Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration No. 333-168407
Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. is an externally managed Maryland corporation incorporated on September 18, 2009 and primarily formed to acquire multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States.
This is our initial public offering and no public market currently exists for our common stock. We are offering 4,500,000 shares of common stock, of which 690,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC (WRF) and 500,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC (WOF), each of which is an affiliate of our sponsor, through our directed share program without payment of certain underwriting discounts and commissions by us, as described in this prospectus. The initial public offering price per share of our common stock is $10.00 per share. Our shares of common stock have been approved for listing on the NYSE Amex, or AMEX, under the symbol APTS.
We intend to elect and qualify to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or REIT, commencing with our tax year ending December 31, 2011.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. See the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 20 of this prospectus for a discussion of the risks which should be considered in connection with your investment in our common stock. Some of these risks include:
| We have no operating history and may not be able to operate our business successfully or generate sufficient cash flow to make or sustain distributions to our stockholders. |
| We anticipate making an initial distribution after the quarter ended June 30, 2011 and our estimated cash available for distribution is insufficient to cover our anticipated annual dividend of $0.50 per share. |
| We are depending on our manager to select investments and conduct our operations. Adverse changes in the financial condition of our manager or our relationship with our manager could adversely affect us. |
| There are substantial conflicts of interest between us and our sponsor, our manager and their respective affiliates regarding affiliate compensation, investment opportunities and management resources. |
| As long as we maintain our status as a REIT, we will be subject to numerous limitations and qualifications imposed on us under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, including that five or fewer individuals, as specially defined for these purposes, generally are prohibited from beneficially owning more than 50% of our outstanding shares (based on value) during the last half of each taxable year. |
| Our charter contains various restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our common stock. |
| Maintenance of our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and our REIT qualification impose significant limits on our operations. |
| Our investment objectives and strategies may be changed without stockholder consent. |
| We are not yet a REIT and may be unable to qualify as a REIT. |
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete or passed on or endorsed the merits of this offering. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per Share | Total | |||||||
Public offering price of common stock | $ | 10.00 | $ | 45,000,000.00 | ||||
Underwriting fee (for sales to WRF and WOF) | $ | 0.14 | $ | 166,600.00 | ||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions (for sales to all other persons) | $ | 0.70 | $ | 2,317,000.00 | ||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | $ | 9.45 | $ | 42,516,400.00 |
The underwriters of this underwritten offering will sell the shares offered on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters will receive underwriting discounts and commissions of $0.70 per share of common stock sold (excluding shares of our common stock to be sold to WRF and WOF, through our directed share program for which the underwriters will receive an underwriting fee of $0.14 per share), which will be payable at closing. We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional 675,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments. See Underwriting.
In connection with this underwritten offering, we also have agreed to issue to International Assets Advisory, LLC, our financial advisor, a warrant to purchase up to 150,000 shares of our common stock. If International Assets Advisory, LLC exercises this warrant, or financial advisor warrant, the purchase price for each share of common stock is expected to be $12.50 per share (125% of the price per share of common stock sold in this offering). Neither the financial advisor warrant nor the underlying shares of common stock to be issued upon the exercise of the financial advisor warrant will be registered.
Immediately prior to the closing of the underwritten offering, we will complete the irrevocable private placement offering to Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC, of 500,000 shares of our common stock, at a price per share equal to the public offering price per share of common stock, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us.
The underwriters expect to deliver the shares on or about April 5, 2011.
Wunderlich Securities
Prospectus dated March 31, 2011
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | F-1 | |||
APPENDIX A PRIOR PERFORMANCE TABLES | A-1 | |||
PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS | II-0 | |||
SIGNATURES | II-0 | |||
EXHIBIT INDEX | II-0 |
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, in any free writing prospectus prepared by us or information to which we have referred you. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to provide you with different or additional information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this prospectus and any free writing prospectus prepared by us is accurate only as of their respective dates or on the date or dates which are specified in these documents. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
Until April 25, 2011 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to any unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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This summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus. It does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should read carefully the detailed information set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors and other information included in this prospectus. Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms company, Company, we, us, and our refer to Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, and our manager refers to Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC, our external manager and advisor, a Delaware limited liability company.
