This Issue: They Call it Leverage: Why You Can Make More in Commericial and Multi-Family Properties

I'd be lying if I said I don't think about my legacy. The values I hold true and the buildings I've put up are intended to carry beyond the here and now. I want them to survive well past my own time on earth. I'm particularly interested in my legacy as an educator, which is part of the reason I started Trump University. I relish the idea that this venture will help to shape future generations of entrepreneurs and business managers.

I believe the knowledge and experience I've acquired after many years in business are applicable beyond my own personal sphere. I've been hugely successful, which means I've learned how to do a lot of things the right way, and I want to share this knowledge with others. When I'm gone, hopefully people will say, "Donald Trump left a legacy of success. Not only did he do well, he set an example for others to follow."

The seeds of learning can grow almost anywhere. Trump University and my other education-related ventures like The Apprentice are about access for all. In a sense, my approach to education is the opposite of my approach to real estate. The apartments and offices I build aren't cheap, so there's an element of exclusivity there, but Trump University is meant to be inclusive.

A contradiction? I don't know, but so what if it is? As Walt Whitman once said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."

An Interview with Dee Colwell, the power behind Trump University’s new Live Events

Trump University has already gained recognition as the world’s fastest growing institution of electronic and interactive learning. So why is Trump University introducing an equally fast-growing series of live seminars and workshops? Barry Lenson, our Executive Editor, talked with Dee Colwell, Trump University’s Director of Operations, to learn more.

Barry: Why is Trump University, a center of online and interactive learning, moving into live events?

Dee: There’s no doubt that interactive learning is powerful and flexible. But to take advantage of certain areas of hot opportunity like foreclosures, people need knowledge that is specialized, timely and up-to-the-minute. Our new Live Events deliver just that - action-oriented education that equips our students to achieve success in the real world, right away, today.

Barry: What topics are taught in Live Events?

Dee: Our current offerings include: Profiting from Foreclosure; Profiting from Real Estate; Commercial and Multi-Family Retreats; Wholesale/Lease Options Retreats; and Asset Protection Retreats.

Barry: I know that our readers can investigate these events in depth by visiting the Live Events section on the Trump University Website. But while I have you here, can you give me some examples of what students can expect to learn in one of our seminars?

Dee: Let me talk about our Fast Track to Foreclosure Live Event. Foreclosures are certainly one of the hottest topics today and to take advantage, students need to get up the learning curve quickly. So when they attend this event - a three-day, in-depth learning experience - they come away knowing how to locate foreclosure opportunities, how to beat competitors to them, how to arrange financing, how to capitalize every stage of the process - and finally, how to rent, renovate or sell properties after they have bought them.

Barry: So people aren’t just learning how to start, but how to finish?

Dee:  Absolutely. We are able to give that kind of advice because all of the instructors - Jerry Foster, Steve Miller and Steve Good - have made a tremendous amount of money by investing in real estate and in foreclosures specifically. Jerry Foster is also a successful investor, author, entrepreneur and developer with more than 12 years of experience. Now, he specializes in foreclosures. People say he is one of the most dynamic instructors they have ever heard. Our other two “Steves” have that same level of experience.

Then we have our Profit from Real Estate Seminar, which quickly teaches the most solid fundamental skills for real estate success, with an emphasis on keeping the money you make, no matter how risky the real estate climate becomes. The instructor is Steve Goff, who has closed over 200 deals and who has acquired and managed over $3 million worth of real estate over the last nine years.

As is the case with everything at Trump University, the emphasis is on proven strategies that minimize the uncertainties, taught by people who have made them work.

Barry: Do you plan to add more topics? 

Dee: We are now developing a series of Personal Finance Live Events. Like everything else at Trump University, they will be practical, reality-based and on a much higher level than seminars that are offered anywhere else.

Barry: So what if I live in, say, Minneapolis? Will I find a live event there, or do I have to fly to California or New York?

Dee: As a matter of fact, you will find Live Events being held in Minneapolis! We are currently holding them in Atlanta, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC. With more locations to come.

Barry: What’s the take-away for participants?

Dee: SUCCESS!!!! The best education provided by industry leaders. The goal of all of our seminars is to educate and empower individuals to turn their dreams into reality by applying real-life strategies. In case you think I am Whistling Dixie, let me share these words from Randolph L from Jupiter, Florida . . .

“The information and encouragement received through the coaching and seminar program has resulted in both realized and unlimited potential profits. Thusly, our family’s real estate interests will soon double in value with a $500,000 increase to our net worth.

“By way of example, after becoming a Trump University student my first deal netted a $20,000 incentive. One month later, I closed a second transaction with a net of $30,000 plus, notwithstanding the development potential currently in progress. In the alternative, I was able to avoid several transactions which appeared attractive going in, yet proved to be otherwise once discussed and analyzed.

“In closing, the credit for the successes outlined must be shared with Trump University and my mentor, for providing the encouragement to forge ahead and find deals in what has proven to be a difficult market, but more importantly, by teaching the transaction analysis process.”

Barry: So success speaks for itself. Thanks for spending the time with me today, Dee.

Dee: Thank you! Hope to see your face, and the faces of all the readers of the Donald Trump Blog, at one of our upcoming Live Events.

In the eyes of many potential investors, owning rental properties entails too much hassle.

“I’d never invest in property,” some say. “Who wants to get called out at 2 a.m. to fix a stopped-up toilet?”

No doubt, if you self-manage real estate, you will get those unpleasant calls. You will put in tons of time and effort, so unless you’re a glutton for punishment, you will set up systems and trade persons to maintain and repair your properties.

Yet in my experience, self-management need not create an undue burden. In my early years, I self-managed dozens of my low- to moderate-income rentals. Yet at the same time, I held a full-time university faculty position and also enrolled full-time in a rigorous PhD program in business.

To focus on negatives such as cleaning toilets, mowing lawns, or cajoling

wayward tenants to pay their rent misses the more significant point:

Property management offers a lucrative opportunity to craft a market strategy for your properties.

Rather than a burden, self-management presents a blessing. The key is to think not like a landlord but like an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneurial owner, you figure out how to maximize your net income by tailoring your property’s features and benefits to match the intense, unsatisfied needs and wants of a specific market segment of tenants.

Yes, you can steer clear of property management if you choose to, by delegating operational duties to a property management firm or to employees.

But keep in mind that in our society, entrepreneurs earn the largest rewards -- a bounty that lies out of reach for those less involved people who invest passively and expect to watch their money grow from afar.

This article is adapted from the new book Trump University Wealth Building 101: Your First 90 Days on the Path to Prosperity. Available October 2 at your bookseller.