After purchasing her first home, Khadija Laurens enjoyed the process so much, she decided to go into real estate. Now a licensed real estate broker with Compass, Laurens has been in the industry for 11 years, serving clients in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Gold Coast, River North, South Loop, West Loop and Evanston.
A native of France, Laurens participated in an exchange program at American University while earning a master’s degree in economics and international relations. Her multicultural background allows her to easily adapt to language barriers, local practices and cultural differences. She interned at Marie Landel & Associates in Boston, where she assisted companies with the opening of their legal, human resources and accounting departments. In 2005, she married and decided to call the Windy City home. Laurens worked for three years in the not-for-profit sector before becoming a broker.
Aside from her local clientele, Laurens, as a native French speaker, also assists international clients and families relocating to Chicago. Most start out renting for a year or two, and if they secure a longer-term assignment, purchase a home. Her proudest moments are when international buyers share how comfortable they felt during the process. When what used to be the unknown becomes home for them and their loved ones and when the same buyers become sellers and tell Laurens how much they have enjoyed their home and neighborhood, it gives her an enormous sense of accomplishment.
Named a 2017 Top Producer by the Chicago Association of Realtors, Laurens doesn’t count only on her savvy negotiating skills and intimate knowledge of the city’s real estate — she is also patient and spends a great deal of time talking to clients and explaining each step of the transaction process.
An active volunteer, Laurens is a member of the Women’s Board of the Alliance Française de Chicago and the French-American Chamber of Commerce. She is deeply involved with the Lycée Français de Chicago, the school where her three sons attend first, second and fifth grades. She picked up tennis four years ago and now loves the sport and cannot get enough of it.
