From the opening keynote address by chairman Stan Ross of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate through the sessions on finance and development to remarks by Lifetime Achievement Award recipient John Cushman, speakers representing virtually every facet of the commercial real estate world and every property type examined the real estate landscape for signs of what lies ahead.
Ross, for example, outlined a list of worrisome factors such as declining consumer confidence and slowing job growth, but he also pointed out positive forces such as the Federal Reserve's support for low short-term interest rates and the strength of industries like healthcare and technology. He pointed out that times like these present opportunities for well-financed investors to acquire distressed loans and foreclosed properties at a discount. Ross also cited the projected US and worldwide population growth that will ultimately represent immense new opportunities.
