Real estate agents work too hard to not have something generating income in the background, and this is where investing comes into play.    We’re active participants in the real estate ecosystem, so we’re in the prime position to capture some of the deal flow and relationships in the market and use them to increase our net worth.    If you’re starting from a low net worth, how do you get a property under your belt? How did a struggling salesman visualize his way into a successful investing operation?   In this episode, we’re joined by  investor, broker, mentor, and consultant, Nick Cooley. He talks about his journey, from sleeping in his car to building a thriving business.  Three Things You’ll Learn in This Episode    Why it’s smart to take on both real estate investing and retail Most people become agents first, then investors. Why did Nick become an investor first, and then get into the retail side of things?    How to create a stable foundation to invest in real estate What’s the biggest misconception people have about passive income, and what do we have to do before we go after the bigger deals and transactions?    The power of having a well-defined buy box as an investor How do we turn the people we know in our markets into our own prospectors for deals?   Guest Bio Nick Cooley is an investor, broker, mentor, consultant and the President of Team Cooley Properties in Denver, Colorado. Nick is excited to bring an investor's perspective to the large and important financial decision as to where to live, raise a family, enjoy the occasional dinner party... whatever! Buying or selling a home is important not only for the financial implications, but also in the measure that it is the main place where we spend our lives.  For more information, follow @imnickcooley on Instagram.