Economy.Com Co-Founder Headlines VCU Real Estate Conference

By Tom Gresham

Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com, will be the opening speaker at the 17th annual Virginia Commonwealth University Real Estate Trends Conference on Oct. 9 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Zandi will provide an overview of national and regional housing conditions at the conference, which opens at 8:30 a.m. and runs to 12:30 p.m. Registration and a continental breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. The conference is expected to attract more than 800 attendees from across Virginia, as well as North Carolina and Washington, D.C.

The conference, which has sold out the past 12 years in a row, draws visitors from both the academic and professional ranks, representing segments such as banking, engineering, investments, consulting, valuation, government and brokering.

Zandi, who frequently comments on real estate issues in national and global media outlets, completed a recent study on the outlook for national and regional housing marketing conditions. Other recent areas of interest for Zandi include the determinants of personal bankruptcy, the location of high-technology centers and the impact of globalization and technological change on real estate markets.

The conference will also feature a "Hot Topics in Real Estate" panel featuring Ken Powell, managing director of Stone & Youngberg, who will discuss Community Development Authorities; Mark E. Rubin, senior adviser to Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine, who will discuss transportation; and Harrison B. Rue, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, who will discuss housing.

Addressing the commercial real estate markets is Bret R. Wilkerson, CEO of Property & Portfolio Research. Wilkerson will focus on the equity and debt markets, real estate investment returns compared to alternative investments, changes in investor preferences, condominium conversions and future opportunities.

For more information and online registration, please visit http://www.realestate.vcu.edu/.