Unless otherwise indicated in the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, all information in this prospectus (other than historical financial information) assumes that (a) 4,500,000 shares of our common stock will be sold in the underwritten offering, of which 690,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and 500,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC, or WOF, each of which is an affiliate of our sponsor, through our directed share program without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us other than $0.14 per share as an underwriting fee, and 500,000 shares of our common stock will be sold to WOF in the private placement offering without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us, each at $10.00 per share, and (b) there will be no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional 675,000 shares of common stock in the underwritten offering to cover over-allotments and no exercise by International Assets Advisory, LLC of the financial advisor warrant. In addition, all information in this prospectus gives effect to the following actions taken: (i) the change in the designation of our shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, to common stock, $0.01 par value per share, and (ii) the change of each of our issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, to one issued and outstanding share of common stock, all pursuant to an amendment to our charter filed on February 22, 2011. Finally, we sometimes refer in this prospectus to the underwritten offering and the private placement offering together as the offerings.
We are a Maryland corporation formed to acquire multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As a secondary strategy, we also may acquire senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or mezzanine debt secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily assets as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. We refer to these asset classes as our target assets.
We will be externally managed and advised by Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is controlled by John A. Williams, our sponsor and a veteran of and expert in the multifamily industry with over four decades of experience, including the founding of one of the nations premier multifamily real estate investment trusts, Post Properties, Inc. (NYSE:PPS), and Leonard A. Silverstein. Pursuant to the terms of a management agreement between our manager and us, our manager will be responsible for administering our day-to-day business operations, identifying and acquiring targeted real estate investments, overseeing the management of the investments, handling the disposition of the real estate investments and providing us with our management team and appropriate support personnel.
We also will benefit from Mr. Williams current organization and platform that specializes in multifamily real estate investment and management. With operations in over 20 nationwide markets, Mr. Williams organization includes (i) Williams Realty Advisors, LLC, or WRA a full service investment management firm, (ii) Williams Asset Management, LLC, or WAM a full service acquisition, asset management and disposition firm, and (iii) RAM Partners, LLC, or RAM, and Williams Residential Management, LLC, or WRM both full-service property level management firms. RAM provides third party property level management services and WRM handles all owned assets within the Williams umbrella group. Collectively, RAM and WRM manage over 31,000 multifamily units. We believe these organizations will provide the full range of services necessary to fulfill our investment objectives.
On January 26, 2010, we concluded a private placement of 33,333 shares of our Class B Common Stock to NELL Partners, Inc., a Georgia corporation, or NELL Partners, an entity controlled by Messrs. Williams and Silverstein, at a price per share equal to $3.00 per share of Class B Common Stock. On the same date, we
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also concluded a private placement of 3,333 shares of our Class A Common Stock to NELL Partners at a price per share equal to $3.00 per share of Class A Common Stock. Pursuant to a change in the designation of our shares of Class A Common Stock to common stock and a change of each of our issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock to one issued and outstanding share of common stock, all pursuant to an amendment to our charter filed on February 22, 2011, NELL Partners now holds 36,666 shares of common stock. For a discussion of our shares of common stock, see the section entitled Description of Securities included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Immediately prior to the closing of the underwritten offering, we will complete the irrevocable private placement offering to WOF of 500,000 shares of our common stock, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us, which we refer to as the private placement offering. The per share purchase price payable by WOF for the shares of common stock in the private placement offering is equal to the public offering price per share of common stock.
We also intend to raise additional capital in the future.
Our manager intends to brand all apartment communities owned by the Company as A Preferred Apartment Community, to make A Preferred Apartment Community a trademarked logo and ultimate tagline for each of our communities that will signify certain brand and management standards, and intends to obtain all rights to the trademarks, including federal registration of the trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to secure such brand in connection with such branding. There can be no assurance that such trademarks will be issued. The strategy will allow each individual community to be part of a centralized marketing and advertising campaign, in addition to property level marketing and advertising. We expect that these campaigns will enhance further the individual propertys presence in the marketplace, and we believe that this will allow our communities to be perceived as premier over other properties within the marketplace. Our manager intends to enter into a non-exclusive license agreement with the Company as licensee with respect to all intellectual property of the manager other than trademarks. The license agreement will terminate automatically upon termination of our management agreement or will terminate upon a material breach of the license agreement that remains uncured for more than 30 days after receipt of notice of such breach. If the trademarks relating to the A Preferred Apartment Community brand are issued, our manager intends to enter into a non-exclusive license agreement with the Company as licensee with respect to the managers trademarks on substantially similar terms as the initial intellectual property license agreement.
