Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) 2022 president, Brett Caviness, is one of the youngest REALTORS® to assume a REALTOR® association’s top leadership role. Like many millennials, Caviness, who is a REALTOR® with Compass, is reshaping the industry, so it is more in touch with the digital world; but more than that, he wants SILVAR REALTORS® to benefit from professional development and be a voice for their clients.

As president of SILVAR, Caviness wants to raise professional standards, help agents better serve their clients and community, and focus on homeownership rights. “I want to continue building member engagement through virtual and in person events and classes, and by delivering video content to our members. I want to enrich our REALTORS® community by focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion through strengthening involvement with affiliated organizations, committees, and overall member engagement,” says Caviness. “I also want to focus on recognizing and elevating the service our members are already doing all year and provide unique opportunities for REALTORS® to contribute to our local community and our Realtor community.”

A native of Iowa, Caviness graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and a minor in real estate from the University of Northern Iowa. While in college he earned his real estate license and sold a few homes. In 2012, Caviness moved to Palo Alto and as soon as he got his California real estate license, he hit the ground running.

In 2017, at the age 29, Caviness had an individual sales volume of $19.3 million and 16 individual transaction sides. The following year, he was named one of 50 finalists nationwide to REALTOR® Magazine’s 2018 Class of 30 Under 30.

Early into his career, Caviness strived to be a leader in organized real estate. Before becoming 2021 president-elect, he joined SILVAR’s Menlo Park-Atherton District Council and served as the district’s chair and as California Association of REALTORS® Region 9 director in 2015. He joined the Young Professionals Network and taught classes at SILVAR on how agents can use video to market themselves and their listings. In 2016, he received the SILVAR President’s Award for his contributions to the association.

“I like being involved, contributing, being part of something bigger and giving back,” says Caviness.

Real estate is a hard business, says Caviness. He attributes his success to his personal desire and drive to succeed, and the fact that he did not have a safety net to fall back on. He learned the importance of customer service at an early age – delivering newspapers, working at Subway and Dairy Queen, and selling tickets to games in college. When someone asks if he is available, he does not answer “Sure”; he answers, “Absolutely!”

Now, more than ever, Caviness says REALTORS® need to go back to basics, take education courses, know the data, establish a relationship of trust with their clients, and be their voice.

“The clearest path to success is helping others, whether it is over the phone or meeting them in person. We need to make sure our clients know we’re available for them,” says Caviness.

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