The Real Estate Finance Association has a busy Spring planned for members

The Real Estate Finance Association (REFA) hosted its first in-person education program since 2020 on Thursday, April 28^th at Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress St. on Institutional Mindset: Where and how are they investing now? Amanda Strong, MITIMCo, moderated the program with Jay Hart, CrossHarbor Capital Partners, Tim Schlitzer, Mass PRIM, and Maria Surina, Cambridge Associates. The speakers explained how and where state pension funds, large endowments, and other institutional players are investing their real estate dollars. The session covered how they are investing - including directly owned real estate, co-mingled funds, and separately managed accounts. They discussed different property types and investment strategies (debt vs equity; core vs opportunistic), as well as how ESG is impacting real estate investing at both the fund level and the property level.

REFA’s next webinar, Insurance 101: Property & Liability, is set for Wednesday, May 18^th at 12:00pm. Industry experts Mike White, Scott Mateer, and Annie Fleming of Brown & Brown – Specialty Risk Solutions and Sarah Shepard of Custom House Risk Advisors, will offer a presentation on property and casualty/liability insurance, including current trends in the insurance marketplace for both stabilized and construction risks in the real estate sector. In addition to an overview on property and liability insurance, attendees will learn about relevant coverage, limit, and retention considerations from owner/operator, developer, and lender perspectives.

On Wednesday, June 1^st at 8:00am, REFA is hosting an in-person education program on Financing Real Estate for Cannabis at Nutter, 155 Seaport Blvd. in Boston. While still relatively new, the cannabis market in Massachusetts is quickly maturing. Join REFA as we discuss the landscape for raising capital for cannabis related real estate. Hear how owner-operators, tenants, landlords, lenders, investors, and communities are navigating this fast-moving industry and what the outlook is on both the local and national levels. Andrew Lines, CohnReznick, will moderate the panel with Joe Campanelli, Needham Bank, Alexandra Slavet, Nutter, and Connor Yost, Opus Consulting.

The REFA Charitable Golf Tournament is officially sold out, but there is still room to participate in the Tennis Match with a Pro! Visit www.REFAGolf.com to learn more or to register for tennis.

Please save the date for the Annual REFA Gala: Thursday, October 6^th at the Westin Copley Hotel.

To learn more about REFA, including membership, events, and ways to get involved, please visit www.refa.org. Follow REFA’s LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram @REFABoston.