Josh Weinberg and Tommy Choi

Co-Founders
Weinberg Choi Realty

For Josh Weinberg and Tommy Choi, the co-founders of Weinberg Choi Realty, client communication is key – and that means talking to people on the phone.

“Buying and selling real estate is such a personal matter – we want to have authentic and informative conversations with our clients, which means picking up the phone,” they explain. “Every Tuesday, our clients get a call from us with all updates, and that is also their time to tell us how they are feeling and provide feedback and constructive criticism. Then, we implement this advice into our process, so that we are constantly evolving.”

That dedication to communication, and the manner in which it builds trust, comfort, and respect, has benefited Weinberg and Choi’s business considerably. Both brokers have been among CAR’s top 1 percent the last three years, and were platinum sales award recipients from CAR in 2015. Additionally, Weinberg was a “Top 36 Under 36” with the Chicago Jewish United Federation, and Choi was WCR’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013.

The CARLY platinum sales award, Weinberg and Choi explain, was particularly special. “That was a huge accomplishment, because when we went to our first CAR Sales Awards, we knew we wanted to be walking across that stage with a CARLY in our hands,” they say. “In January, we wrote out our 2015 goals, and we were determined that this was our year. We figured out what volume we had to do each quarter and each month in order to accomplish it, and our team held us accountable to achieve it.”

Both Weinberg and Choi were raised in entrepreneurial families, and were taught from an early age to see business from a big-picture perspective. “Early on in our real estate careers, one of our mentors taught us that in order to be the best versions of ourselves, we have to be better than we were the day before,” they say. “We take these values to heart and instill them in our team.” And those values entail a family-first philosophy. Both men are married with two kids and a dog, and both prioritize the many milestones in their family life, from swim lessons, to chaperoning field trips, to planning birthday parties.

Community involvement is also a passion for Weinberg and Choi, particularly through their company’s “365 Days of Giving” program, which involves volunteering and donating to a different organization every month of the year. Each member of the Weinberg Choi team chooses charities that are near to their hearts, including: The Lincoln Park Community Shelter; PAWS; The ARK; March of Dimes; Habitat for Humanity; and Working in the Schools. “That has allowed us grow as a team and feel a sense of purpose in our work.”

Thanks to AtWater Apartments for letting us use their beautiful location for our photo shoots.