The Williams administration worked hard to change the perception of Washington, D.C. as a difficult place to do business. The livability and cultural attractiveness of the city s thriving neighborhoods combined with the convenience of shorter commutes continues to drive the expansion of places like the red-hot East End section of the city. A panel of Downtown experts will discuss continued strength of the market and how any setback in perception of the city due to the NoMa controversy may impact it. Suburban Maryland s continued strong performance is tied in part to its strong role in the development of biotechnology companies and initiatives by the federal government, and seems for now less susceptible to any overall economic slowdown. A panel of suburban real estate professional will debate these issues and discuss what s in store for the D.C. suburbs.
Property values are at an all-time high.
This panel will identify who is doing the deals, analyze the prevailing terms and offer their opinions about what it all means for today s market. However institutional investors have become more selective, especially when it comes to suburban office projects. Commercial banks, conduits and some foreign investors may take up the slack, but are demanding more equity as part of approval. Debt, it appears, will be more plentiful than equity this year. A variety of lending sources will discuss the availability of debt and equity capital and lay out just what it takes right now to get deals financed.