NAREE 6-5-2010
On the final day of the Austin NAREE conference, members got a glimpse of the future in a presentation called “Covering the Same Event in Print and On Air.” In part, it was about multitasking by covering stories with a notebook in one hand and a video camera in the other. Panel speakers said it’s a difficult balance but well worth the effort. It’s a way to broaden your horizons as a journalist in these times of downsized newspaper staffs.
Reporting on the air requires a different approach. Shannon Behnken of the Tampa Tribune stressed the importance of finding sound bites when you go back to interview a print source for a video session. She shared a humorous story about a source who could not be coached into saying anything quotable or meaningful on camera.
People who have attended past NAREE events will recall Harold Bubil of the Sarasota Harold-Tribune, who goes nowhere without a camera. Harold told conference attendees that he shoots video for fun and to increase his chances of survival in the fast-shrinking newspaper world.
“I do it because I love it,” he said. “It expands my brand.”
Writer and broadcaster Mary Umberger of the Chicago Tribune and Inman News took part in the "on air" discussion.
In a separate panel on alternative power sources, experts offered a new angle of coverage by touching on the need to take care of the environment from moral and theological perspectives. Andrew McCalla of Meridian Solar said there is a school of thought that holds that it is morally irresponsible to continue to consume limited energy resources in a wasteful manner. In the end, dwindling supplies and mounting costs will push us all to conserve energy, said Russel Smith the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association.
The energy discussion was the final panel of the conference. Farewell to all the NAREE colleagues who made the trip to Austin and thanks to everyone who helped stage the event.
- Emmet Pierce
NAREE 6-4-2010 Afternoon
NAREE members are exploring the new frontier of online journalism. In a morning discussion about “Life After Newspapers,” Evan Smith of the nonprofit Texas Tribune said staff cuts are hindering the ability of traditional newspapers to do their jobs. Many topics are getting less coverage and there are fewer pages for readers. His online publication covers things that now often fall through the cracks: public policy, politics and government. The goal is to offer in-depth information on those topics. “We are trying to provide not just news but knowledge, not just journalism but information.”
He noted that the Tribune’s government employee salaries database gets high traffic. Public employees are often angry about it, but “it’s all public information.”
Smith said he will not allow donors to influence his publication. “I will give money back to any donor who tries to affect the content.”
Clifford Pugh of www.CultureMap.com said he became editor and chief of the Houston-based Web publication after getting laid off from a mainstream media job. He noted that NAREE Conference Chairman Ralph Bivins is a real estate columnist for the site. The site began with feature coverage of food, fashion, society and the arts, but it has taken on serious news topics.
“Everything we do is pop culture to high culture,” he said. “We are certainly in a lot of different areas for readership. We all are at the beginning of a very exciting revolution here. It’s all about writing.”
Glenn Smith of www.DogCanyon.org is a former Texas political writer. His Web publication began in September with the goal of nurturing young writers. “This is a labor of love. My income is based on consulting fees from other sources.”
Up to 1,200 people per day visit the site, he said. “I hope it is a model for others to try.”
-Emmet Pierce
NAREE 6-4-2010 Morning
In a mid-year economic update, Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow.com on Friday told the NAREE conference that many people are far too optimistic about when the real estate market will rebound.
“The first myth is that the housing recession is over,” he said. “Well the housing recession is not over.”
When the market does begin to improve, many people will be disappointed in price appreciation rates, he added. “The bottom is going to be a long and flat affair across the markets.”
A large shadow inventory of homes with distressed loans will keep for-sale inventories high, he added. The nation is in for “a long hangover” after going on an easy credit bender.
Fannie Mae Chief Economist Douglas Duncan said housing prices in the U.S. likely will reach bottom this year. A recent survey shows that consumers have learned lessons from the recent mortgage market meltdown.
“It is not just getting acquisition to a house, but it is being able to afford to keep it,” Duncan said.
Bob Bach, chief economist of Grubb & Ellis, said commercial delinquencies are mounting as distressed assets continue to pile up. “There is quite a risk of default or delinquency, even if the loans are current and payments are still being made,” he said.
The leasing markets continue to depreciate, Bach said. “Perhaps the apartment market has stabilized. There is some hope there. Other property types, particularly office, continue to see vacancy rates increase.”
-Emmet Pierce
NAREE 6-3-10 afternoon
In a Thursday panel presentation about reporting on commercial real estate, Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News said he didn’t set out to spend his long career as a real estate writer. Once he landed on the beat, he realized just how important the topic was to readers.
“In Dallas the real estate business is like the oil business in Houston,” he explained. “It’s never the same and that’s what keeps it interesting.”
Kris Hudson of the Wall Street Journal said commercial real estate writers need to be aware that stories can change quickly. “One thing you must keep in mind is that nothing is final until the deal is closed,” he said.
Daniel Taub of Bloomberg News said one of the secrets of good coverage is getting to know brokers. “They love to talk,” he said.
Brown said writers must be careful not to let brokers and other sources take full credit for real estate transactions that actually involved multiple players. He urged his audience to follow the example of the popular TV series “The X-Files.”
“Trust no one,” he said.
Later, in a conference keynote address, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros said lenders should not let problems stemming from the mortgage market meltdown lead them to lock people out of homeownership. Tightening credit standards is appropriate, but it doesn’t mean they have to shut the system down, he said.
After a busy day of panel sessions and tours, NAREE members relaxed at The Salt Lick, an authentic Texas barbecue. The establishment had great food, terrific country music and plenty of rustic charm.
-Emmet Pierce
NAREE 6-3-10
Today participants in the NAREE conference in Austin continued to explore real estate issues with a wide variety of speakers. Walt Molony of the National Association of Realtors opened the conference in with a talk on real estate data and finding the best sources of information. He urged journalists to be sure to use multiple sources to interpret the information they collect. “Data without context is noise,” he said.
Much of NAR’s research is based on the questions that it receives from real estate writers. Molony said there has been concern expressed about a “shadow inventory” of foreclosure homes that could slow the economic recovery of the housing market as they are released for sale. He said he has not seen a problem.
“So far foreclosures have really been entering the pipeline at a manageable fashion,” he said.
Another morning panel on “net zero” energy consumption homes featured Roger Duncan of Austin Energy. He said the city will require new homes to be “net zero energy” by 2015. The idea is to offset power that is taken off the electric grid with alternative energy sources, not to replace electricity, he stressed. People need to keep their expectations in check, he added. “Like all movements, the hype can get ahead of the reality.”
There isn’t enough alternative power available from wind and solar to abandon electricity, Duncan explained. With growing electricity demand from home entertainment centers, home offices, computers, and electric cars, offsetting electric power with other sources will be increasingly challenging.
Alex Pettit of Spring Builders said Austin will be a pioneer in creating livable, comfortable homes that are energy efficient without sacrificing quality of life. In a cultural shift, consumers no longer are asking for large homes as a sign of status.
“Most of my clients are downsizing in their homes,” he said. “Homes are being built better, not bigger.”
Conference attendee Steve Dexter asked what would happen “to these millions of houses that have been built in the last five to seven years” that are not energy efficient.
“There are going to be a lot of retrofits,” said Pettit. “There are limits to what you can do.”
- Emmet Pierce