As a result of the recent United States financial crisis and downturn in the United States economy, multifamily assets have seen a dramatic drop in their value. A combination of higher capitalization rates and downward pressure on renter incomes has adversely affected owners of multifamily assets and limited their options. Many recent transactions were highly leveraged with favorable initial financing terms. In many instances, the initial terms of these financings are about to expire or the debt is about to mature. These owners may have difficulty refinancing given the state of the real estate credit markets, and their only options may be a sale at a discount to investment or foreclosure. We believe our investments will benefit from the following:
| the lower levels of new supply projected for the next several years, |
| the expected rebound in the general economy, |
| the continual introduction of the echo boom generation into the market, and |
| the decline in homeownership. |
We believe this stress in the market will create multiple opportunities for investments.
We believe that we distinguish ourselves from our competitors through the following competitive advantages:
| the experience of Mr. Williams and his management team who have significant expertise in multifamily real estate and real estate-related debt investments and capital markets; |
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| benefits from Mr. Williams and his management teams relationships in the multifamily industry, which we expect to include access to a pipeline of investment opportunities; and |
| asset and property management teams focused on multifamily assets, including third party property management of over 25,000 multifamily units across nine states, asset management of over 3,000 multifamily units across four states and in-house property management of over 7,000 multifamily units across seven states. |
Our investment strategy will include, without limitation, the following:
| acquiring assets where assets or the owners of assets are overleveraged or where the owners may be struggling to meet current debt service obligations on such assets, or, in certain circumstances, where owners are financial institutions or conduits under either legal or economic compulsion to sell; |
| acquiring assets that enable us to target five-year average cash-on-cash asset level returns of approximately 8.5% to 10% net of fees and expenses; |
| taking advantage of supply constraints in multifamily housing in part as a result of a lack of new construction over the past several years; and |
| taking advantage of favorable financing available from the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). |
We currently do not anticipate investing in unimproved property, developing new construction properties or acquiring new construction, except we would consider a forward purchase contract on a to-be-built multifamily asset with appropriate provisions for minimum occupancy and income thresholds in order for us to expect the asset to be priced appropriately. In connection with entering into a forward purchase contract, we may be required to provide a deposit, a mezzanine loan or other assurances of our ability to perform our obligations under the forward purchase contract. We do not currently anticipate making any mezzanine loans other than in the context of such forward purchase contracts.
Although our initial identified acquisitions are from affiliates of our manager, we anticipate that future acquisitions by us of assets likely will be mostly from unaffiliated third parties. However, we would still consider an acquisition from an affiliated third party if such acquisition made financial sense to us and was approved by our conflicts committee comprised of independent directors.
Generally, we expect to target metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, of approximately one million people or more with favorable economic conditions. The conditions we may monitor in determining the economic conditions of a market include, but are not limited to, job growth, household income, the pipeline of new supply for multifamily units, the pipeline of new supply for single family units, current and forecasted occupancy for multifamily units, current and forecasted rental rate growth for multifamily units, and other statistics that may be relevant to individual markets. In addition, we will analyze forecast data from our managers affiliates gathered in their operations to support our assumptions. We also will utilize our management teams network of industry contacts and relationships to generate significant information about current and future market conditions. See the section entitled Business Our Target Assets included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of our target assets. See also the section entitled Description of Real Estate Investments Property Acquisition included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the two properties owned by affiliates of our manager that we have under contract for purchase.
We intend to utilize leverage in making our investments. The number of different investments we will acquire will be affected by numerous factors, including the amount of funds available to us. By operating on a leveraged basis, we will have more funds available for our investments. This will allow us to make more
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investments than would otherwise be possible, resulting in a larger and more diversified portfolio. See the Risk Factors section of this prospectus for more information about the risks related to operating on a leveraged basis.
