Literally, this could not be truer for a family in Fort Myers, Florida who are the only tenants of a 32-story high-rise condominium.  When you first hear that, it sounds sort of cool, right?  Having your own high-rise, the possibilities are endless!  Never have to worry about having other people at the pool, your own personal gym, no awkward morning elevator conversations, when you have guests they will always have parking.  Then you start to think about what this really means.  It turns into a deserted land!  The fountains do not run, lobby doors are permanently locked, and the guest sign-in sheet has not been signed since the beginning of the year.  This is all a result of the economy.  This particular family put a down payment on the property four years ago during Fort Myers’ housing boom.  It looked as though the future was bright (and full), and this 200-unit condo was a hot commodity.  Everyone would want a piece!  With the recession, the other tenants never closed their contracts.  While it is not unusual these days to come across a story about what happened to the people who bought during the real estate boom before the recession, it is incredibly odd to hear a story like this one.  What are the odds?  My favorite part is, even though they know there is no one else around, they still park in their assigned parking space.  It is sort of sad though; it is as if they are hoping that if they do, maybe, just maybe, others will come.  What would you do with a brand new luxury high-rise condominium all to yourself?  Maybe you could just tell everyone you bought out the building!

Check out the article HERE, it is definitely eerie to think about.

Well, it’s hard to say.  Cash for Clunkers is noticeably the most popular government funded program to appear in the effort to help our economy.  If you are not familiar, this program gives car buyers up to $4,500 when they trade in older, environmentally unfriendly cars, if they are buying more fuel-efficient cars.  Thus far, Ford is the only car company to report a sales increase, which is up by 9%.  We should take this as good news, because really, news in the automobile industry has been nothing but awful.  So to hear of any sales increase is a good sign.  The guidelines of this program have also hurt certain sales for Ford, SUV’s and trucks have noticeably (and obviously) fallen significantly from last year.  While they have noticed this sales increase, they have no record of the number of customers who have taken advantage of Cash for Clunkers.  This makes many wonder if the program is even the reason that sales have risen because Ford had recorded a strong month before the program started.  In the meantime, the program may be coming to an end.  Cash for Clunkers is running out of the $1 billion given by congress to prompt auto sales and reduce auto emissions.  But the House just approved another $2 billion in funding last Friday, although the Senate has not yet acted.  Let’s hope we hear some good news from other automakers soon.

A Chicago management company has sued a tenant for defamation over a TWITTER post!  The tweet read, “You should just come anyway.  Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you?  Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”  Horizon Group Management LLC is now looking for $50,000 from this tenant.  How did they find this post you might ask.  It seems a little odd that they would be checking up on their tenants on twitter.  But they discovered it while conducting due diligence on a residential landlord and tenant ordinance lawsuit filed by the woman who wrote the tweet.  She has since closed her account.  It is so bizarre to think about how these sights are so influential in our lives now.  Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, (etc.) are all sites that are checked when you are trying to find out things about people, and so many have gotten in trouble because of them.  I mean, employers are even checking up on them now!  So keep this in mind when you tweet.  The world is watching, or well, “following”.

It’s True!  Partnering is relevant no matter where you are in your business.  Microsoft and Yahoo finally reached an online search partnership on Wednesday in an effort to overtake Google.  The deal involves Yahoo.com and newly formed Microsoft search engine Bing.com where Yahoo.com’s search engine will say “powered by Bing” and Yahoo will commit to bringing in premium advertisers.  In return, Bing will send over 88% of their revenue produced from the Yahoo site.  This is a 10-year deal that I believe is going to work tremendously well for them.  These are two incredibly powerful companies that know what they are doing, and they will do whatever it takes to rise above the competition, even if it means partnering.  This really shows how important partnering actually is, it is impossible to do everything alone, especially when you want to be the best!  I can’t wait to see how this plays out.  What search engine will you be using?  Google?  Bing?  Yahoo powered by Bing?

For more information on the big deal, CLICK HERE.

And for more information on “How to Partner Your Way to Millions”, CLICK HERE.

I got this great email the other day and wanted to share it with you guys.  It makes me so proud when my students are so open to learning, once you open that door to education, the sky is the limit in both your self improvement and wealth improvement.

