On Thursday, the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors will vote on six nominees, including CEO, Co-founder and Managing Broker of Centered RCG Maurice Hampton.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to even apply for the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors,” says Hampton, a 10-year veteran of the real estate industry. “But I feel like I’m qualified and I’m ready to make a contribution.”

The vote will occur Thursday afternoon during the Illinois REALTORS® Fall Business Meetings at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center.

How did it start?

Hampton became a REALTOR® and he and his wife, Brande Hampton, opened Centered International Realty in 2009 with an office in Beverly. Almost immediately he joined the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (CAR) and volunteered for several committees. Earlier this month, he was installed as the CAR president-elect.

His interest in international real estate has led him to attend four International REALTOR® Conferences, including this year’s in Vietnam.

He is the vice chair of the Illinois REALTORS® Global Business Council and he is an original member of the Illinois REALTORS® Consulate General Liaison program. He is the liaison to Canada. He is an instructor for Illinois pre-license courses, continuing education courses and NAR certifications/designations. Later this year, he will travel to Accra, Ghana to teach the Accredited Buyers Representative course for the Ghana Real Estate Professional Association. He’s also served on several state committees during the last four years. He is the state legislative contact for state Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago.

On the national level, Hampton is vice chair of the NAR Global Business Council Forum and a member of the NAR Global Business and Alliances Committee.

In 2016, while serving as a member of the CAR Global Council, Hampton and another council member, Robert Rosmis, decided to merge their businesses together and formed Centered RCG. Today, their business includes offices in downtown Chicago, Florida and Indiana.

What keeps Hampton going?

While his interest in real estate began as a boy trying to convince his parents to move from their condo to a single-family home with a back yard, Hampton says many aspects of his work today keep him excited about his chosen profession. He measures success in the number of lives he impacts through mentoring, association involvement, helping families find their first homes and real estate investors find the right investments.

“I enjoy helping people. But it’s not just helping people – although helping people is at the core of it. I want to help improve communities. Quality housing changes everything. I think people who buy homes are invested in their communities, and those who are invested in their communities become involved in their communities and become pillars of their communities.”

Joining the board

As the official vote nears for Hampton and the other nominees to join the 2019 board, he is excited about the possibilities of working side by side with fellow REALTORS® from across the state. His committee experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, and he’s learned from the colleagues who bring different backgrounds and talents to the table.

“Volunteering for Illinois REALTOR® committees has been very beneficial to me and exposed me to people with a variety of skill sets from around the state,” says Hampton. “It always warms my heart to attend REALTOR® events. It’s a family that will always show up when you need it.”

In addition to Hampton, other nominees for the 2019 Board of Directors include: Tommy Choi, Nykea Pippion McGriff, Zeke Morris, Karen Robertson and Sarah Ware.