We intend to target leverage levels (secured and unsecured) between 50% and 65% of the value of our tangible assets on a portfolio basis. Neither our charter nor our by-laws contain any limitation on the amount of leverage we may use. Our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder approval, limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing. These targets, however, will not apply to individual real estate assets or investments. At the date of acquisition of each asset, we anticipate that the cost of investment for such asset will be substantially similar to its fair market value. However, subsequent events, including changes in the fair market value of our assets, could result in our exceeding these limits. In addition, we intend to acquire all of our properties through separate special purpose entities and we intend to finance each of these properties using financing techniques for that property alone without any cross-collateralization to our other properties. See the section entitled Business Our Financing Strategy included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of our borrowing policies.
Our secured and unsecured aggregate borrowings are intended by us to be reasonable in relation to our net assets and will be reviewed by our board of directors at least quarterly. In determining whether our borrowings are reasonable in relation to our net assets, we expect that our board of directors will consider many factors, including without limitation, the lending standards of government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other companies for loans in connection with the financing of multifamily properties, the leverage ratios of publicly traded and non-traded REITs with similar investment strategies, cash flow coverage, whether we have positive leverage (in that, the board will compare the capitalization rates of our properties to the interest rates on the indebtedness of such properties) and general market and economic conditions. There is no limitation on the amount that we may borrow for any single investment.
Risk management is a fundamental principle in our managers construction of our portfolio and in the management of each investment. Diversification of our portfolio by investment size and location is critical to controlling portfolio-level risk. Over the long term, we intend that no single asset will exceed 15% of our total assets and that we will not have more than 25% of our total assets invested in any single MSA. However, until a sufficient number of properties are acquired, we anticipate that we will have single assets in excess of 15% of our total assets and more than 25% of our assets in a single MSA.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. If we are unable to manage effectively the impact of these risks, we may not meet our investment objectives, and therefore, you should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. See the section entitled Risk Factors included elsewhere in this prospectus for a discussion of the risks that should be considered in connection with your investment in our common stock. Some of the more significant risks relating to the underwritten offering and an investment in our shares of common stock include:
| We have no operating history and may not be able to operate our business successfully or generate sufficient cash flow to make or sustain distributions to our stockholders; |
| We anticipate making an initial distribution after the quarter ended June 30, 2011 and our estimated cash available for distribution is insufficient to cover our anticipated annual dividend of $0.50 per share. |
| Except for the two currently identified properties, you may not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments before you make your purchase of our common stock, thus making your investment more speculative; |
| No public market currently exists and no active market may ever develop for shares of our common stock; |
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| If we, through our manager, are unable to find suitable investments, then we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or pay distributions; |
| Our properties may be adversely affected by current economic conditions and uncertainty, as well as economic cycles and risks inherent to the geographical markets we intend to target and the apartment community sector; |
| We may be unable to pay or maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time; |
| We may borrow money, sell assets or use proceeds of this offering to make distributions to our stockholders if we are unable to make distributions with our cash flows from our operations. Such distributions could reduce the cash available to us and could constitute a return of capital to stockholders; |
| We are dependent upon our sponsor, our manager and their respective affiliates to conduct our operations, and therefore, any adverse changes in the financial health of our sponsor, our manager or their affiliates could hinder our operating performance and the return on your investment; |
| There are numerous conflicts of interest between the interests of investors and our interests or the interests of our manager, our sponsor and their respective affiliates, which we may not experience if we were self-managed; |
| The incentive structure of our managers special limited partnership interest may result in our manager recommending riskier or more speculative investments; |
| The ownership of 36,666 shares of our common stock by NELL Partners and the ownership by WOF of 500,000 shares of common stock upon consummation of the private placement offering, as well as the potential ownership or control of a significant portion of additional shares of common stock by affiliates of our sponsor, will limit the ability of holders of shares of common stock not affiliated with our sponsor to influence corporate matters; |
| Our investment objectives and strategies may be changed without stockholder consent; |
| We are obligated to pay substantial fees to our manager and its affiliates, including fees payable without regard to our profitability; |
| There are significant risks associated with maintaining as high a level of leverage as we expect to maintain (generally 50% to 65% of our tangible assets value on a portfolio basis and our investment guidelines allow borrowings up to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing and our charter and our by-laws contain no limitations on the amount of leverage we may use); |
| As long as we maintain our status as a REIT, we will be subject to limitations on ownership and transferability of our shares of common stock; |
| We are subject to risks associated with the significant dislocations and liquidity disruptions currently existing or occurring in the United States credit markets; |
| We may fail to qualify or continue to qualify to be treated as a REIT; and |
| We may be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act and thus subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act. |
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We were formed as a Maryland corporation on September 18, 2009. The following chart shows our structure after giving effect to the private placement offering and the underwritten offering.
