NAREE's Conference in DC Recap

NAREE's ‘Capital Ideas’ Tackled the Bubble, BioTerrorism and E- Journalism
By Ralph Bivins, RealtyNewsReport.com

Washington, DC – The 39th annual Real Estate Conference of the National Association of Real Estate Editors drew record numbers of journalists who focused on topics ranging from the bioterrorism and e-journalism to the housing bubble.
The conference, with 200 participants, was one of best attended NAREE events, said Mary Doyle-Kimball, executive director of the 700-member organization.
“We had an outstanding team of volunteers and top-notch journalists who gave thousands of hours of their time to produce an enriching and newsworthy event,” Doyle-Kimball said.
The conference co-chairs were: Maryann Haggerty, editor of the Washington Post real estate section; columnist Ken Harney of the Washington Post Writers Group; and columnist Lew Sichelman of United Features Syndicate. Jeff Lubar of the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America was the conference vice chair.
A number of prominent speakers highlighted the conference, including Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The mayor was one of several presenters touching on homeland security issues. "The threat of bioterrorism is a real one," Giuliani told NAREE journalists at the conference’s headquarters hotel, the Hilton Washington Embassy Row.
Even though a building owner may think that the chances of being targeted are minimal, ignoring that risk is not a wise option, said Giuliani, now a principal in a bioterrorism clean-up firm called BioOne Solutions. “We have to prepare relentlessly.”
Another conference speaker, Joe Donovan of Beacon Properties, said terrorists had often targeting federal buildings in recent years. But as the federal government has beefed up security at federal buildings, the burden has been shifting to privately owned buildings.
The economy was a hot topic. Jackson, who was named HUD secretary last year, said the nation does not have a housing bubble that will explode with sudden nationwide consequences. “Housing prices don’t tank like stocks,” said economist John Tuccillo, who spoke to NAREE’s final session on Sunday morning.
But the speakers clearly shared the expectation that the surging realty market would cool down a bit from its overheated pace. "Metro-area housing booms don’t last forever. The question is -- how do they end,” said David Seiders, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders.
The NAHB opened up its headquarters building to hold several NAREE panel discussions and host a reception. Brad Inman of Inman News Features presented a forward-thinking Internet-based report on the future of news content on the Web and Webcasting. Panels were also held on remodeling pitfalls and design trends.
Conference attendees also toured the new National Association of Realtors headquarters building, which is a “green” environmentally advanced building. Its rooftop offered a spectacular view of the Capitol.
NAREE conferees also heard from fellow members on how to go from journalist to author during a luncheon session at the Washington Post. Some toured newsroom as well.
Post Properties’ nearby residential tower opened an apartment and clubhouse facilities to tour at the day’s end on Friday.
Saturday morning, 30 journalists had a series of five-minute, one-on-one appointments with those registrants during NAREE's "Meet the Press." The event has been chaired since its inception in 1997 by Sue Doerfler of the Arizona Republic who is also NAREE's 2005 president.
The Journalism Awards Luncheon was highlighted by a presentation by Dan Tracy of the Orlando Sentinel. Tracy told about his detailed investigative report of home construction quality – a high-budget project that earned top honors in NAREE’s J-competition in 2004.
Saturday afternoon NAREE boarded a yacht and cruised by waterfront development sites along the Anacostia River. A few sunburns on the foredeck were reported, but all appeared to keep their sea legs.
The NAREE Board of Directors meeting in Washington also yielded big news. Next year’s conference will be in North Carolina toward the end of April. Details are being worked on now. Firm dates and the headquarters hotel are expected to be announced in August.