MIAMI—Hundreds of commercial real estate professionals on Tuesday gathered at the Eden Roc Miami for the 3rd Annual RealShare Apartments East. The multifamily mood spanned from cautious to optimistic to downright “frothy.”

“I think the US is setting up for a period of stronger economic growth,” said Michael Cohen, director of advisory services at PPR, in his presentation, “Economic Outlook: The East Coast Apartment Market.” “Our outlook, which is based into that forecast, calls for stronger economic growth over the next 24 months with higher levels of job gains, all of which I think will provide a good cushion for the extremely high levels of apartment completions that we've seen for the next 36 months.”

After getting an economic briefing from Cohen, panelists gathered for an “Investment Forecast.” Active investors, including Gary Goodman, senior vice president of acquisitions at Passco Companies; Robert Kaplan, principal at Ackman Ziff; Barron Channer, CEO of BACH Real Estate; and Tom Bartelmo, president of Kislak, offered a regional forecast on the markets to watch on the East Coast. Jay Massirman, founder and president of Rivergate Companies, moderated the panel.