We are pleased to offer you another outstanding program – the 13th Annual Fisher Center Real Estate Conference on May 6, 2008.  With an exciting lineup of speakers and sessions, we believe this will be another high quality event that you won’t want to miss!

MID-YEAR UPDATE: HAS THE OTHER SHOE DROPPED?

This full-day conference will keep real estate and financial professionals on the cutting edge. We are assembling an exceptional group of knowledgeable and experienced professionals who will discuss the challenging complexities of today’s real estate markets and how the industry and the economy will be affected by the failing housing markets, the sub-prime crisis, demographics, environmental issues, and more. They will give you the analysis and perspective you need to survive and find opportunities in these turbulent times. Ample time is allotted for questions and answers to give attendees the opportunity to have an exchange with some of the most prominent authorities on the economy, real estate, technology and finance .

TIMELY AND IMPORTANT TOPICS

•   THE REAL ESTATE MARKET AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
An economic storm is upon us. How long, and how severe it will be is not clear. Our panel will discuss the various factors that are impacting the economy and real estate markets. The forces at work include the capital markets, both debt and equity, sub-prime crisis pressures upon the housing finance credit system, housing price declines, bond insurers’ distress, banking system problems, inflation, oil prices, value of the dollar, and the interplay of international markets with the US domestic economy.

•   THE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING MARKET – DISASTER AND OPPORTUNITY
History demonstrates that in any economic downturn and housing cycle there are opportunities. While it is clear that the residential housing market is suffering from declining prices and lack of lender liquidity, the home building sector appears to be in shambles. These problems and issues are not uniform geographically or by price class. This panel will discuss the magnitude and duration of the housing market collapse, and evaluate how opportunities may be evolving.

•   RESOLVING THE HOUSING FINANCE CRISIS
The housing finance system has been rocked to its core. Less than a year ago, who would have been concerned about the financial viability of large institutional lenders, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the robust mortgage-backed securities market and mortgage-backed securities insurers? It seemed that nothing could go wrong. The sudden chinks in the housing finance system have become a major concern. How can we identify how severe the problems are, and how do we resolve them?

•   REAL ESTATE, URBAN ISSUES AND DEMOGRAPHICS
In the long term, should we be optimistic about the prospects for economic growth in the residential and non-residential markets? One of the keys to long term growth and economic viability relates to demographic trends. While demographics change slowly, there are major shifts, both in the US and California, in age distribution, morbidity, fertility, and ethno-socio-economics. All of these changing demographic elements will have major impacts upon the economy and the real estate markets.

•   THE STATE OF THE STATE
John Chiang, the Controller of the State of California, is the State's Chief Fiscal Officer. The current economic slowdown, and especially changes in the real estate market, can have substantial effects upon state revenue. This presentation will focus on how the state is examining the changes in expected revenue on its ability to provide public service and conduct governmental activities.

•   HOW SMART IS GREEN?
This panel will explore and evaluate on the growing concerns about how our built environment can be designed and/or retro-fitted to be smart, efficient, and environmentally friendly. For many, decreasing the carbon footprint of where we live and work is crucial to addressing what has become a world-wide issue because of the increase in energy prices, on the one hand, and environmental degradation on the other hand. Are there solutions that can improve real estate building economics and energy efficiency? How green will we be able to become? How does green and economic growth interplay?

                                       OUTSTANDING SPEAKERS

Speakers confirmed to date include:

• John Chiang, Controller, State of California
• Lisa Michelle Galley, Founder and Managing Principal, Galley Eco Capital
• Arno Harris, CEO, Recurrent Energy, Inc.
• Cynthia Kroll, Senior Regional Economist, Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics, UC Berkeley
• G.U. Krueger, Senior Vice President, IHP Capital Partners
• Jeffrey Lerman, Esq., Managing Partner, Lerman Law Partners
• Janice F. Madden, Professor of Regional Science, Sociology, Urban Studies and Real Estate, University of Pennsylvania
• Scott Ouellette, Executive Vice President/Chief Underwriting Officer, LandCap Partners
• Laurence Pelosi, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley – US Real Estate Investing Division
• Kenneth T. Rosen, Chair, Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics
• James Saccacio, CEO, RealtyTrac, Inc.
• Anthony Sanders, Professor of Finance and Real Estate, Arizona State University
• Larry Souza, Managing Director, Charles Schwab Investment Management
• Bill Sumski, Managing Director, Paladin Pacific, LLC
• Phillip Williams, Vice President of Systems Engineering & Sustainable Design, Webcor Builders, Inc.
• Catherine Wolfram, Associate Professor, Haas School of Business
  

Contact Us
Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics:
F602 Haas School of Business #6105
University of California
Berkeley CA 94720-6105
Tel: (510) 643-6109
Fax: (510) 643-7357
Email: creue@haas.berkeley.edu