Thoughts from IMN 2018:

A Year to Appreciate Accomplishment and Focus on Tech Innovation

In the past ten years since the height of the recession, our industry has felt like the intersection of industry professionals running around with hats on fire as their investments burned down around them and youthful energetic folks charging forward like the Oklahoma Gold Rush. The past few years have offered strong acquisition opportunities and allowed for the clean-up of communities that were falling behind. As wild as it has been, there was also a level of exhaustion in the air in 2017. That’s why this IMN 2018 event was so refreshing.

It’s clear that the focus in 2018 is in making impactful choices with value-add and mid-to-long-term hold portfolios. Most owners aren’t thinking about buy-flip strategy. Many are taking a breath and considering how to maximize the value of the property AND how to develop a high quality product.  And this is a huge difference from Pre-Recession. 

These present-day leaders have their eyes on technology. With innovation ahead of the time-space spectrum, it’s possible to automate everything from environments to property management. The benefits include cost-savings, reduced tenant/owner frustration, a much more comfortable living space and increased security. And with so many new tech companies competing to own the market owners have a lot of choices and so education and sharing knowledge and experience will be key.

Apart from the Multifamily 2018 panel, we saw many IMN attendees flocking to the finance panels, like the Tax Reform Update Session moderated by McGuire Woods, LLP and the Fees and Fund Structuring Panel.  The fact that these conference rooms were standing room only tells us that owners are focused on competitive financing and that there is still a lot of room to learn and grow in the world of real estate investments and developments in 2018.

Thoughts from our Team:

“All around I thought it was a great conference. It was a good opportunity to discuss new emerging trends in housing and other property sectors. The capital markets continue to be hungry for deals although investors are more cautious and selective.”

“Well attended conference with the who’s who in the capital allocation business. A must attend for those looking to create new relationships in a venue that is unbeatable.”