(1) | NELL Partners, Inc. is controlled by John A. Williams, our sponsor, and Leonard A. Silverstein. |
(2) | Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC is controlled by NELL Partners, Inc. Other than the 1% Manager Revenue Interest (as defined in the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement 1% Manager Revenue Interest included elsewhere in this prospectus) held by WOF, all interests of Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC are held by NELL Partners, Inc. |
(3) | The common stock investors in the underwritten offering will own registered shares of common stock of Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. The 500,000 shares of common stock acquired by WOF in the private placement offering will not be registered shares. |
(4) | NELL Partners, Inc. owns 36,666 shares of common stock and WOF will own 500,000 shares of common stock upon the consummation of the private placement offering. 690,000 shares of common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC in the underwritten offering and 500,000 shares of common stock are being offered to WOF in the underwritten offering. We also may sell up to 2% of the shares of common stock available for purchase in the underwritten offering to other affiliates of our sponsor under our directed share program. |
(5) | Each property is expected to be held in a special purpose entity. |
(6) | As the special limited partner of the operating partnership, our manager is entitled to receive a participation in net sales proceeds of our investments. See the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement Management Compensation Special Limited Partnership Interest included elsewhere in this prospectus for information relating to the calculation of distributions with respect to the special limited partnership interest and conditions under which it may be paid. |
We will be externally managed and advised by our manager. Our manager will at all times be subject to the supervision and oversight of our board of directors and has only such functions and authority as we delegate to it. We do not expect to have any employees.
We have entered into a second amended and restated management agreement, or management agreement, with our manager. Pursuant to the management agreement, our manager will provide us with a management team and appropriate support personnel to implement our business strategy and perform certain services for us, subject to oversight by our board of directors. Our manager will be responsible for, among other duties (1) performing and administering all our day-to-day operations, (2) determining investment criteria in conjunction with our board of directors, (3) sourcing, analyzing and executing asset acquisitions, sales and financings, (4) performing asset management duties, (5) performing property management duties, and (6) performing
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financial and accounting management. Our manager has an investment committee that will oversee our investment guidelines, our investment portfolio and its compliance with our investment guidelines and policies.
The initial term of the management agreement expires on the fifth anniversary of the closing of the offerings and will be automatically renewed for a one-year term each anniversary date thereafter unless previously terminated as described below. Our independent directors will review our managers performance and fees that may be payable to our manager annually, and, following the initial term, the management agreement may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of at least 75% of our independent directors, based upon (1) unsatisfactory performance that is materially detrimental to us, or (2) our determination that the fees payable to our manager are not in accordance with market rates, subject to our managers right to prevent such termination due to above-market fees by accepting a reduction of fees to at or below market rates agreed to by at least 75% of our independent directors. We must provide 180 days prior written notice of any such termination. We also may terminate the management agreement at any time, including during the initial term, without the payment of any termination fee, with at least 30 days prior written notice from our board of directors for cause, as defined in the management agreement, in the absence of our managers cure. We do not have the right to decline to renew the management agreement. Our manager may decline to renew the management agreement by providing us with 180 days prior written notice. Our manager may terminate the management agreement for good reason, with at least 60 days prior written notice, in the absence of our cure. Unless the manager declines to renew the management agreement or is terminated for cause, our manager will be paid accrued fees upon termination as described in the table below.
