Tiffany Willis’ passion for real estate got ignited at an early age, when she witnessed her grandmother, Zola, use shrewd business skills to pay off their home when Willis was just 14 years old. “I knew at 15 I would be a real estate broker,” recalls Willis, who would sneak side trips to explore various neighborhoods along the Chicago L line during her two-hour commute to Lane Tech College Prep High School, on Chicago’s North Side. As a native of Roseland, a South Side community, she grew up curious about the other 77 neighborhoods in the city — the experiences, cultures and lifestyles they offered. “I didn’t know the name of the job back then, but I loved real estate and the people who needed my help.”
At age 16, Willis graduated from high school and began working her way up the corporate ladder. Infused with her love for real estate, she acquired several properties in her 20s and founded Willis Property Management in 2006. It wasn’t until 2020, however, when she retired from McKinsey & Company, that she pursued an agent license. In 2021, she founded her namesake business, Close with Tiff, powered by Coldwell Banker, where she now serves clients in Illinois, Indiana, Georgia and Texas. “My goal,” she says, “is to help every move graciously and build wealth through real estate.”
Willis is a Coldwell Banker Certified Global Luxury Broker and an Ivy League-trained negotiator, having attended both Stanford and Harvard. She has earned membership in the Coldwell Banker President’s Club, achieving the International President’s Circle, and is ranked by RealTrends magazine among the top 1.5% of 1.6 million real estate professionals in the nation, in 2022. “I came from humble beginnings,” Willis notes, “but I have the innate ability to connect with my clients and to move through each real estate transaction forging relationships that last a lifetime.
