WASHINGTON, DC-Washington RealShare closed out the day with a unique opportunity for the audience: to query some of Washington’s top executives in real estate about, well, just about anything at all.

The result was a wide-ranging discussion that touched on such topics as whether housing finance will be improved by the White House’s new plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (no), whether there is a market for hotel development (possibly) and when will retail transactions begin to take off in the DC area (soon thanks to the DC area‘s growing confidence in the economy).

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Panelists included Bruce Bashuk of J Street Cos., the National Multifamily Housing Council’s Doug Bibby, the Hilton Hotel’s Bill Fortier, Jessica Brunner with Edens & Avant and Ernst & Young’s Dan Lasik. ALM’s editorial director John Salustri moderated the panel.

One question, fielded by Bibby, revealed the extent of the surprise many experienced when the White House unveiled its plan for the GSEs. "The winding down of the GSEs was not anticipated," he flatly said. The end result, Bibby said, will be a harder and more uncompromising residential finance market for consumers to navigate.

Other asset classes, however, are poised to fare better, the panelists said. Brunner with Edens & Advant pointed to DC’s under-retailed economy, saying it was ripe for investment. Hotels, a focus of Fortier, are also reading for a shift, he says. As property prices continue to rise with each trade, development can be expected sooner or later.

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Erika Morphy

Erika Morphy has been writing about commercial real estate at GlobeSt.com for more than ten years, covering the capital markets, the Mid-Atlantic region and national topics. She's a nerd so favorite examples of the former include accounting standards, Basel III and what Congress is brewing.