My Story

Tariq Khwaja

LPO Manager

Tariq “TK” Khwaja has many industry honors to his name, including the Five Star Professional Award. Perhaps the most impressive of his recent achievements, however, is being named a “Real Estate Visionary” in CS Modern Luxury’s Summer Men’s Book just this past June—he’s the first lender to have ever been featured in it.

Still, even as the accolades pour in, Khwaja has not lost sight of what got him here. Before getting involved in the real estate industry, he worked for many years in various customer service-based industries, from working in the music business, to serving on the board of a children’s charity, to juggling two different restaurant jobs while paying his way through school. Those experiences helped instill in Khwaja the work ethic, client-first mentality, and grit it takes to succeed in the real estate industry.

Keeping sight of the past while working towards his vision of the future has allowed Khwaja to have great success with clients at all stages of life, from first-time buyers, to savvy, experienced investors, and everyone in between. He credits his music background with helping him develop his impressive math skills, allowing him to quickly crunch the numbers necessary for getting a sense of the daily lives and finances of the individuals he works with, and then using that information to create an action plan with them. His experience waiting tables taught him to keep his eyes on the prize, always keeping the larger goal in mind. That goal? For Khwaja, it’s as simple as continuing to help others on a daily basis. “I have been given so many opportunities in life,” he says, “and by sharing those and helping people achieve the dream of homeownership, while also creating what is the largest asset of 95 percent of Americans, is a dream come true.”

Outside of real estate, Khwaja is as successful a musician as he is a lender. His band has sold out the famed House of Blues in Chicago, and he’s written songs that have made it to radio and TV. He’s been featured in print for his music as often as he has been for real estate. Still, in spite of Khwaja’s multifaceted success, the simple pleasure of knowing he’s helping others remains the most important thing for him. “I have many accomplishments, but my greatest is the joy I give while allowing my clients to achieve their dreams of homeownership,” he says. Even after all these years in the business and all the accolades that came with them, it’s clear that the most important lessons of customer service have remained with Khwaja to this day.

(As published in Chicago Agent Magazine Who's Who section.)