SAN DIEGO-The newly wrapped-up RealShare Investment & Finance Conference here was abuzz in interactivity. That extended far beyond the cocktail reception and the various networking breaks that are a favorite feature of all RealShare events. This time, an element of technology added some spice to the exchange.

(The results of the live poll will be incorporated into a broader investment Sentiment Survey that will appear in the July/August issue of Real Estate Forum. Watch for it.)

The event, which drew some 225 attendees, was the first to highlight live, interactive polling throughout the day, with questions timed to the focus of the particular panels. Six questions were asked in total, each peeling back a different layer of the current state of investment.

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How Would You Describe Your Current Investment Strategy? By far the majority of the assembled crowd, 59%, were focused more on acquisitions than sales, more than twice the 23% whose current strategy is dispositions. Only 18% had equal focus on both plays.

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What Is Your Primary Investment Focus? A slim majority of attendees (32%) at the Investment & Finance Conference focused equally on core and secondary markets, just squeezing out those who played in both fields but with a prime focus on secondary-market appetite (29%). Tied with 13% of the vote each were those attendees who focused solely on core markets, secondary markets solely and core markets primarily.

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What Product Types Are You Interested In? There was really no surprise, when breaking down the major food groups that Multifamily was the investment of choice for our attendees, garnering 44% of the votes. Retail came in a distant second at 17% while Industrial and hotels tied at 13%. They were also the last of the double-digit vote-getters. Office got 9%, healthcare got 4% and student housing did not rank at all.

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Your Field Of Concentration Is: A testament to the breadth of a typical RealShare crowd, 63% of our attendees work on a national scale, with 26% playing on a regional basis and 11% international.

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As A Borrower, How Do You See Debt Availability Compared to 6 Months Ago? The credit situation is improving for the vast majority of our attendees, and 93% are finding it easier to borrower than at the start of the year. Only 7% think it's unchanged from six months ago. But . . .

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What Is Your Assessment of Lending Terms Compared to 6 Months Ago? . . . an improvement in borrowing doesn't mean terms have changed, and 47% see the same parameters they met up with at the start of the year. Some 53% think terms are either much more or somewhat more attractive.

(The results of the live poll will be incorporated into a broader investment Sentiment Survey that will appear in the July/August issue of Real Estate Forum. Watch for it.)