Learn Practical Advice from AHF Live

With the economic crisis and the current state of the low-income housing tax credit market, AHF Live: The 2009 Affordable Housing Developers’ Summit, Oct. 26-28 at the Palmer House in Chicago, is shaping up to be an informative and educational event for affordable housing owners and developers.

Some highlights include “Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Allocations: What’s Next, How to Win,” moderated by Bob Moss of Boston Capital. During this panel from 4-5:30 p.m. Oct. 26, attendees will hear the latest from several state housing finance agencies, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

Find out what’s going on in Washington, D.C., that could affect your business during “News from the Capitol,” moderated by Ronne Thielen of Centerline Capital Group, from 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Oct. 27. Industry leaders Sheila Crowley of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Conrad Egan of the National Housing Conference, Denise Muha of the National Leased Housing Association, and Sunia Zaterman of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities will bring you up to speed on the most recent developments.

If you’re looking to acquire and rehab older affordable housing, then “Nuts and Bolts of Acquisition-Rehab” is the session for you from 8:30-10 a.m. on Oct. 28. Moderated by Pat Sheridan of Volunteers of America, you’ll receive real-life examples from Scott Kline of National Housing Trust/Enterprise Preservation Corp., Fred Mitchell of TheoPRO Asset Advisors, Tracy Peters of Red Capital Group, and Stephen Whyte of Pacific Housing Advisors.

A new feature this year for the event will be casual roundtables in the exhibit hall during breakfast where attendees can join their peers to discuss the pros and cons of niche markets, including special-needs, rural, seniors, and sustainable housing, on Oct. 27, and the ins and outs of historic rehab, New Markets, and renewable energy tax credits on Oct. 28.

Also, don’t miss out on the pre-conference workshops, which are from 8:30 a.m.-noon on Oct. 26.

New this year as a pre-conference workshop is “Keeping Your Business Alive.” The session, moderated by Todd Sears of Herman & Kittle Properties, will explore the options for positioning owners and developers to be successful in these tough economic times.  The session will focus on getting your business past being solely transaction-driven, optimizing the value of the transactions you have, and what the industry/transactions will look like in five years and how to get there.

Speakers on this panel include: Scott Fergus of Mercy Housing Lakefront, Gary Gorman of Gorman & Co., R. Lee Harris of Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services, Frank Hagaman of Partners in Housing Development Corp., Terese McNamee of Eden Housing, Inc., and Terri Preston-Koenig of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause.

The second pre-conference workshop, “Tax Credit and Tax-Exempt Bond Boot Camp,” is back by popular demand. Moderated by Josie Kotsioris of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, this boot camp will explore the basics of the two programs. Topics that will be covered include what investors look for when putting together a tax credit deal, a developer’s perspective on doing a bond deal in this tough economic market, and using the low-income housing tax credit for a variety of product types.

Speakers include: George Baker of Greystone Affordable Housing, Don Bernards of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, Bill Boerigter of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, Tom Capp of Gorman & Co., Jeffrey Kittle of Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., Karen Przypyszny of the National Equity Fund, Inc., and Shelly Tucciarelli of the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The sixth annual conference will be held at the Palmer House in Chicago (with a new lowered rate of $209 per night). Attendance is reserved exclusively for people who are primarily owners and developers of affordable housing, plus state and local housing finance agency representatives and nonprofit organizations focused on the business of affordable housing.
The registration fee is $649. Save $25 off each registration if three or more people from the same firm attend the event. Nonprofits and government agencies receive a $149 discount per registration. The pre-conference workshops are an additional $199.