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- ***Use Knowledge to Your Advantage - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVEver hear the saying, "I am not young enough to know everything"? That's a good one, and something to think about. Fortunately, I had a father who knew a lot about what he was doing, so I could never fall into the know-it-all category. Being humbled by superior knowledge and inspired by it can ...
Views: 1683(1 vote) - ***Book Smart vs. Street Smart - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVWe all know people who are "book smart" but clueless in the real world, and those who are "street smart" but unable to handle any environment other than the one they're used to. Last season The Apprentice was based on this dichotomy, pitting a team of people with higher education against a team ...
Views: 10030(118 votes) - ***Trust: A Critical Factor in Negotiating - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn the Middle Ages, people shook hands to demonstrate that they were empty-handed, meaning they were not carrying weapons and could be trusted to behave honorably. Even today, a handshake before a negotiating session means that you and the other person agree to behave honorably. You might ...
Views: 1145 - ***Power and Persuasion: the Elements of Negotiation - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVNegotiation is something I refer to often because it is an important aspect of business and life. It's a form of accommodation, adjustment, and diplomacy. It can be a complex procedure, but it doesn't have to be daunting if you take the time to think and apply a little finesse to your ...
Views: 1965(111 votes) - Investing in Real Estate: It’s All in the Timing - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from Menno SpijkstraThe most popular and perhaps the best way possible to make a fortune is by investing in real estate. The ridiculously rich are doing it everywhere, which triggered the desire of the masses to “try” and follow in their footsteps. You may be thinking of putting up the most beautiful and affordable ...
Views: 713 - ***Conventional Wisdom: An Oxymoron? - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVIn marketing circles, there’s a problem called the “majority fallacy.” What it means is that corporations and business owners often “go with the tide,” seeking the gold that’s in them ‘thar hills, along with everyone else. The problem is the “along with everyone else” part. To be successful ...
Views: 1452 - ***The Bottom Line--Your Guideline (It's not Personal, It's Business) - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVBusiness is about making money. It’s about the bottom line. The sooner you realize that it's not personal, it's business, the sooner you’ll make it to the top in the business world. I’m often surprised by people who think business is something else. They come in with lofty ideas and ...
Views: 900 - ***Stay Fresh, Stay Smart - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVMost of us have been to a school graduation ceremony at which the featured speaker or honored graduate comments on how the ceremony, itself "is not the end of one's education, but the beginning" -and that's why they call it "commencement!" The reason the theme of new beginnings is so popular in ...
Views: 915 - ***Wizards of Wall Street: Market Timing and the Allure of Prognostication - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from John AOVSince the dawn of civilization, man has tried to predict the future because knowledge of the future could influence decisions that would greatly affect the welfare of individuals and society. If the farmer knew exactly what the weather was going to be like, he could adjust his planting schedule ...
Views: 1021 - ***Be Fast, Get Ahead - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVWe live, work, and compete in markets where you must be more like a laser than a floodlight, more like a gazelle than an elephant. In today’s complex and competitive business environment, three critical factors form a mantra for success: “Make it short, fast, and direct!” Our customers, ...
Views: 1055 - ***Speed Kills (The Competition) - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVHe who will not economize will have to agonize. --Confucius I have to tell you that I can relate to the "agonize" in this Confucian saying. As someone on the receiving end of conversations by people who do not know how to edit themselves, I know what agony means. I think to myself, “How long ...
Views: 1421 - ***Results are What Matter - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVMen acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way. --Aristotle We all have different ways of accomplishing things. Some people deliberate for a long time and then move quickly. Some people make a quick decision and then take a long time to act on it. Sometimes the ...
Views: 1082 - ***Full Speed Ahead--Every Day! - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -- Eleanor Roosevelt Confidence can get you where you want to go, and getting there is a daily process. It’s so much easier when you feel good about yourself, your abilities and talents. That’s why I emphasize confidence as a way to get ...
Views: 744 - ***How to Learn from Your Mistakes - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVIn today's business world, more people are making bigger decisions in less time and with less information than ever. That also means people are messing up more than ever. The flip side of making progress is making mistakes. If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means ...
Views: 807 - ***Failure is the Mother of Success - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVMention the word "failure" to almost any group of up-the-corporate-ladder types and you may detect some nervous twitches. For these cube-dwellers, a mistake or setback is often a career-stopper, or, at least, a blot on the record. Playing it safe is seen as the best way to avoid a misstep that ...
Views: 5370(16 votes) - ***Expect Problems--and Keep Moving Forward - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from John AOVIs this a blip, or is it a catastrophe? The way we handle difficult situations in life says a lot about who we are. How we view them is also an important element in how we will deal with adversity. Some events will wipe out one person, but will make another person even more tenacious. That’s ...
Views: 820 - Book Review: What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow... And 36 Other Key Financial Measures - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from Douglas PakThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Real Estate. Real estate means ownership of land plus anything permanently fixed to it, including buildings and other improvements. Real estate is a popular form of investment. Trump University is the Official Guide to Real ...
Views: 1863 - Definition: Real Estate - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from Douglas PakReal estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions, notably in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia) that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location. Real estate law is the body of regulations ...
