Odessa Board of REALTORS
The Odessa Board of REALTORS was established in 1958 with the mission “to support its membership through education to achieve a successful industry with the highest degree of ethics and to protect the individual rights of real estate ownership while providing the highest quality professional service to the members.” In 1993, members of the Odessa Board of REALTORS saw a need to help local students attend college. That year they organized the first ever Christmas Tour of Homes as a fundraiser to generate scholarships. Since its beginning, the Christmas Tour of Homes has generated more than $200,000 that the Odessa Board of REALTORS has donated to a scholarship fund at Odessa College and an endowment for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB). Students apply for these scholarships through each college.
It is a self-guided tour for people to drive their own vehicles from house to house and tour the inside and outside of each home at their leisure. The event is an opportunity to enjoy elaborate adornments and return home with new holiday decorating ideas while helping local students afford a college education.