Rebecca Devine, principal, Maven Communications, discusses what was said during her social media and real estate panel at the 2011 ULI Fall Meeting in Los Angeles last month.

At ULI’s 2011 Fall Meeting last month, a panel titled “Social Media and Engagement” provided the audience with not only strategies for how the commercial real estate sector has made use of newer technologies, but also successful case studies from within the industry. The standing-room-only crowd listened to how companies have utilized social media to maximize their return on investment. Read more.

The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads narrowing a few basis points during the most recent survey period, evidence that the debt market remains open and raring to go. Like peanuts at the circus: get’em while their hot; can it get better than this?

Speaking across the street from Disneyland at the National Association of Realtors’ annual convention in Anaheim, California, earlier this month, chief economist Lawrence Yun said signs are developing that signal a “recovery occurring next year and continuing into 2014.” Read more to learn about what he said will be a moderate, respectable recovery—rather than a great, robust expansion.

The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads widening 15+/- basis points during the most recent survey period, evidence that the debt market remains cautious and easily spooked by current events. Nevertheless, all-numbers are more than a little attractive.

Transportation experts gathered at the Urban Land Institute’s 2011 Fall Meeting in Los Angeles late last month looked into the country’s transportation future and predicted continued uncertainty at the federal level, along with a need for increased innovation at the state level, and increased private sector involvement in transportation infrastructure provision at the local level.

The London real estate market presents opportunities for all investors—from those seeking core returns to those with an appetite for risk. Thanks to its transparency, international investment is a solid feature of the property market, maintaining its presence even in the depth of the financial crisis. Read more to learn about ULI member Greg Cooke’s top ten reasons for investing in London.

The real estate market in Mexico is on the verge of transformation. Juan Diego Perez-Vargas, principal, Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz, talks to Urban Land magazine about a new era of the pension fund system that is moving into Mexican real estate.

The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads coming in as much as 25 basis during the most recent survey period, evidence that the market, so far, is able to function with the Euro-crises playing out in the background.

During his address at the closing session of the ULI 2011 Fall Meeting in Los Angeles, the Honorable Robert M. Gates, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, said that the strength of the U.S. real estate market depends on a strong economy, which in turn depends on the nation’s security. Read more to learn what he said about the factors that may lead to a permanent shift in international geopolitics.