On one of many hot evenings in Austin, the National Association of Real Estate Editors gathered in Texas to honor journalists and publications, including Distressed Assets Investor, in 25 categories during its 60th annual journalism awards. During NAREE's conference, held from June 2nd to June 5th, industry experts and the journalistic elite of the real estate sector informed, questioned and debated various sectors of the economy and real estate.

As keynote speaker of the event, Henry Cisneros addressed the crowd on Thursday, June 3rd in straightforward terms regarding the ups and downs of the tumultuous housing and multifamily market. In general, his outlook was positive, seeing a robust turnaround looming for hotels and apartments.

Much of the conference centered around the economic recovery and on a more moderate scale, the green movement, of which the host city is a leading proponent within the us. The general consensus of the week was that the economy was turning around, but there was trepidation to declare that the industry was out of the woods. Moreover, many participants agreed the green movement needed to garner more focus, but would eventually become a standard within the development community.