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The following table summarizes the fees and expense reimbursements that we will pay to our manager (or persons affiliated with or related to our manager, including our officers) and to our independent directors (amounts estimated based on the full exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option):
Type of Compensation | Determination of Amount | Estimated Amount | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses | We will reimburse our manager up to 2% of gross offering proceeds for actual expenses incurred in connection with our formation and the offering. Organizational and offering expenses include all expenses to be paid by us in connection with the offering, such as our legal, accounting, printing, mailing and filing fees, charges of our escrow holder and transfer agent, reimbursement of bona fide, itemized and detailed due diligence expenses of our underwriters and our underwriters legal fees. | $1,135,000 | ||
Acquisition and Operational Stage | ||||
Acquisition Fees | Fees payable to our manager in the amount of 1.0% of the gross contract purchase price of the property, loan or other real estate-related asset purchased, for services in connection with selecting, evaluating and acquiring such asset. For purposes of this prospectus, gross contract purchase price means the amount actually paid or allocated in respect of the purchase of a property or the amount actually paid or allocated in respect of the purchase of loans or other real-estate related assets, in each case inclusive of acquisition expenses and any indebtedness assumed or incurred in respect of such investment but exclusive of acquisition fees. | $475,750 (assuming no debt) $1,359,286 (assuming we incur our expected leverage of 65% of acquisition cost) $1,903,000 (assuming we incur our maximum leverage of 75% of acquisition cost) |
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Acquisition Expenses(1) | We will reimburse our manager for expenses actually incurred (including personnel costs) related to selecting, evaluating and acquiring assets on our behalf, regardless of whether we actually acquire the related assets. Personnel costs associated with providing such services will be determined based on the amount of time incurred by the applicable employee of our manager and the corresponding payroll and payroll related costs incurred by our affiliate. In addition, we also will pay third parties, or reimburse our manager or its affiliates, for any investment-related expenses due to third parties, including, but not limited to, legal fees and expenses, travel and communications expenses, costs of appraisals, accounting fees and expenses, third-party brokerage or finders fees, title insurance expenses, survey expenses, property inspection expenses and other closing costs, regardless of whether we acquire the related assets. | Not determinable at this time. |
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Type of Compensation | Determination of Amount | Estimated Amount | ||
Asset Management Fee(2) | We will pay our manager a monthly fee equal to one-twelfth of 0.50% of the total value of our assets (including cash or cash equivalents) based on the adjusted cost of our assets before reduction for depreciation, amortization, impairment charges and cumulative acquisition costs charged to expense in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, (adjusted cost will include the purchase price, acquisition expenses, capital expenditures and other customarily capitalized costs). This fee will be payable monthly in arrears, based on assets held by us on the last date of the prior month, adjusted for appropriate closing dates for individual property acquisitions. | Not determinable at this time. |
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Property Management and Leasing Fee(2) | We will pay our manager a monthly fee equal to 4% of the monthly gross revenues of our properties managed, for services in connection with the rental, leasing, operation and management of our properties and the supervision of any third parties that are engaged by our manager to provide such services. Our manager may subcontract the performance of its property management and leasing services duties to third parties or affiliates and pay all or a portion of its property management fee to such persons with whom it contracts for these services. Our manager will be responsible for all fees payable to third parties or affiliates in connection with subcontracted property management and leasing duties. The property management and leasing fee will be payable monthly in arrears, based on the actual gross revenues for the prior month. | Not determinable at this time. |
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General and Administrative Expenses Fee(1)(2)(3) | We will pay our manager a monthly fee equal to 2% of the monthly gross revenues of our properties. | Not determinable at this time. |
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Type of Compensation | Determination of Amount | Estimated Amount | ||
Disposition Fee on Sale of Assets | We may pay our manager a commission upon the sale of one or more of our properties or other assets in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) one-half of the commission that would be reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the asset, and (b) 1% of the sale price of the asset. Payment of such fee may be made only if the manager provides a substantial amount of services in connection with the sale of the asset as determined by a majority of our independent directors. In addition, the amount paid when added to all other commissions paid to unaffiliated parties in connection with such sale shall not exceed the lesser of (1) the commission that would be reasonable, customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the asset and (2) an amount equal to 6% of the sale price of such asset. | Not determinable at this time because actual amounts are dependent upon the sale price of specific assets and what would be reasonable, customary and competitive at the time of sale. |
