Tyraa Caldwell

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Hi, my name is Tyraa Caldwell, known to most as Tyraa Nicole. I am a real estate broker and property manager, as well as a three-time published author and app founder. I am based out of the metro Detroit area.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

I love the change of seasons. We get to experience all the seasons: summer, fall, winter and spring.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

I have two companies: Tyraa Nicole Realtors, a real estate brokerage assisting in buying and selling real estate, and a property management company, Tyraa Nicole LLC, where I assist owners in the management of their investment properties.

I started off as a real estate agent and quickly found my niche in working with investor clients that needed management, so it was only right to start a management company, since I was never able to find good property management for my clients. It worked out because my clients were able to have someone they trust manage their assets.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

If someone wants to start a business, I would tell them to be prepared to do the work! It’s not easy, but it is satisfying when you can look back at what you built. You just have to be ready to work, and eventually it will become smooth, but it’s rough in the beginning.

You just have to find your way and do your business the way it works for you, and not just solely on what everyone else is doing and how they are running their business. What works for them may not work for you, so you just have to figure out what works for you.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

It would be feedback from one of my overseas clients who had a bad experience with property management. So bad that he didn’t want to be an investor anymore and just wanted to sell all of his properties. I was able to take over management and get all of his properties back intact, and it’s running very smoothly now and he has no worries. He was very thankful for this.

Where do you see your company in the future?

I see my company taking property management to another level through my newest real estate app, called The Rentagade App. It is a marketplace for everything real estate, so if you own a home or rent a home, or you are an investor or a tenant, it will be good for you. It is “Connecting the Disconnect.”

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception is that it is easy... It’s not at all!

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

One of the biggest struggles has been just finding my way in this industry and figuring out what works best for me, and I have figured that out now. Also, hiring the right people has been a struggle as well, but I have figured that out too.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

My favorite music growing up was 90’s music. I would say Brandy as far as singers and TLC as far as music groups. My favorite athlete growing up was Michael Jordan, and I was a big basketball fan.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

Yes! I would like to shout out my daughters: Raiyna, Jaylah, Angel, Airyale and Ahjenee! Also my new fiancé, Tino!

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

You can learn more about my company by going to www.therentagadeapp.com.