When moderator Lewis Feldman, partner, Goodwin Procter LLP asked him about companies like Colony and Blackstone gobbling up singlefamily housing and how it might affect things long term, Haddad wasn't concerned. In fact, he said that it has helped absorb inventory, which is good for the market. “It also sends a signal that there is a way to digest it other than the natural process.”

The RealShare conference series event drew nearly 1,000 industry executives and is produced by ALM's Real Estate Media Group, which also publishes GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum.

When talking about foreign investment, Larry Heard, CEO of Transwestern, pointed out that foreign investment in the US is terrific. “The US today currently is in a relative upswing compared to almost anywhere else in the world,” he says.

According to Heard, the “robust energy” here, as well as the technology sector and recovering stock market are all draws to the foreign investor. “It all offers stability and offers an attractive opportunity.”

Heard pointed out that the Association of Foreign Investors and Real Estate Ranking for year end showed four US cities in the top five in their Global Snapshot Ranking of Top Global Cities in 2013. He also noted that Houston has never been on the list in the past, adding that “Foreign investment will continue to be on the US in the next few years… The blue chip investor market is looking at high quality assets in gateway cities.”

One of the things that the US government could do to make things easier for foreign investment, according to Haddad, is work on immigration reform. Haddad points out that a South American buyers are absorbing the condo market in Miami and in Irvine, 80% of the buyers coming from Asia. “There isn't a place in the world that provides you with the amount of security and safety than the US and if we get immigration reform, it will be a huge benefit.”

Switching topics a bit, when talking about retailers and the lifeline of a bricks and mortar shop, Paul Kurzawa, COO of Caruso Affiliated, says that brick and mortar remains pretty resilient. “Retailers are adapting well to keep up with online shopping,” he says, pointing to catalog retailers, like Athleta, for example shifting to brick and mortar.

He also points out that “It-based concepts like Google, for example, are coming out and creating these experiences and it is that 'experience' keeps brick and mortar alive.” According to Kurzawa, “It is all about experiences for people, and developers are adapting. Retailers are adapting as well and they are evolving with new concepts emerging every day.”

At the end of the day, he says, “you have the ability to go to a shopping center and go to a place that enriches your life.”