The project was to be built by a company called Sahara Condominiums, with financing from Australian developers Joseph Di Mauro and Victor Altomare.

[2] The building was to be constructed on the 2.17 acres (0.88 ha)[4] of land that was then occupied by the closed Holy Cow Casino and Brewery and a small, multi-level parking garage, both located at the northeast corner of South Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue on the Las Vegas Strip.

Di Mauro hoped to finish the permit process within three months and begin selling units by late December 2004.

By the end of the month, Altomare was in discussions with Turner Construction to build the high-rise, which was expected to take two and a half years to finish.

Altomare said at that time that the project's construction would be financed by syndicated bank loans underwritten by presales of the condo units, which were expected to begin selling in late April 2005, with starting prices at $600,000.

[6] On the morning of July 12, 2005, while Donald Trump was breaking ground on his condo project, officials for Ivana Trump's condo project – now called Ivana Las Vegas – were preparing an educational sales meeting for real estate agents and brokers later that afternoon.

Approximately 1,500 agents – 500 more than expected – attended the sales meeting for Ivana Las Vegas, held at the Bellagio hotel and casino.

With more than half of the project's planned 945 units now sold, Ivana Las Vegas passed a minimum that was required to qualify for construction financing.

Advanced sales generated nearly $500 million, while Chadwick believed that the ultimate number would be over $1 billion,[9] making it the most expensive residential building ever sold.

"[9] Trump said she was closely involved with many of the building's aspects, including the approval of floor plans and advertising, and was also currently holding meetings with architects to create color schemes for the project.

Some local real estate analysts, as well as Donald Trump, criticized the project's viability due to its location on the northern Las Vegas Strip, where little development had occurred in recent years.

[9] It is believed that because of its location, Ivana Las Vegas would have had a tougher time selling if it had not been for Trump's name being attached to the project.

Prices for a one-bedroom unit started at $550,000, while the tower's $35 million penthouse was now expected to be 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2), and would include nine bedrooms, a recording studio, and security measures such as retina scanners.

The closed Holy Cow Casino served as a temporary sales office for Ivana Las Vegas.

[14][15] Altomare also said he had a "very credible buyer" who wanted to add a hotel and casino to the project; the height of the tower would need to be reduced or additional nearby acreage would need to be acquired to accommodate parking for such plans.