Encouraged by his uncle to join his best friend in starting a mortgage company in 2006, Daniel Chookaszian has helped match clients with the right loan options for 17 years. A business major as an undergraduate, Chookaszian went on to obtain his master’s degree while volunteering as a chaplain to disabled veterans. This combination of business and life experience instilled in him a winning combination of practical acumen and empathy. Excited to work in an industry with no ceiling, he is happy to have found a career that fuels his entrepreneurial spirit.

Chookaszian is a national lending professional who specializes in jumbo and conventional loans, Chase homebuyer grants, as well as FHA and VA products. He leads a team of three who move closings along efficiently and enhance the overall client experience. Described as analytical and tenacious, he has a reputation for remaining committed from start to finish, and forming relationships that last beyond closing. He’s navigated multiple market cycles, which has given Chookaszian a broad perspective when advising clientele. His lending institution offers free, up-front underwriting that allows him to help clients utilize lending in a way that positions them nearly as powerfully as cash buyers.

Having achieved his firm’s prestigious President’s Club recognition for the third year in a row, he credits quality career coaching — which he currently receives from his company’s vice president — for much of his success. For Chookaszian, one of the greatest markers of a job well done is hearing his clients say, “Working with you and your team was one of the best parts of buying.”

Recording music is a hobby for Chookaszian, who is a member of a band alongside his father and serves as the music leader for his church. He also enjoys basketball and reading. A natural teacher, he is proud to have spent time over the last year helping his daughter learn math using the Singapore method.