Graaskamp Center announces conference on housing outlook, path to recovery

The Wisconsin School of Business Graaskamp Center for Real Estate has announced a conference titled “Housing Outlook 2010: Continued Crisis or Recovery?” to be held from 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, at the Fluno Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Richard Green, director of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at the University of Southern California and former principal economist and director of financial strategy and policy analysis at Freddie Mac, will serve as the event’s featured keynote speaker.

Since the housing market peaked two years ago, the U.S. has suffered the largest broad-based price decline since analysts started keeping data, and housing starts are at their lowest point since World War II. This conference will examine if the new administration’s unprecedented effort to prevent foreclosures and expand refinancing options for more borrowers is providing relief to struggling families across America. Are there glimmers of hope for a recovery any time soon and, if so, what will it take to fuel it?

The conference will also discuss how Wisconsin is faring compared to the national averages. Will the new administration’s stimulus package boost economic activity by the second half of the year? How will mortgage markets evolve in reaction to the events of the past several years? What responses can we expect to see from private markets and from government regulators?

These questions and more will be discussed among a wide range of experts from every sector of the real estate market who will outline the challenges and opportunities in the current market. These experts are on the forefront of thought, helping to turn the economy around and hoping to give some insight that might stabilize the real estate market. They will discuss not only the state of the national economy, but also how Wisconsin is affected by the crisis, evolving financial markets, the outlook for the future in real estate development and existing housing stock issues, as well as how neighborhoods are responding to foreclosure.

The conference is co-sponsored by the UW–Madison Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

The cost to attend the conference is $105.

To receive more information or a conference brochure, contact Lee Gottschalk at 608-265-2032 or lgottschalk@bus.wisc.edu.

Reporters and editors are invited to attend all or any part of the conference free of charge. Please contact Gottschalk to make arrangements.