Interview with Kwesi Nichols and Tristan Cooley
authors of The Best in the Game: Let Us Show You How to Get Rich in Real Estate
Real Estate-Duo Publishing, Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9780977867509
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (3/07)
Today,
Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is happy to be joined by Kwesi
Nichols and Tristan Cooley to discuss their new book �The Best in the
Game.�
Kwesi Nichols and Tristan Cooley are best friends and
business partners. Their book �The Best in the Game� offers practical
advice for the millions of people who would love to invest in real
estate but don�t know how to begin.
Tyler: Hi, Kwesi and Tristan.
Thank you for joining us today. I know real estate investing has become
a hot topic recently. Would you give our readers a little background
about your own experiences with real estate and what made you decide to
write “The Best in the Game” as a guide for how to get rich in real
estate?
Tristan: Kwesi and I started investing in real estate
with no money down and very little credit. Shortly after graduate school
we realized that we would have to work extremely long hours to obtain
the income that we desired for our families and ourselves. Within our
first year we made more than $150,000 each. We have not only improved
our lives but we have improved the lives of those who have learned our
system. We have improved numerous homes within our community. We have
helped families to become proud homeowners. We have provided clean safe
homes for families who enjoy living in our homes vs. an apartment. And
for our tenants who want to become homeowners we put them on a system to
ensure that they reach their goal. Our system has helped people make a
lot of money. Our system works!
We decided to write �The Best in
the Game� because we encounter a lot of people who want to invest in
real estate but they don�t know how to start. We found that people only
need a game plan that works. A lot of people prohibit themselves from
investing in real estate because they have listened to real estate
myths. They have listened to someone who does not know how to make money
in real estate. They listen to negative information from the media and
think that maybe real estate is not for them. We continue to hear people
talk about a real estate bubble. In our book, Kwesi and I dispel the
myth behind the real estate bubble. We show people how to protect
themselves from the so-called real estate bubble. Our system shows
everyone how to make a lot of money regardless of the real estate
market.
Often times people will tell us that they want to invest
in real estate but they need to work on a few things first. Typically,
that is another indicator that they don�t know how to start and they
have convinced themselves that they are going to learn more about real
estate�but that never happens. When we see them a few years later and
ask if they have started investing in real estate they shake their heads
with disappointment and say no I have been too busy. We always respond
by saying wow �you must be making a lot of money if it is stopping you
from making money in the world�s most lucrative market.
Our point
is very simple. If you want to become a real estate investor don�t put
it off. You may think that you need to work on a few things first but
investing now may be able to put more money into your hands faster than
if you work on the few things. Our book explains what to do and how to
do it.
Tyler: How do you feel your book sets itself apart from other books and real estate systems or strategies?
Kwesi:
Our book cuts out all of the fluff and gets right down to the heart of
making money in real estate. You are getting the benefit from learning
from two successful real estate investors who have truly bought and sold
over 500 properties. Many books similar to ours have a lot of theory
and not nearly as much hands on experience. We also give readers more
details than any other real estate book on the market on how to make a
lot of money in the real estate game.
Tristan: Our system is very
simple and easy to apply. When our students apply our system they often
times reply by saying I never knew that it was this easy to make this
much money. Our strategies are based on our real life experiences. We
teach our students how to develop the best exit strategy prior to
entering into any real estate transaction. We offer a lot of secrets
that real estate agents don�t know. We share secrets that other
investors don�t know. We explain how to form a money making real estate
team. Your real estate team will make you a lot more money with less
effort.
Tyler: Would you tell our readers what are the main areas of real estate investing that your book covers?
Tristan:
Our book covers residential and 2-4 unit apartment buildings. We
discuss residential opposed to commercial because it is the easiest and
less risky. Our system and strategies can easily be applied to a lot of
commercial deals but the hold time and financing can be challenging for a
beginner with little to no money to put into the transaction.
Tyler: What is the biggest caution you would give to someone interested in real estate investing?
