REFA Update : REFA tees off for local charities July 22nd

The rain held off and the sun was shining as over 130 golfers participated in the REFA Annual Charitable Golf Outing on Monday, July 22nd at the Blue Hill Country Club. The outing annually supports local charities that have a homeless-focused mission. This year, REFA was pleased to raise money for HomeStart, Inc. and Project Hope for the second consecutive year. To help the mission of the organizations, representatives and direct beneficiaries from both charities were invited to speak at the dinner reception, held at the conclusion of the tournament. Representatives gave background on the type of work the charities do in the community, and beneficiaries told their personal stories of how HomeStart, Inc. and Project Hope have had a positive impact on their lives. REFA's Upcoming Events: REFA's Fall Conference will be held on Friday, September 6th at The Westin Waltham. The annual conference will provide outlook and insight on the Boston suburban market, and will include a keynote presentation by Hans Nordby, managing director of Property & Portfolio Research. A panel discussion will follow the keynote, and will be moderated by Thomas Grillo from the Boston Business Journal. Panelists include Brian Kavoogian, president of Charles River Realty Investors; Steve Murphy, partner and principal of acquisitions at Campanelli; Ken Narva, co-founder and managing partner of Street-Works; and Claudia Piper, senior vice president at Webster Bank. On September 19th, REFA will be holding a Fundamentals of Real Estate program on the topic of Massachusetts Zoning. It will cover the basics of zoning in Massachusetts, as well as comparing and contrasting the differences of zoning in the city versus the suburbs. The program will feature three speakers, including Kathy Bachman, a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP; Robert Fishman, a partner at Nutter, McClennan & Fish LLP; and Ted Tye, managing partner at National Development. On September 25th, REFA will hold their fourth education program of the year, titled, Forum on Interest and Cap Rates Forum - Expected Changes and Strategies to Deal with Them, and will feature a panel program moderated by Tod McGrath, chairman at the MIT Center for Real Estate. The program will focus on how rising rates will affect the real estate market, and how different types of real estate investors will deal with this challenge. Panelists will include Mike Acton, managing director of AEW Capital Management LP; Jeffrey Barclay, managing director at Goldman Sachs; Michael LaBelle, CFO of Boston Properties; and Alan Brand, a partner at TA Realty. A highlight of the fall events calendar is the 25th Annual REFA Gala on October 17th at Westin Copley Place. REFA will honor mayor Thomas Menino with the Robert S. Swain Jr. Distinguished Service Award, in addition to recognizing past honorees throughout the years. This is sure to be the real estate event of the fall - visit REFA's website to find out more about how to attend! For more information about REFA programs and events, please visit our website at www.refa.org.