Las Vegas Real Estate Blog

By MICHELLE RITTNER

 
Dec. 20, 2006 - Most Americans know Donald Trump as a multimillionaire real estate magnate and producer and star of television's "The Apprentice." But "The Donald" is not only an icon in the worlds of real estate and TV - he is a master of selling himself, and his name, to a vast array of products.

The Trump name graces Manhattan skyscrapers, Atlantic City casinos and Las Vegas hotels. It appears on a host of products, ranging from men's business clothing in the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection to alcohol - Trump Super Premium Line of Vodka. (Trump claims he never drinks, citing the death of his older brother, Fred, from alcoholism.)

There's an entire family of Trump restaurants - Trump Buffet, Trump Catering, Trump Grille - and a Trump Ice Cream. There's Trump Magazine, a glossy monthly covering Trump's recommendations for real estate, golf and champagne, and even Trump University, offering a slew of online business courses.

In all, the businessman has attached his name to nearly 40 products and services. Surprisingly, given the fascination with his signature bouffant comb-over, he has yet to brand a line of hair care products. But there's always time for that.

The complete list:

The Donald J. Trump Signature Collection:

Men's suits
Neckwear
Shirts
Cuff links
Leather goods
Eyeglasses
Sportswear
Watches

Trump Restaurants:

Trump Grille
Trump Buffet
Trump Catering
Trump Ice Cream Parlor

Trump Books:

"Trump: The Art of the Deal"
"Trump: The Art of Survival"
"Trump: The Art of the Comeback"
"Trump: Surviving at the Top"
"Trump: How to Get Rich"
"Trump: Think Like a Millionaire"
"Trump: The Best Golf Advice"

Hotel and Commercial Office Real Estate:

Trump Towers (New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Florida, Las Vegas, Seoul, Toronto)
Trump Hotels (Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Panama, Canouan Island)

Trump Casino Resorts:

Trump Taj Mahal (Atlantic City)
Trump Plaza (Atlantic City)
Trump Marina (Atlantic City)
Club Trump Privee (Canouan Island)

Other Trump Brands:

"The Apprentice"
Trumped! (radio program)
Trump Pageants (including the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants)
Donald Trump: The Fragrance
Trump Ice (bottled water)
Trump Super Premium Line of Vodka
Trump University (includes Trump University clothing, software, and CDs)
Trump Mortgage
Trump Magazine
Trump Golf Clubs
Go Trump (online travel Web site)
Trump Model Management
Disposable cameras
Trump furniture line (coming 2007)
Skating rinks

Channel 8 had live coverage up and down the Strip and downtown at the Fremont Street Experience.

Courtesy of:  

Some 300,000 New Year's Eve revelers rang in 2007, as a cascade of fireworks lit up the skies over the Las Vegas Strip at the stroke of midnight.

The fireworks show -- called Vegas Royale 007 Countdown 2007 in celebration of James Bond agent 007 -- was launched from seven Strip hotel rooftops including, the MGM Grand, Monte Carlo, Flamingo, Rio, Treasure Island, The Venetian, Circus Circus and the Stratosphere.  

The 5 minute and 40 second display was rolled out in three acts:

Act 1 -- included a 10-second countdown to midnight followed by Auld Lang Syne.
Act 2 -- called "party time," featured high-energy James Bond hits set to a pastel color display.
Act 3 -- the finale was set to what's called a "techno Bond theme" with a "wall of fire" and a "titanium silver salute."

Don't drink and drive -- call Designated Drivers to get you home safely.

In downtown Las Vegas, confetti filled the air at midnight showering an estimated 17,000 people. The party at the Fremont Street Experience included the bands Smash Mouth, Prince, Hootie and the Blowfish, Five for Fighting, All American Rejects and Chicago.

Metro closed a four-mile stretch of the Las Vegas Strip to traffic, allowing a steady stream of revelers to wander the street. To monitor the throngs of people, Metro had 98-percent of the police force on duty for New Year's Eve.

Pyro Spectaculars Inc., the producer of Vegas Royale 007, promised to show off new lemon-, lime- and orange-colored displays, as well as "a creative use of walls of fire."

by Attorney William Bronchick

The most common myth in real estate in that you can only make profits when the real estate market is rising. While it is true that more people make money in rising markets that falling markets, the reason is often luck, not good market timing. Armed with the right knowledge, you can profit in any real estate market, but first you must know your market so you can plan your investing strategy to fit that market.

