Trump Real Estate Expo

It has actually been a few weeks since the expo, and since I’ve posted. It seems that the entire experience brought more then I had hoped for. I’m finally recovering from the flu/sickness from hell. Nineteen days of high fever, chills, coughing, and more. While I’m almost totally recovered, 10 pounds lighter, a few things linger. Lets get back to real estate, though.

I had to be active in approaching other investors during the expo if I were to get the word out. Dressed in a beautiful suit on Saturday, most people got nervous as I approached, asking if they were investors. Sporting blue jeans and a dress shirt on Sunday, most people were much more open and willing to even humor my approach. I guess people seem to fear the “real estate sharks” in fancy suits.

What do you say when a stranger at the Trump Expo approaches, asking if you’re a real estate investor? My favorite response was “No!” When I followed up with “then why are you at a real estate convention,” then mostly squirmed away. On the other hand, the majority of people really wanted to talk about their experience or inexperience investing. Most newbies had gone to the expo to learn how to get started. They were looking for someone to hand them the winning formula on a silver platter. Most had not found what they were seeking, but like me, had really gotten energized by the others around them. When I told them what we were doing at BiggerPockets.com, they became very excited; the premise of a website that could bring them information, an interactive experience, and most of the tools and resources they’d need to become successful investors is hard to resist. Most people used the internet for research, but many had grown frustrated by sites offering little help. They enjoyed many of the speakers, and a handful had purchased material from either the GIANT Kiyosaki tables, or from the other pitchmen selling courses for way too much.

Kiyosaki lived up to the hype. Using his patented Rich Dad vs. Poor Dad stories, he provided good advice for anyone with little knowledge in cash flow. Unfortunately, since it has been so long since the expo, I can’t really get very detailed, but he was great. He offered solutions for issues that face investors, and used inspirational stories to get people’s juices flowing. While he did pepper in a few commercials for his books and cash-flow game, overall, I highly recommend seeing Mr. Kiyosaki speak if you get the chance.

After the speach, I asked a few investors what they thought of the Cash-Flow Game, and all really thought it was excellent. In fact, all of them served as a a salesman for the game, despite its $200 price tag. Now, to Trump . . .

The Donald was his usual self. He is the king of self promotion, and the king of New York real estate promotion. He offered a few pieces of advice for the crowd, which turned out to actually be smaller then Kiyosaki’s. The advice was good, but it was simple, intuitive, and basic. I was hoping he would offer deeper thought, but was somewhat disappointed. Trump took a good amount of time talking about his dispute with the New York Times, the Apprentice, and his buildings – nothing we haven’t heard before. I heard that the speech was almost identical to that of the previous year’s expo.

Will I attend again? Probably not. Networking is one of the most important aspects of real estate investing, and is essential if you want to get to the next level, but I think there are other better places to deal with investors. Like they say in LA, it really is about who you know. I hope that all of the people that I met, find success in life and in real estate. I’d love to hear from you if you have any thoughts or questions on the whole experience.

I know it is a bit overused, but I love this quote, and think it is perfect for real estate investors:

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game

Until next time . . .

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.