How Broker Kofi Nartey Is Helping House the Rams in LA
Kofi Nartey is not your average real estate broker. Heading up the newly-created Compass Global Sports & Entertainment Division, his past experience as a former athlete and actor gives him a certain edge and knowledge that most real estate brokers might not have.
With over 13 years of industry-leading experience, he’s worked with high profile clients such as Kevin Durant, Iggy Azalea, and Michael Jordan. Now that the LA Rams are back and kicking off with a pre-season game on August 13 against the Dallas Cowboys, we sat down to discuss how Nartey is helping the team relocate, how he gets his game face on before meeting a client, and the hottest neighborhoods in LA right now.
Did your past experience as a former athlete and actor help in dealing with high-profile clients? KOFI NARTEY: It definitely gives me an advantage because I’ve been in similar spaces. When I transitioned into real estate, it did a couple of things for me. Most of the athletes I meet, there’s always someone that we know in common. And the same thing [goes] with the entertainment space. The degree of separation is drastically reduced, and the understanding and appreciation of the lifestyle are increased because of that.
How do you get your “game” face on before you meet with a client? KN: (laughs) Well, my game face is very similar. I’m writing a book called Sellebrity, and it’s about breaking into and servicing the sports and entertainment industry. In that book, I have two chapters: Things That I’ve Learned From Sports and Things That I’ve Learned From Acting. In terms of getting my game face on it’s because I’ve practiced what I said. Actors review their lines, know their script, know the people that they’re going to deliver the lines to, and how that effects what you’re going to say. It’s knowing what I’m doing, understanding it, knowing it well, and feeling confident about it.
Did you help relocate any of the LA Rams this year? KN: We’re still working with some of them now. We have a full team that helps with everything beyond real estate itself. My immediate team focuses on finding the properties, whether it’s a purchase or a lease. Then we have our sole concierge arm, which helps with movers, car transport, getting enrolled in schools, finding a nanny, finding a cleaning service, all of the above.
With the Rams coming to LA, what’s the energy been like? KN: Personally, it’s been exciting. I had the good fortune of having met Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams, and Jeff Fisher, head coach of the Rams. That’s what I talked about with them—it wasn’t about business, it was about the excitement of having football back in LA and what that means for those Sunday outings with the family, watching the game, the energy of the crowd, and so forth.
What are the hot neighborhoods in LA right now? KN: LA has so many pockets. The Hollywood Hills continue to remain in demand. Things are picking up in Calabasas and Thousand Oaks because of the Rams coming into town and looking for property out in those areas. We see growth in the Silicon Beach area and Venice continues to stay hot. And even as you go east to Silverlake and Los Feliz, [things] have been heating up.