LOS ANGELES—As cliches go, “May you live in interesting times” is used more than is actually appropriate. But consider: bonds are wrapped in uncertainty, sources of credit are expanding beyond the traditional vendors, a disruptive lending model is gaining traction, all the while a migration is occuring back to urban cores that's pushing even the value of secondary markets to investment-worthy.

Uncertainty characterizes the current CRE landscape, and that's not lost on the CCIM Institute, as the organization prepares for its THRIVE annual conference. As part of GlobeSt.com's collaboration with the group, we've taken a deeper look at some of the panelists and topics covered at this year's show, and Here are some of the highlights.

On global lending, Dr. Mark Dotzour, chief economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M and moderator of “The Economy Decoded” discussion, sees conventional wisdom around interest rates as missing a key point:

“Nobody wants to go to Argentina, Venezuela or Russia now. Money is cooling in safe havens, Switzerland, Germany or the US. We're seeing an overpriced, overvalued bond market and that's what's keeping that Treasury so low. It could go lower given global uncertainty.”

But that doesn't mean liquidity has dried up, it's just coming from different sources. As Curt Johnson, CCIM, sees it, “Clearly we're in a highly different environment than 2009. Not only have the standards adjusted but there's more credit available for more borrowers from more sources: banks, life companies, and alternative lenders, who are lending either in the traditional rate range or, for a lack of better terminology, the harder money range.” Johnson will moderate the “Surveying the Lending Landscape” panel.

And those “more sources” are not immune to the pull of technology. Crowdfunding—the niche vehicle that leverages the internet to reach the largest amount of potential donors possible—has a buzz around it, even moreso because of the relative newness to the CRE landscape. But as Elizabeth Braman, CCIM, describes it, in a year “a lot of the sexiness and buzz will start to fade because it won't be such a shiny new toy. But we're going to see a lot more adoption.” The chief production officer of Realty Mogul gives a GlobeSt.com a primer on the product in our lead up coverage to the "Crowdfunding" panel at the event, where the pros and cons of the product will be discussed.

While crowdfunding is still working to overcome its niche classification, one only has to chart the rise of such former niche plays as net lease and student housing to see how perceptions can change, in some cases seemingly overnight. And it requires smart investing: “Today, what you're seeing is core, class A properties in close-in locations that whet the appetite of both institutional and private money,” says Doug Kligman, chief investment officer at Vesper Holdings. He will be bring his expertise of the student housing sector to the “Niche No More” conversation, with experts from net lease, medical office.

Class-A properties and nearness aren't just dictating the strength of properties in student housing—the appeal and renaissance of CBDs and 24-hour communities is a major demographic trend that's reshaping entire regions. But we found out the appeal makes sense to The Rockefeller Group's John L. Petricola, CCIM: “The ability of someone to live within walking distance of their place of work and lunch, dinner and entertainment venues really drives the desire to be in the CBD.”

But as more organizations seek to be in these areas, they're finding the competition to be fierce: “Even the institutions are starting to see that they can't get yield anymore in San Francisco.” So says Andrew White, CCIM, of Gladstone Commercial and a panelist on “The Rise of the Secondary City.” White describes the type of value possible away from the big gateway cities, and the important role due diligence plays in it.

Because the CBD is not going away. Petricola has found that Baby Boomers are ditching their lawns just like their younger counterparts, even though millennial renters who “aren't thinking of ever owning a house.” And what's the common lure between the two groups? Amenities. Petricola will join key experts on "The Urban Renaissance" panel with leaders of key regional projects around the country.

Join CCIM THRIVE Oct. 21 and 22 at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. A collaboration from the CCIM Institute and GlobeSt.com attendance is open to all. For more information, click here.

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Learning to THRIVE in Interesting Times

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