Every broker and real estate investor would love to have a crystal ball to look into the future. In the summer of 2008 with high oil prices and a hot real estate market, who would have envisioned the difficulties of 2009, let alone Hurricane Ike?  But as we focus on the future, the bigger question is what will 2010 bring?  Will 2010 be the pivotal year with substantial transactions signaling a sustained rebound? Or will it be another tough year for all property classes that will leave us looking to 2011?  The CCIM Forecast event on Thursday, March 4, is the best opportunity to understand the many factors affecting Houston’s complex real estate marketplace.

Local knowledge makes the CCIM Forecast event excellent.  Do not expect a Wall Street titan or an Ivy League PhD to come to Houston to tell us about our markets.  The best resources for information about our real estate marketplace are the local brokers who manage the assets through the business cycles that shape our city.  The roster of presenters represents the finest experience, insight and expertise available to discuss real estate in Houston and is listed below.

Although the CCIM Forecast event is billed as a “competition,” the event is more about a shared perspective.  The presenters in the various asset categories typically agree on most substantive points.  But having two presenters approach the same topic from different perspectives provides additional insight into a large, complex set of markets.  Sure, one presenter is usually more optimistic and the other perhaps a little pessimistic, but the format creates a conversation that describes the markets in more detail than a matrix of market metrics and prognostications.

In addition to the brokers discussing the various property types, the economic picture will be made complete with two additional presentations.  Mark Dotzour, PhD, Chief Economist of the

Real Estate Center at Texas A & M University, will provide his outlook for the region and the state.  Given the importance of available financing, no discussion would be complete without including an overview of the capital markets.  John Fenoglio from Grandbridge Real Estate Capital will let us know what to expect from the finance sector.

Attend the CCIM Forecast Competition if you want to have a sound analytical basis for making better business decisions in the Houston and Texas Gulf Coast commercial real estate marketplace.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Houston Westchase Marriott

2900 Briar Park Drive

7:30 a.m. Registration

Program 8:00 a.m. - Noon

Cost: $60 members, $75 non-members

To Register: http://register.ccimhouston.org/register/CCIM_Member_Signup.asp