Views: 1708 - Have You Heard About the Mortgage Holiday Proposal? - by Submitted on Apr 15, 2009 from Krista ScruggsImagine the impact a year long mortgage holiday could have on the American economy. 12 long months without the need to make even one mortgage payment; the money consumers could keep in their pockets could be used for much needed purchases and also bill payments to help consumers get back on ...
Views: 1552(2 votes) - ***There Are Times When You Should Move On - Know When to Quit - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVSometimes we have to be patient and sometimes we have to get moving. Wisdom is in knowing when to stay and when to go. Know when to quit. I know, it's easier said than done, but we all know when we’ve exhausted certain possibilities, and quite possibly ourselves, in the course of finding out. ...
Views: 700 - ***How to Make Explosive Profits in Real Estate - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVWhat is it about real estate that makes is such a phenomenal way to make money? Perhaps the clearest way to see the advantages is to contrast it to investing in the stock market. For the sake of example, let's say that you have $100,000 to invest. That's the same scenario I use in the real ...
Views: 688 - ***Don't Let Your Financial Blind Spots Make You Poor - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVRadical learning from The Wealth Builder's Blueprint Faculty, Trump University Finance has its own vocabulary. The more you understand it, the more you control your financial future. This story illustrates the point. Early in my career as a CPA, I had two clients who were pretty similar. They ...
Views: 757 - ***Negotiate to Win - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVNegotiating wisdom from Negotiate to Win, Trump University's new bootcamp course on negotiating While you were growing up, you probably negotiated with your parents about your chores, your allowance and your curfew. If you were like me in school, you negotiated for homework extensions with your ...
Views: 1434 - ***Why Slow Times Are Great Times to Invest in Real Estate - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVRadical wealth-creating advice from the Trump University classroom If you've been watching the news and listening to your friends, you're probably convinced this is a terrible time to invest in real estate. Interest rates are up, housing sales are down, properties are overvalued. The "bubble" ...
Views: 722 - ***It Is Often Easier to Make Money in Down Markets - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVHas all the talk about a "down market" scared you away from investing in real estate? If so, I'd urge you to take a look around. Many, many investors are making a fortune in the current market. If you stop hiding and start investing, you can be one of them too. Here are four strategies that can ...
Views: 736 - ***Sell Your Property Fast in a Glutted Market - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVWinning strategies from The Real Estate Investor Training Program Articles and news stories everywhere today are reporting the grim news that huge numbers of houses are sitting on the market unsold. And the problem exists virtually everywhere in America. Make no mistake about it. Itis much ...
Views: 827 - ***The Insider's Way to Predictable Real Estate Profits - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from John AOVWhen you ask most people how much they are willing to pay for a property, they usually say something like, Well,the asking price is $275,000 . . . maybe I can bargain that down to $245,000. That's how they decide how much they are willing to pay for a property. And that kind of thinking makes ...
Views: 1465 - Mortgage Driven Bankruptcy Filings Against the Backdrop of an Amended Bankruptcy Code - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from Krista ScruggsBankruptcy used to be the stigma laden option for consumers who were simply too deep in debt to find a way out. In the past Chapter 7 filings could lighten the debt load for filers by simply doing away with credit card bills and other unsecured loans. In some cases, homeowners could even keep ...
Views: 1090(1 vote) - "IRS Approves New Tax Deferment Program" - 1031 Exchange without a Replacement Property? - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from Marcus BanksFor years, investors have taken advantage of the 1031 exchange as a method to delay or defer capital gains taxes on the sale of an investment property. By completing an exchange, the investor can sell or dispose of an appreciated investment property, use all of the equity to buy a like-kind ...
Views: 915 - New Construction is a Big Investment, Make Sure You’re Protected - by Submitted on Apr 14, 2009 from Will HauseBuilding is a Big Decision When it comes to construction, consumers are extremely careful about the decisions they make… and rightfully so. Making the decision to go through with a construction based project is both time consuming and costly. As with anything that requires large amounts of time ...
Views: 936 - ***Don't Get Burned by Bad Advice - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVThe world is full of well-intentioned people who are eager to offer you advice about investing in real estate. But do they know what they are talking about? Do they possess the experience, expertise and current information needed to advise you intelligently? If not, their advice can do a lot of ...
Views: 762 - ***In Real Estate, Fortune Favors the Brave - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVJust how bad is the current real estate market? It is difficult to say. Last week, a story on Fox News reported that "The pace of U.S. home building unexpectedly strengthened in September as new housing starts rose 5.9 percent." However, a story in Mortgage News Daily emphasized that despite ...
Views: 753 - ***Get the Trump Mindset for Real Estate Riches - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVWe have a lot in common. We both started reading books about real estate when most of our fellow students were only thinking about buying cool cars. After we graduated college, we pursued our real estate dreams in different ways. Gary put his energy behind acquiring properties, while Donald ...
Views: 746 - ***Five Strategies that Outperform "Fix and Flip" in Today's Real Estate Market - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVYou've read the new stories. Record numbers of houses are sitting on the market unsold. Prices have sagged. New housing starts in October 2006 fell 17.9 percent behind October 2005. And to make the situation worse, interest rates are high enough to scare away buyers. When you add up all those ...