What is "The Market"?

Most people think of the real estate market as something that is measured like the stock market - bearish or bullish. There are facts and figures that the media reports on the housing market on a daily basis, most of which are confusing to the average investor. Let's discuss each of those numbers and discuss how they affect the market, and, more importantly your investing strategies.

New Home Sales

Sales of new construction homes is a indicator used by many market economists to measure the strength or weakness of the housing market. This data comes from home builders in terms of scheduled permits for new home builds and orders for new homes from consumers. This data is somewhat relevant because it can show how strong demand is for new homes. However, keep in mind that in some places like inner cities where there is no available land, new homes are not being built in mass quantities. Likewise, in suburban areas where land is plentiful, there is endless room to build, resulting in oversupply.

Home Re-sales

The resale of existing homes is a more accurate indicator of the market, particular in areas where there is not an abundance of new homes. This data comes from the Realtors® associations, such as the National Association of Realtors

Rental Vacancy Rates

Rental vacancies are very relevant to the values for multifamily housing, but can be a good sign of what is happening in the single-family home buying arena. When interest rates are low, home buying goes up on the low-end of the scale, simply because it is cheaper to make mortgage payments than rent payments.

Compare Apples to Apples.

When analyzing home building and sales data it is important to compare single-family homes with single-family homes. Condominiums and multifamily homes have different buyers, so it is possible to have strong demand for one and not the other.

Mortgage Applications

Applications for new mortgage loans shows data that is ancillary to the sale of new and existing homes. Of course, some of this is refinancing, which is driven by the rising efficiency and falling cost of loan processing, and in large part driven by low interest rates.  Another part of the equation is the number of defaults on loans and the resulting number of foreclosures.  Some of the defaults are because of sloppy lending practices, but if the market is rising, a person can always refinance one more time.  Once prices stop rising and highly-leverage borrowers cannot sell or refinance, the market may be softening up.

Go Local

It is worth noting that most often these stats are based on nationwide facts and figures. The nationwide statistics are not as important to the investor who buys in local markets, which in most cases is his own backyard or some particular "emerging" market. The stock market uses indexes to determine the market as a whole, but is this really important if you only own two stocks? Likewise, does it really matter how many homes sold nationwide when you are buying homes in Cleveland? In short, you need to focus primarily on local trends rather than national, with two exceptions:

1. Interest rates. Interest rates on mortgage loans are controlled by nationwide and even worldwide factors, such as the Federal Reserve rate, worldwide markets and competing investments such as stocks and bonds. When interest rates fall, housing becomes cheaper nationwide because the monthly payments are lower. However, the flip side of the equation is that when rates rise, particularly for borrowers who are getting adjustable-rate loans, the default rate will increase, causing an increase in foreclosures.

2. Income Taxes. Federal income tax rates, particularly on investment properties can have sweeping changes on the real estate market nationwide. A prime example was the Tax Reform Act of 1987 that changed depreciation rules on investment properties and was a major catalyst to the downfall of real estate in many parts of the Country.

The bottom line is to educate yourself in all facets of the national and local markets before you act.  As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

I found a very provocative question on InmanNews today that put me on uncomfortable seat ... So I would be glad to hear your thoughts about this topic.

The question:  "Is the Realtor becoming irrelevant in the Internet age? Should be whether the Realtor designation is of value. Is NAR setting up to take over for the real estate agent via the Internet? What is the value perceived or real of NAR to the agent foot soldier doing listing and selling?"

A bid to trade up for the White House
Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2004, has sold his home in Georgetown for $5.2 million, The Associated Press reported. Edwards, who has announced that that he is running for president in 2008, had purchased the home for $3.8 million in 2002 and "extensively renovated it," according to the report. Edwards and his family last year moved to North Carolina to live in a new home built on a 100-acre estate in Chapel Hill.
The Washington Post reported that the four-story Georgetown home, built in 1830, was put on the market with a list price of $6.5 million in May 2005. W. Ted Gossett was Edwards' listing agent in the deal.
-Glenn Roberts Jr., Inman News