Meet 2022 CAR Chair Matthew Hintermeister

At a young age, Matthew Hintermeister knew he wanted to be a part of real estate. He would often go with his parents to see property in his hometown of Oyster Bay, New York, or while traveling around the globe. Now as a 20 year-resident of Telluride, Colo., Matthew was just celebrated as CAR’s 2022 Chair at the 100 Year Celebration, Conference & Expo at the Broadmoor.

His love for Telluride began when he and his family vacationed there during his high school years. After he graduated from Phillips Academy and Bates College, he moved to Telluride where he has been a REALTOR® for 20 years; 19 of those spent at LIV Sotheby’s International Realty with Scott Webber and his managing broker, Peggy Raible.

“My favorite part of real estate is connecting people to Telluride. Seeing their fresh amazement when they look at the views. It’s what I experienced as a 14-year-old. Helping people find what they need is what I really enjoy.”

And the rest, as they say, was written in the stars, atop the San Juan Mountain Range surrounding Telluride.

Hintermeister’s REALTOR® life began getting recognized as the 2008 & 2019 Telluride REALTOR® of the year. Matthew is a Past-President of the Telluride Association of REALTORS®, former CAR Mountain District Vice President, CAR Director, and now as the 2022 Chair of CAR.

Getting involved in the association leadership was something his mentors suggested. “The first time I came to a CAR Convention at the Broadmoor was back in 2004 as a state Director for my local board. It was rather overwhelming; however, I was able to begin meeting folks from all over our state and get an idea of how this all worked, Hintermeister said. “Thankfully, along the way, I met a few key mentors, Bonnie Smith and Kay Watson, who pushed me to further my involvement both at the state and local level. And of course, our AE Robyn Pale has been a great support. They all told me I would get more out of my profession if I got even more involved.”

During his time as Chair in 2021, Hintermeister’s theme is “Moving Forward Together” and he hopes to move past the political divide and represent the REALTOR® party and association. He is a frequent visitor at both Colorado and the U.S. Capitols to advocate for homeowner and private property rights and was appointed to the National Association of REALTORS® Public Policy Coordinating Committee. “I want us as REALTORS® to remind ourselves about what we are here for. We can debate politics all day long, and argue and dislike one another,” said Hintermeister.” At the end of the day, we should all agree that we are here for nearly 30,000 paying members and they want us to propel and protect the real estate industry.”

Matthew recalls the time this all became clear to him. “I had to sit down with a handful of Colorado REALTORS® and a U.S. Representative who I could not tolerate. But in the end, that Representative supported our REALTOR® agenda. You must take the personal beliefs and the political aisles out of the work you do for CAR.”

Matthew, who is gay, is proud to be part of a diverse CAR leadership team. “When I see that I’m standing next to the first African American Chair-Elect who’s a woman, (Natalie Davis) and knowing who I am, I’m proud that CAR places a strong emphasis on diversity at the top level.”

He added: ‘This has to do with how we interact with each other and our communities. We stand to protect the real property interests of all races, colors, disabilities, familial statuses, sexual orientations, gender identities, and national origins. We cannot overlook or ignore any violation of these people’s rights; we need to continue to protect them every single day.’”

Matthew sees this beyond his REALTOR® family. He was recently President of the Telluride AIDS Benefit where he has been a Board member for 16 years. The annual fashion show and fundraiser raised $260,000 to support AIDS testing and research in Telluride; Moab, Utah; and Eswatini, Africa. The most recent benefit raised $260,000 with Hintermeister leading the paddle-raiser at the end of the event.

In addition to his dedication to the real estate industry, Matthew speaks both French and Spanish and enjoys all of the outdoor activities that Telluride provides. Gardening, international cultures, and European art and history are also high on his list. He’s looking forward to rescheduling a river cruise with his parents to Vienna along with his three sisters.