Tristan:
Our biggest caution to someone interested in investing into real
estate would be to learn to trust yourself. Don�t talk yourself into
waiting. Don�t make excuses. And don�t talk about investing in real
estate to someone who does not invest in real estate. People who don�t
invest in real estate are the worst people for advice about real estate.
Don�t confuse a homeowner for a real estate investor. There is a
difference; homeowners don�t view their homes as investments; an
investor views real estate as a wealth builder. Our book will show you
the benefits to investing in real estate. Our book points out a lot of
mistakes that can be made and a lot of money lost, without the right
tools. We encourage you to invest in yourself. Buy our One-On-One
Training System; it will arm you with the tools and knowledge that you
need.
Tyler: Many people are probably interested in investing in
real estate, but they feel they don�t have the money to get started. How
much money do you need and how difficult is it to get financing?
Tristan:
That is a great question. We specialize in buying houses with no money
down. Our book shows you how to buy properties and repair them with no
money down. We started with no money down, and we are still doing deals
with no money down. We offer free seminars that teach you how to buy
property with no money down and no credit. We have made a lot of money
using our system.
Tyler: We see a lot on TV about buying
properties repossessed by the government. These properties are selling
at a fraction of their actual value. Do you recommend buying such a
property, especially for someone getting started in the real-estate
market?
Tristan: The current real estate market is experiencing a
huge repossession rate. We hate that families are losing their homes.
However, their unfortunate situations enable others to benefit. Let�s be
honest; any time someone can buy a property for a fraction of its value
it�s a good deal. Often people think that because a property is a
government property it must be a good deal. We explain why some
government properties are not good deals.
Tyler: Once people
decide to invest in real estate, should they buy up a lot of properties
and then collect rent from them, such as owning multiple apartment
buildings, or is it better just to have a few properties at a time and
continually to be flipping them?
Tristan: We suggest that an
investor develop a plan before investing into real estate. Every
investor�s objective is different. If an investor wants to build
cash-flow then he/she may want to buy/hold/rent. But if an investor does
not want to hold onto properties he/she should consider quickly selling
the house.
Tyler: You mention in your book that you don't
believe there is such a thing as the "real-estate bubble." Can you
elaborate upon why you disagree with this idea?
Kwesi: We
believe that in any market we can find a good deal. We teach real-life
strategies on how to find good deals anywhere in the country. As
professional investors, we believe that we can rehab successfully
anywhere and can control whatever market we set our sights on. In
Boulder, Colorado for example, many investors are buying blocks of
houses at the market price. Then spending a lot of money rehabbing and
reinventing the area. In fact gating in these new communities and
selling the properties for 3 times what they paid originally. Creativity
at its best.
Tyler: What do you feel is the future of the real
estate market? Is property over-valued right now? Will it become easier
or more difficult to become a real-estate investor?
Tristan: The
real estate market is like any other industry. It has its ups and downs.
No we don�t believe that real estate is over valued. There are a lot of
sellers who are getting their asking price and more. Due to the current
economy and mortgage industry, buyers have a larger selection of homes
to choose from. Rising rates are forcing buyers to buy less expensive
homes. People still want to buy the more expensive home, but they are
forced to stay where they are at or buy a less expensive house. Once the
economy improves and rates go down the boom will start over.
Tyler: If you could give only one piece of advice to people wanting to invest in real estate today, what would it be?
Kwesi:
Definitely to buy our Training Kit along with our mentorship. The
smart money is on the people who invest in themselves first, before they
invest in real estate!
Tyler: Where can readers go to find out more information about "The Best in the Game" or to buy the book?
Kwesi:
You can visit our website at [http://www.thebestinthegame.com]. You
can buy our book at any of your local bookstores, our website and online
at Amazon.com.
Tyler: Thank you, Tristan and Kwesi, for being
here today. You�ve given us lots of solid, good advice about real estate
investing. I�m sure plenty of people interested in the real estate
market will be buying �The Best in the Game.