After more than 24 years in real estate, Matt Silver knows the impact REALTORS® and the real estate industry can have on communities and the economy. REALTORS® have a unique voice and it is important to use it to urge policymakers to strive for more housing opportunities and more housing equity.

Silver, partner and senior broker with Corcoran Urban Real Estate in Chicago, is leading the more than 50,000-member Illinois REALTORS® as its president in 2024.

“Here in Illinois, we are far too familiar with the incredible shortage of housing units,” Silver said at his September inaugural. “(REALTORS ®) know how sensitive the real estate market is to world events and the overall economy, and we all know the negative impacts are felt even greater when we fail to invest in housing.”

It is important to open the doors of homeownership to more people, particularly those who might have been discriminated against or disenfranchised in the past.

Silver grew up in Skokie and says his parents’ work ethic, respectfulness of others from all walks of life and desire to improve things for those around them set the example he has followed personally and professionally.

For Silver, family is everything. His parents, Verne and Marlene, were his first mentors; his brother David’s zest for life and traveling has been an inspiration; and his son, Grant, is his pride and joy.

“I was very lucky to be able to have that kind of support system at home,” Silver says of his family. Although his father has passed away, the rest of the family gets together every Sunday for dinner and to catch up.

Silver graduated from Michigan State University, earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management. For more than a decade, he worked as a professional chef and manager for Levy Restaurants and private ownership groups.

Eventually, though, he set his sights on a different career path. He went to work with his father in packaging sales. His father taught him sales systems to get organized, generate business and build relationships with clients. It was a foundation that served Silver well when in 1998 he decided to venture into real estate, first in commercial and then residential.

“Ours is a positive calling, where the dedicated can thrive, where all are welcome and safe. Our (American Dream) campaign and message for the last two years was not limited, so if you’re a REALTOR® then our call to you is to stand on your pride of who we are and be cheerleaders for our industry, for our colleagues and for our association.”

Silver counts Jim Kinney, himself a past Illinois REALTORS® president, as one of his most important real estate mentors. Kinney was managing broker at Rubloff Residential Properties, where Silver worked until 2009.

Kinney stressed the importance of getting involved in the REALTOR® organization and giving back to the industry. It is a message that Silver took to heart.

He served as president of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® in 2017 and was honored as its REALTOR® of the Year in 2018. He got involved with Illinois REALTORS® in the early 2000s with the Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI), eventually serving as a dean. In the two decades since, he has served on countless Illinois REALTORS® committees and leadership roles.

“Every time I applied for a committee and all of the different work and volunteerism that I have done with Illinois REALTORS®, if somebody’s asking me, I’m going to say yes because if they think enough of me to bring my voice, then I’m going to do it,” he says.

Political advocacy has always been one of his priorities at the local, state and national level. He is a Federal Political Coordinator for U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of the 10th District and has also been a state legislative contact in the past. He currently serves as the Region 7 Representative on the NAR RPAC Trustees Fundraising Committee.

He was recognized for his advocacy focus with the 2022 Brian Bernardoni Political Advocacy Award from the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. The same year, he received the Illinois REALTORS® Political Involvement Award. In 2022, he was inducted into the NAR RPAC Hall for Fame for lifetime contributions of more than $25,000.

How would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style comes from many different perspectives, but overall, I am a consensus leader. It is vital and imperative that I hear all perspectives and then read the room. If I fervently believe in the cause or the direction, I want to hear opposing views and understand possible unintended consequences. I don’t think everyone in leadership has all the answers. To me, a decision is usually collaborative and well thought out.

What has been your greatest accomplishment, personally and professionally?
My greatest accomplishment personally and professionally has been creating a real estate practice from nothing and being able to balance my professional successes with my personal life successes – mainly raising my son into a caring, respectable and conscientious citizen. I often contemplate how my leadership positions, commitment to my clients, and philanthropy have helped shape my life and my family’s lives.

What is your favorite part of the real estate business?
My favorite part of the real estate business is threefold:

1. There is a consistency of systems in an anything but predictable business. Every client and every potential for business has a few similarities, but to be able to tailor solutions for each person or situation keeps me fresh and prepared at the same time.
2. Lending my voice to help change the landscape for those who don’t know how or have the desire to speak out, is a large motivator.
3. I want to strive to be an ally for those who are discriminated against or disenfranchised, and to provide avenues or pathways toward success.

What is the best real estate advice you ever received? Who gave it to you?
The best advice I ever received in my sales career was that you must be your most authentic and genuine self. My dad never said it, but that was how he, my uncle, and my grandfather behaved in their respective businesses. I had numerous opportunities to watch them. Equally important in every sales position is to know that every NO is one step closer to a YES!

If you weren’t a REALTOR®, what would your other dream job be?
I LOVE being a REALTOR® for literally a million reasons! If I couldn’t do this to earn a living and support my family and the causes important to me, I would love to be involved with a business that helps our senior citizens remain relevant and important in our society.

What do you like to do with your free time?
I volunteer a lot. I enjoy reading and exploring musical genres, and the more I travel, the better person I am. I love exploring local cultures and seeing what makes different societies work. I am a devoted sports fan and I try to attend many events a year, especially golf, hockey and football.

What is your favorite vacation destination?
That vacillates between mountains and sunny/unique locations…going to St. Bartholomew was perfect – mountains, beaches and great food with incredible history/culture.

What’s the last good book you read?
I read a few books at a time so, the last four were; “Harvard Business Review on Managing Yourself,” “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect” by Will Guidara, “Harlem Shuffle,” by Colson Whitehead and I am also in the early stages of “The Armor of Light” by Ken Follett.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
I think people would be surprised to know a few things. I love Native American culture; I was a professional chef, and I am a drummer!

If you could have lunch with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?
I would love to have a meal with my family…they are everything to me.