The Trump Blog

Five Things I Do Every Day

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:18:00 EST

Engage
Mine would not be much of a career if I didn’t engage in actual work. Like attorneys and doctors, I approach my profession as a practice and I strive to give every client my best effort. The nice thing about working is that it gives you experience. Every new task, project or client helps me to accomplish even better work.

Learn
I go out of my way to learn something new every day. While it's easy to think in terms of learning practical applications such as new skills or techniques, gathering industry information is important too. Keep up with your professional culture. Stay abreast of the business climate. Understand the newest rules and regulations. Know which competitors are growing or struggling. Know who's hiring, even if you're not looking for a new job.

Knowing everything you can about your work, profession and industry prepares you to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.

Network
Who you know is more important than what you know. Yes, it's a worn, tired cliché. I don't care; it's true. Meeting other members of your profession helps you to learn about what's going on in your industry, which will lead to new opportunities. It's where trade secrets and little known techniques get passed along. But the best reason to network? It's fun. There's nothing like going to the occasional after-work party, conference or event to renew excitement and recharge your mental batteries.

Teach
Teaching serves two important purposes. First, sharing your knowledge with others is admirable, it’s a contribution to your profession. And when you teach you become an expert. Organizing your knowledge and experience into coherent communicable bits forces you to understand what you know. The act of presenting itself reinforces your knowledge and will make you more comfortable and reliable during other types of high-pressure situations.

When you teach people they perceive you as the expert and as a leader. That's a good reputation to foster, especially when you're pursuing new clients or career growth. Whether you’re training a fellow employee, presenting at a conference or lecturing at your local community college, teaching gives back far more than it takes.

Evangelize
Do you cheer for your profession? Do you volunteer at conferences and events? Do you serve on an industry group or association committee?

If you love your work then you owe it to yourself and your profession to tell other people, often and enthusiastically. If you desire progress in your career, seek opportunities to serve. Volunteer. Organize. Produce events. Like teachers, evangelists become recognized as experts. Colleagues desire to meet them and to become friends.

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Thomas M. Schmitz (@TM_Schmitz) is an Internet Marketing consultant with Portent Interactive, a digital agency specializing in Social Media Marketing, Organic SEO and Paid Internet Search for Fortune 1,000 size businesses. A seasoned communications director, Tom's involvement in Internet marketing and online communities spans the history of Web to the BBS and premium dial-up service era when he served as news editor of the Apple 2 computer forums on GEnie.

Shaking Hands, Turning Pages

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST

by Donald J. Trump

I’ve always been against shaking hands as it’s a great way to pass along millions of germs. The other offense is when people lick their fingers before turning pages--that’s a fingerprint full of germs just waiting for the next person who picks up the paper. In this day and age, people should think about that. It’s not only unnecessary, it’s unhealthy and disrespectful of other people.

People are surprised when I shake their hands, and it’s only because it’s a custom (a bad one) that I do it, but I will always wash my hands afterwards. That’s not an offense to anyone. But you can’t wash off a paper, so that’s an offense that should be reckoned with. If you do this, stop, and let other people know it’s not acceptable if you see them doing it.

Sometimes we don’t realize how easy it is to infect others, and sometimes we don’t realize how easy it is to take precautions to avoid it. There’s no reason to take chances or to make other people susceptible. Shaking hands, turning pages? Think about it.

Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.

State Landlord and Tenant Acts - Do You Know Yours?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:36:00 EST

by Tina Merritt

The thought of reading through a lengthy legislative act is painful to many of us; however, for a real estate investor, this is one that is a necessity. Your State's Landlord and Tenant legislation is something investors must be familiar with and have on hand at all times.

Why? Because this legislation dictates how many properties one must own before coming under certain rules and regulations. It talks about what happens when a lease expires and the landlord/tenant have a verbal agreement to extend. It dictates the procedure for eviction and tenant personal belongings left behind. It defines property abandonment and how a landlord can take back possession of a property.

Judges follow these Acts. If, as a landlord, you know your rights and those of your tenants, you will be better prepared for legal issues that arise and whether they are worth defending/pursuing in a court of law.

I recommend downloading the Act to your computer, as well as printing it out and keeping it in a convenient place for reference. Here is a link to the Acts for all 50 States. Have fun reading!

Tina Merritt is an 11 year veteran Real Estate Agent and Trainer based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia. She holds a degree in economics from Virginia Tech and post-baccalaureate from Virginia Commonwealth in real estate and land development. As an avid social networker and internet marketer, Tina helps real estate agents, loan officers and affiliated industries embrace technology. As a real estate agent, Tina primarily deals with marketing and selling properties deemed "hard to sell" and also works with real estate investors helping them build and/or liquidate their portfolios for maximum profit.

Thanksgiving Time

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:25:00 EST

by Donald J. Trump

We should all get together and make a country in which everybody can eat turkey whenever he pleases.

--Harry S. Truman

When the Thanksgiving season comes around, it makes me think about how we should always be in a season of thanksgiving. There’s always a reason to be grateful. We’ve had some challenges the past couple of years and we’ve seen some improvement, and things will continue to improve.

There are silver linings to situations that may appear less than positive. The important thing is to approach each day with a sense of victory. Are you big enough for what the day will bring?

When I am faced with apparently overwhelming schedules and events, I realize that I can handle them. Why? Because I have faith that I can take care of what comes my way. It comes my way for a reason, therefore I know I’m big enough for the task. Instead of looking on the difficult side, I welcome the challenges as another opportunity to be productive. I actually enjoy myself, and am grateful to be in this position.

That’s the key point: Be grateful. Whether you’re having troubles or whether things are going wonderfully, remember to be thankful. Your confidence level will rise to the occasion and you’ll find you have even more reasons to celebrate the season.

Donald J. Trump is Chairman of Trump University.

What is a Good Deal?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:41:00 EST

by Tina Merritt

What defines what the investor considers to be a "good deal"? Well, that depends on the goals of the real estate investor. In order to determine what a good deal is, you need to know your expenses, your plans and your time frame. There is no magic formula. Each real estate investor must create their own definition of a good deal.

For a buy-and-sell investor, the "good deal" is defined by many things: holding costs, length of time needed to renovate, cost of renovations, cost of contractors, cost of financing, anticipated market time, etc.

For the buy-and-hold real estate investor, the "good deal" is defined by cash flow, maintenance expenses, management fees and rental history, among other things.

So, before looking for a property to buy, make sure you know your costs, your goals and your objectives. Those will all define your formula for getting a "good deal".