NEW YORK CITY—In a day jam packed with content, several themes emerged at the 13^th annual RealShare Net Lease conference, held Thursday in Midtown and attended by over 300 industry professionals. Among them: heightened demand for the sector—both in the US and abroad—particularly in credit tenant leasing, and the healthcare market is gaining traction.

“A supply and demand imbalance has led investors to chase yield and gravitate into the credit tenant leasing arena,” said Greg Nail, director, structured real estate, Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey.

Elyssa McMullen, VP, Prudential Capital Group added, “On more traditional CTL transactions, there's more competition.”

Noted Eleanora Gililova, director, global private markets, TIAA-CREF | Financial Services, “We've lost transactions to new entrants to the market. People who haven't been in CTL market for 10 years are returning because they're finding it attractive now.”

“The net lease sector has become a global business,” declared Kenneth Zakin, senior managing director, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Capital Markets. “So much money is coming to the US from foreign investors. About $24 billion came in during the first quarter whereas last year it was $46 billion for the whole year.”

Notes Will Pike, SVP, CBRE, “You'll see an influx of our capital going abroad, particularly to Asia and Europe. Institutional investors have different strategies in terms of levered or unlevered returns and foreign buyers are no different.

Adds Zakin, “If you look at the cost of financing in Europe—like the cost of the 10-year equivalent to the Treasury, it's closer to 0% versus 1%. So the spread is very attractive; there's a lot of opportunity.”

In addition, says Sean O'Shea, managing director, BRC Advisors, “America is looking like a great hard asset source for foreign money. Cap rates have been able to compress because of the debt structures and we're finding that foreign buyers have lower expectations so that's keeping cap rates where they are.

“That's going to be with us through 2016,” he predicted. “There might be a new day in 2017.”

Some new areas of interest also have cropped up for net lease investors. “Grocery, quick service restaurants and new retail concepts are where the transactions are happening,” said Andrew Fallon, managing director, Calkain Cos.

“Existing franchisees are doing sale leasebacks, that's where a lot of the product is coming from. We're also seeing 7-11 and gas station convenience stores become the darlings of the space. Investors are chasing after the consumer dollar that's spent on food.”

However, cautioned Glen Kunofsky, EVP, investments, Marcus & Millichap, “These smaller gourmet markets only work in urban areas, even Whole Foods can't get the dollars it wants in every location and these brick-and-mortar stores are competing with technology—

Google Grocery will bring goods to your door.”

Adds Fallon, “We've focused on street front, single-tenant retail and it's been well received by the private community. Invesors will forego credit for the promise of steady income on a spot on main and main, they can even repurpose the space if need be.”

Declares Pike, “Pricing for high street retail is high so it's an ideal time to transact.”

Watch GlobeSt.com on Monday when we will cover discussions of the oil and gas sector as well as healthcare real estate.