Chapter One
BUY WHERE THE WEALTHY LIKE TO PLAY
ARTHUR L. ALLEN Arthur L. Allen is founder, president, and CEO of Allen Systems Group, Inc. (ASG).
Computer software has been my focus, my passion, and my life since I began working as a systems analyst nearly forty years ago. But one of my most profitable decisions, and one in which I take great satisfaction today, is my decision to act on a friend's real estate advice.
Regardless of downturns in the economy or slumps in the technology markets, my real estate investments in Naples, Florida, have flourished. I will always be grateful that I acted on my friend's advice, and kept investing over the years. If I were to generalize about this real estate advice and why it turned out to be so successful, I would say, buy real estate where the wealthy like to play.
When
Chapter One
BUY WHERE THE WEALTHY LIKE TO PLAY
ARTHUR L. ALLEN Arthur L. Allen is founder, president, and CEO of Allen Systems Group, Inc. (ASG).
Computer software has been my focus, my passion, and my life since I began working as a systems analyst nearly forty years ago. But one of my most profitable decisions, and one in which I take great satisfaction today, is my decision to act on a friend's real estate advice.
Regardless of downturns in the economy or slumps in the technology markets, my real estate investments in Naples, Florida, have flourished. I will always be grateful that I acted on my friend's advice, and kept investing over the years. If I were to generalize about this real estate advice and why it turned out to be so successful, I would say, buy real estate where the wealthy like to play.
When I moved to Naples in the seventies, this Gulf Coast community in southwest Florida was already a popular winter-residence community for many of the country's most affluent families. I certainly recognized the importance of Naples's climate, and few places matched its natural beauty. I did not think much about real estate investments, however, until my friend gave me this advice: "Buy all the real estate you can in Naples. It's a unique place, and you will make a lot of money investing in property here." At that time I started thinking about Naples real estate in other ways than just being a great location for my software company.
I knew the history of this part of Florida and that it attracted many wealthy people. Some of its early residents included such notable figures as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, and Barron G. Collier.
In the fall of 1975 I bought my first home in Naples, and I have been buying and selling real estate here since then. I have made many millions by following this advice. I paid $875,000 for that first property, and it is now valued at well over $14 million.
Even though my business now has fifty offices worldwide, I still have my company headquarters in Naples, Florida. Naples has grown many times over since I bought my first property, and it still attracts affluent individuals escaping from the cold winters of the North. People come here for many reasons-to play golf or tennis, to enjoy their pleasure yachts, and to retire. More than two hundred current or former Fortune 500 CEOs have homes here, as well as such celebrities as Larry Bird, Mike Ditka, Greg Norman, Mary Carillo, and many, many others.
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Excerpted from TRUMP THE BEST REAL ESTATE ADVICE I EVER RECEIVEDby DONALD J. TRUMP Copyright © 2007 by Donald J. Trump. Excerpted by permission.
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