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Construction Fee, Development Fee and Landscaping Fee | We will pay our manager a construction fee, development fee and landscaping fee at market rates customary and competitive in light of the size, type and location of the asset in connection with the construction, development or landscaping of a property, or for management and oversight of expansion projects and other capital improvements. | Not determinable at this time because actual amounts are dependent upon market rates in light of the size, type and location of the asset. |
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Accrued Fees Upon Termination | If the management agreement is terminated by reason of a change of control, by us without cause, by the manager for good reason or upon our liquidation, the manager will be entitled to receive payment of any earned but unpaid compensation and expense reimbursements accrued as of the date of termination. | Not determinable at this time. |
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Awards Under Our Stock Incentive Plan | We have adopted a stock incentive plan pursuant to which our directors, officers and employees (if we ever have employees), employees of our manager and its affiliates, employees of entities that provide services to us, directors of our manager or of entities that provide services to us, certain of our consultants and certain consultants to our manager and its affiliates or entities that provide services to us may be granted equity incentive awards in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, performance shares or other stock-based awards. Our compensation committee will determine all awards under our stock incentive plan and the vesting schedule for the grants. | The total number of shares that may be made subject to awards under our stock incentive plan will not exceed 567,500 shares of our common stock. |
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Type of Compensation | Determination of Amount | Estimated Amount | ||
Compensation to Independent Directors | We pay to each of our independent directors a retainer of $50,000 per year. We also pay an annual retainer of $10,000 to the chair of our audit committee. In addition, each independent director will be paid a fee of $2,000 for each board committee meeting the director attends in person and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance of meetings of our board or board committees. We may issue shares of our common stock pursuant to our stock incentive plan in lieu of paying an independent director his or her annual fees and/or meeting fees in cash. Any fees owed to our independent directors will be paid in shares of restricted common stock for the first two years after our initial public offering. Afterwards, any such fees may be paid in cash or stock. Our independent directors also may receive awards under our stock incentive plan. Our compensation committee will determine all awards to our independent directors under our stock incentive plan and the vesting schedule for the grants. | The independent directors, as a group, will receive for a full fiscal year estimated aggregate compensation of approximately $350,000, payable in cash or shares of our common stock. |
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Type of Compensation | Determination of Amount | Estimated Amount | ||
Liquidation Stage | ||||
Special Limited Partnership Interest | Our manager will receive a special limited partnership interest entitling it to distributions from our operating partnership equal to 15% of the amount by which the sum of the net selling price of each asset (which equals the proceeds actually received by us from the sale of an asset after paying off outstanding debt related to the sold asset and paying any seller related closing costs, including any commission paid to our manager in connection with the sale of the asset, less expenses allowable to the sold asset) plus distributions in respect of such asset exceeds the sum of the aggregate capital contributed by investors in respect of such asset plus an amount that would be equal to a 7% cumulative, non-compounded annual return to investors in respect of such asset (such sum, the Preferred Return). In addition, prior to any payment of distributions with respect to the special limited partnership interest for a sold asset, an amount equal to the Preferred Return for all previously sold assets must have been paid to the investors. Moreover, to the extent a distribution with respect to the special limited partnership interest has been paid to our manager for any assets sold within 60 days prior to the sale of an asset in which the Preferred Return for that asset was not met, our manager must return to us an amount up to the distribution so received for the assets sold within such 60-day period, which will be applied to any Preferred Return shortfall actually arising from the sale of the subsequent asset. Our manager is entitled to the distributions related to its special limited partnership interest in addition to any commission that may be payable to the manager upon the disposition of our assets as described above. | Not determinable at this time |
(1) | Amounts paid in respect of acquisition expenses and the general and administrative expenses fee include our portion of any expenses incurred by our manager on behalf of joint ventures in which we are a joint venturer. |
(2) | The total amount of the asset management, property management and leasing and general and administrative fees and expenses paid or reimbursed to our manager will be capped at 1.50% of total value of our assets (including cash and cash equivalents) based on the adjusted cost of our assets before reduction for depreciation, amortization, impairment charges and cumulative acquisition costs charged to expense in accordance with GAAP (adjusted cost will include the purchase price, acquisition expenses, capital expenditures and other customarily capitalized costs). |
(3) | In addition to the general and administrative expenses fee, we may reimburse our manager for certain costs and expenses it incurs in connection with the services it provides to us, including, but not limited to, personnel costs. See the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement Management Agreement included elsewhere in this prospectus for details relating to these additional costs and expenses. |
