an academic career elsewhere, Josh chose during the COVID-19 pandemic to remain in East Tennessee, dedicating his career to serving the community that has always been home. His education in economics and statistics continues to influence the way he approaches real estate by helping clients evaluate market trends, investment opportunities, and long-term financial decisions through both data and real-world experience.