2025 President’s Notebook
NAREE Connections, Education, Recognition More Valuable during Uncertain Times
By Tony Wilbert
CoStar NEws
2025 looks to be another year of uncertainty, even with the presidential election decided. The new administration has pledged to take actions such as imposing new tariffs, lowering taxes for corporations and some individuals, deporting millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, reducing red tape for homebuilders and making massive cuts to the federal workforce. President Trump has promised that his policies will lower inflation and jumpstart the economy. That remains to be seen, but whatever changes occur will impact the residential and commercial real estate markets.
Real estate editors and reporters are going to have to identify trends as they emerge and keep up with an industry expected to change dramatically next year. Being a member of NAREE can help real estate journalists follow and even stay ahead of the events expected to jolt and disrupt real estate next year.
With disruption ahead, consumers of real estate news will depend more on reporters and editors to inform and explain how these changes will affect them and their businesses. Stories ideas will abound, and connections made through NAREE with industry experts and PR and communications pros with clients readily available to talk will pay off hand- somely. Business already have expressed concern that the deportations would drain the already-strained supply of construction workers. The National Association of Home- builders said its members expect the new administration to enact policies that would make building needed housing easier. Who’s in the White House aside, the messy commer- cial real estate market is poised to rebound, but the office sector might be left behind as companies struggle to determine how much space they need moving forward.
Being part of NAREE also will be important for public relations and corporate communications professionals who count on relationships with reporters to know whom and what to pitch. When I left journalism in 2004 and attended my first NAREE Journalism Conference, in Houston, as an associate member, I returned to the PR firm I worked for with dozens of new media contacts and a couple of poten- tial clients.
This all makes the NAREE’s 59th Annual Real Estate Journalism Conference, set for June 16-19 in New Orleans, is a must-attend event. The educational programs NAREE offers through NAREE University and the industry experts who attend the show as deliver keynote speeches and fireside chats and participate on panels are critical to keep- ing up with what’s happening as the changes swirl.
Members can save on conference registration and hotel rates by registering for #NAREE2025 between now and the end of February.
Right after taking advantage of early registration for NAREE 2025, start getting together your entries for the 75th Annual NAREE Real Estate Journalism Competition. Journalists can enter stories published during calendar year 2024 in 30 categories covering residential and commercial real estate. A new category, Best Real Estate Data Journalism Reporting, has been created and added to the competition. The award will recognize excellence in data journalism at a time when data-generated and data-focus stories, and the charts and graphics that accompany them, are growing quickly in importance.
Winning a NAREE award gives reporters and editors deserved recognition and plays well at your current publica- tions and looks good to hiring managers and decisionmakers if you decide one day to apply for another journalism job.
The portal for NAREE’s Journalism Competition is open from Feb. 1 to March 1 under the Awards tab.
We have an exciting year ahead at NAREE. I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans if not before.