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By Joy Vann

Get a handle on how the market might swing and learn about the biggest real estate sales of the past year at the Hampton Roads Real Estate Market Review & Forecast which will celebrate its 30th anniversary at Chartway Arena starting at 3 p.m. on March 11.

The annual event, organized by the E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate in the Strome College of Business at 91��Ƭ��, brings industry leaders together to discuss the current movements and issues affecting the real estate market in Hampton Roads. Speakers will analyze the region's economy and trends in real estate including the industrial, multifamily, office, residential and retail sectors.

“Real estate is core to the economic and social well-being of any community, and it is always facing new challenges. For 30 years, 91��Ƭ��’s Real Estate Market Review has enabled industry leaders to share their expertise and views with all those concerned with the sector,” said Simon Stevenson, the Robert M. Stanton Endowed Chair of Real Estate & Economic Development. Stevenson also serves as the  director of the E.V. Williams Center for Real Estate and the Harvey Lindsay School of Real Estate at 91��Ƭ��.

He will emcee the event along with Kristen Costa, executive vice president of corporate services and office leasing at Divaris Real Estate and chair of the E.V. Williams Center.

During a recent run-through of the event, presenters covered everything from the current state of the market — continued high prices and interest rates coupled with low inventory — to the opening of the new Dome venue in Virginia Beach’s Surf Park and the surrounding residential and commercial development.

A common thread among the presenters was the increased speed of the news cycle since the new presidential administration began issuing executive orders that could have far-reaching effects. One speaker said he had rewritten his remarks several times to keep up with the developments. As these are developing stories, questions remain.

Chief among them, what are the potential impacts of executive orders regarding tariffs? Can deregulation produce more housing that will lower prices? Will tariffs on building items like Canadian lumber increase housing prices? Will the federal workforce reductions lead to office lease terminations? Or will the defense and healthcare industries continue to drive demand for office space? Can the Hampton Roads office market maintain its current vacancy rate of 7.1% and continue to outperform the national vacancy rate of 13.9%? Will environmental deregulation lead to more building? Will aggressive immigration deportations lead to labor shortages in construction? Is conversion of old offices spaces into mixed use developments the way of the future? And how does artificial intelligence find its way into the real estate discussion?

Posing these questions and providing answers will be guest speakers from across Hampton Roads. They include multi-family housing specialist Jake Marshall, COO of The Breeden Company; residential real estate expert Van Rose, principal owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW, Towne Realty; retail professional Doug Aronson, senior vice president and partner at S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co. and senior managing director of SLN Capital Markets; office space expert Nicole Campbell, vice president at Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer; and industrial real estate authority Geoff Poston, managing broker, senior vice president, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer.

You can purchase tickets for the event on .