“Hi JT,
The dust is just briefly settling here, and I want to let you know of your impact. California for one thing had
quite an effect on me; truly something in the air there, the color of the sun, the palm trees and the ocean, it’s not like any place I have been before. I think that environment served to set the stage for the wake up. Fortunately for me I listened, I really listened to what you said, and I had to figure why some of if didn’t feel authentic to me. Once I realized I was mostly lacking a kind of maturity, I was able to quickly get clear of what I want in life and how I want to act while and when I get it.  I have just bought a house(I consider it an investment house – I set out criteria to ensure it’s a money maker). It was the third one I looked at, and it just felt right, so I bought it. I almost got cold feet, and I didn’t know why at first, because I have bought a house on my own before. After finishing the paperwork on the offer to purchase, I was walking home(I don’t have a car), I felt pretty alone, and doubting myself – It was a right of passage; I now know I have the guts for the investment game and I know I can do it on my own if I have to. I had to call in my money favors, and borrowed against an insurance policy, and of course used the RRSP’s, but the big surprise is that I had fun doing it.  So since your course I have a new found maturity to serve me in the investment game, and I know I have the fortitude(I’ve had a few lawsuits in my past that helped with that as well), and most importantly, I have a passion for it.  No small deal; I think I got my money’s worth.  I am going to Vegas in August for George Millers course and then back home to move, and then the sky is the limit.  I am pretty excited about this next chapter in my life and I owe it to 2(probably 3 – George Miller) really great teachers: you and Bill Walsh. By the way, I love your candor, I think you are pretty entertaining(I have always got to have fun where ever I go)So thank you and I will keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Karen”

To learn more about my “Partnering Your Way to Millions” class, Click Here

Standard & Poor and economists Case-Shiller recently reported data showing the month-over-month increased value of U.S. homes was 0.5%.  This slight increase means big things.  This marks the first monthly rise since July 2006.  Even though this study focuses on an index of 20 major cities, we know that it is saying a lot.  While the value of U.S. homes is still down, is the slight increase showing promise of a recovery?  Most agree that it is.  Right now, most Americans would be happy with a simple stabilization, which is most likely what we are going to see.  There are still many who argue that it only reflects the recent decline in foreclosure sales and prices will continue to fall, but the fact is, this news is encouraging.  To see this rise in value is something that we have not seen in years.  It is big news, good news, but I’m not so sure Americans are use to good news right now.  In this study of 20 major cities, there were still notably falling home values.  Las Vegas won this title with prices declining 2%.  But more importantly there were cities like Cleveland that had been suffering for a long time; they saw a rise of 4.1%!  There are many speculations on why we saw this increase in May.  For example, the interest rates were very low which could have helped the housing market.  The rate for a 30-year mortgage was below 5%, which made buyers excited therefore rising demand.  But let’s look at this for what it is, good news!  The glass is half full here; Let’s make sure it fills up!

Earlier this month the infamous, and foreclosed upon, Watergate Hotel failed to attract any bids when it was put on the auction block.  Commercial Real Estate is just not what it used to be.  The room that the auction was held in was crowded with international media and spectators, and only 10 registered bidders.  With no bids, the hotel was sold back to the bank for $25 million.  Many people are wondering what will happen to this hotel, which has been vacant since 2007.  This may be an intriguing property, but now is not the time to invest into intrigue in commercial real estate.  It is time to invest into what has sure promise.  The Watergate Hotel is something that you just want to see for its role in political scandal.  It’s not really a property with substantial historical value, which is the angle they were taking in order to attract investors.  Monument Realty, the former owners of the hotel, still have hopes for great renovation in order to bring the luxury and appeal back.  But with no buzz, and literal silence about the property, the future of this infamous hotel is unknown.

Check out this video of the auction!

Here is a picture I snapped of Mr. Puppy who was wiped out after closing two deals.  It’s been a big week for her, she deserves some rest!

Loyalty is not a word it’s something you do.

This is something that I have always stressed at the PARTNERING CLASS. The key to any successful business relationship is simple: Loyalty, relationship, and results. Without these fundamentals, you will never prosper and will quickly find out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side. One thing that holds a lot of entrepreneurs back and ultimately makes their life miserable, is their greed. I am the man I am today because of the loyalty I have shown my partners, students, and business relationships.

Apple has released some interesting information on the state of their company.  It seems as though the only woes they are crying, are those of not being able to meet their demand for the iPhone and Macintosh computers.  Apple has reported a 15% jump in quarterly profit, and is certainly a company still thriving in this down market.  iPod sales are shown to have slipped, mostly likely because the iPhone is an iPod in itself.  But this does not worry the company, who recently had their best non-holiday quarter ever with profits of $1.2 billion on revenue of $8.34 billion.  And, I mean really, they are still are selling the iPod with every purchase of an iPhone.  This is a great example of how a business can thrive, even when the economy is down.  You must make the consumer or client believe that they need it.  If it is a necessity, the price does not seem to matter.  The iPhone is not exactly cheap, especially because you cannot have it without purchasing the pricey media package.  But because of it’s capabilities, it has become necessary in the eyes of the consumer.  Most people cannot even imagine life before their iPhone!  Apple knows how to speak to their demographic, and for that, they will most likely always thrive.