Views: 653 - ***What You Don't Know about Refinancing Can Hurt You - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVTrump University President Michael Sexton interviews EJ Ridings, President of Trump Mortgage Most people refinance their homes when they need a large sum of money to install a new kitchen or pay college costs. But there are right and wrong ways to refinance, as we'll learn in the following ...
Views: 821 - ***Beyond Location: A Potent Way to Boost the Value of Investment Properties - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVWhen you investigate properties to buy, look ahead. What will their neighborhoods look like in the years and decades to come? Take a close look at what needs improving, because the problems you see are opportunities. The more of them you can correct, the faster your property values will soar. ...
Views: 681 - ***Avoid the Mistakes that Kill First-Time Property Investors - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVIs it a great time to invest in real estate? Or is it a terrible time? Today and every day, those are difficult questions to answer. Some things are bad about the current market ... we’ve all read that housing starts are down and that there are many houses sitting unsold on the market. But we ...
Views: 873 - ***How to Make Banks Want to Loan You Money - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVA power strategy from the pages of George H. Ross’s book, Trump Strategies for Real Estate George Ross, Senior Counsel for The Trump Organization, is a formidable negotiator and businessman. In his book Trump Strategies for Real Estate, he sets out this simple strategy that can actually make ...
Views: 915 - ***Don't Let Mold Steal Your Real Estate Riches - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOVBack in 1997, a copper pipe burst in the wall of one of my properties. My plumber and I tore the wall open. He patched the leak. I let the hole stay open for about a month before I closed it up again. I repainted the room and moved on to the next job. Then a few of my friends started asking me ...
Views: 811 - ***Dig Big Profits from Properties that Other Investors Ignore - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2009 from John AOV“I have been doing great during the recent slump,” a Michigan-based developer named Jonathan told me recently. “I buy, renovate and resell one and two-family residential houses in inner cities. Other developers ignore these properties and prefer to work in more upscale locales. But there are ...
Views: 1012 - ***The Five Critical Habits of Real Estate Success - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVIn his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey observed that a lot of our success is built on the small habits that we cultivate daily. That principle applies to real estate investing too. If you observe successful real estate investors and developers, you will see ...
Views: 833 - ***Spot Real Estate Opportunities the Donald Trump Way - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOV“Education, research, knowledge - learning in general - are at the core of my success.” - Donald J. Trump We’ve been working on a new book here at Trump University, Trump University Wealth 101. It won’t be published for a few months, but I didn’t want to make you wait that long to learn some ...
Views: 739 - ***Property Selling Secrets of the Masters - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVWhat is the best way to sell a property today? Keep it simple. The more unsettled the market becomes, the more important it is to stick to the basics. Identify your ideal customers. Are they young couples just starting out, baby boomers nearing retirement age, or something else? Identify ...
Views: 807 - ***Leverage Huge Profits in Multi-Families and Multi-Units - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVIn response to my post of May 6, Trump University Member 8230 posed a question that will interest all our members: “Three years ago I decided to expand a small one-room business into a four-room Day Spa in the No. VA area. I spent my own money with not much wiggle room financially. I have seven ...
Views: 682 - ***Don't Let Foreclosure Riches Pass You By - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVEvery day brings new data about the current foreclosure boom. Just yesterday, Foreclosure Bank released statistics indicating that property foreclosures across the 50 states are running at a rate 46% greater than last year at this time. And during the first quarter of 2007, foreclosures rose ...
Views: 723 - ***No-Fail Financing Strategies for Today's Market - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVWhen history books are written, the year 2007 will probably be called “The year of real estate upheaval.” First there was all the talk about the real estate bubble. Then came the subprime lending crisis, followed by a surge in the number of foreclosed properties hitting the market. Then just ...
Views: 896 - ***There's More Profit in Multi-Unit Properties - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVFor some great insights about why multi-unit properties offer great investment opportunities, I urge you to read last Friday’s post on this blog. But to invest safely, you also need to be aware of the risks. If you fail to ask these questions before going into a deal, you could be making a very ...
Views: 940 - ***Don't Be the Missing Link - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVI had a conversation last month with the programming director of a radio station in Boston. He was complaining about how difficult it is to convince companies to advertise on his station. “Why is it so tough?” I asked. “Because we have no way to document how many people actually hear the ads ...
Views: 752 - ***Winning Real Estate Strategies for Uncertain Times - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVHow do the smartest real estate investors minimize their risks in uncertain times? “Five Ways to Reduce Commercial Real Estate Risks” an article by Will Moore on Pacific Security Capital’s Website, offers some excellent ideas. Although the article is written from the perspective of a company ...
Views: 818 - ***Profitable Lessons from Multi-Unit Foreclosures - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2009 from John AOVA real estate developer I know said something interesting to me last week. “Virtually all the foreclosed properties out there are single-family homes or condos,” he said. “If you can find me more than a handful of foreclosed multi-unit properties, I’ll eat my shirt. It’s because people almost ...
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