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NELL Partners, an entity controlled by Messrs. Williams and Silverstein and the sole member of our manager, owns 36,666 shares of common stock. Conflicts of interest may exist between us and our sponsor, our manager and some of their respective affiliates, including NELL Partners and other affiliates of our manager. Some of these potential conflicts include:
| The possibility that our managers affiliates may invest in properties that meet our investment profile or in markets in which we own investments and will compete for tenants and sales opportunities; |
| Competition for the time and services of personnel that work for us and our managers affiliates; |
| Substantial compensation payable by us to our manager and its affiliates for their various services, which may not be on market terms and is payable, in many cases, whether or not our stockholders receive distributions; |
| The possibility that we may acquire or consolidate with our manager to internalize our management on terms that are other than arms length; |
| The possibility that we may do business with entities that have pre-existing relationships with our managers affiliates, which may result in a conflict between our business and the ongoing business relationships our managers affiliates have with each other; |
| The possibility that our manager, its officers and their respective affiliates will face conflicts of interest relating to the purchase, leasing and disposition of properties and the acquisition of real estate-related debt and securities, and that such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, thus potentially limiting our investment opportunities, impairing our ability to make distributions and reducing the value of the common stock; |
| The possibility that our manager and its affiliates may make recommendations to us that we buy, hold or sell property or other investments that may result in payments to them; |
| The possibility that, if we acquire properties from or make investments in entities owned or sponsored by affiliates of our manager, the price may be higher than we would pay if the transaction were the result of arms-length negotiations with a third party, but we would do so only if our board of directors, including a majority of our independent directors, approves the investment and only if there is justification for such excess price and such excess is reasonable; |
| The possibility that our manager, its officers and their respective affiliates, some of whom are also our officers (and our directors), will face conflicts of interest caused by their ownership or control of our manager and their roles with other programs, resulting in actions that are not in the long-term best interests of our stockholders; |
| Conflicts of interest also may arise in connection with the potential sale or refinancing of our properties or the enforcement of agreements with our manager and its affiliates; and |
| The possibility that, if our manager and its affiliates provide services in connection with the management of a particular property, we may retain assets which are not as profitable and sell assets which provide a greater return. |
See the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Transactions Conflicts of Interest included elsewhere in this prospectus for details on these and other conflicts of interest.
We intend to elect and qualify to be taxed as a REIT, commencing with our taxable year ending on December 31, 2011. In addition, we may hold certain of our assets through taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, which may be subject to corporate-level income tax at regular rates. Our qualification as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual investment and operating results, various complex requirements under the Code, relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the
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composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the concentration of ownership of our shares of capital stock. We believe that we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our proposed method of operation will enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our REIT taxable income we distribute currently to our stockholders. Under the Code, REITs are subject to numerous organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that they distribute each year at least 90% of their REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the statutory relief provisions of the Code do not apply, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we lost our REIT qualification. Distributions to stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT would not be deductible by us, nor would they be required to be made. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income or property and to U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
We intend to conduct our operations so that our company and each of its subsidiaries are exempt from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is an investment company if it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is deemed to be an investment company if it is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis, or the 40% test. Investment securities exclude U.S. Government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
We intend to acquire real estate and real-estate related assets directly, for example, by acquiring fee interests in real property, or by purchasing interests, including controlling interests, in REITs or other real estate operating companies, such as real estate management companies and real estate development companies, that own real property. We also may acquire real estate assets through investments in joint venture entities, including joint venture entities in which we may not own a controlling interest. We anticipate that our assets generally will be held in wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries of the company, each formed to hold a particular asset.
We intend to conduct our operations so that our company and most, if not all, of its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries will comply with the 40% test. We will continuously monitor our holdings on an ongoing basis to determine the compliance of our company and each wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiary with this test. Because we expect that most of our assets will be real estate investments, we expect that most, if not all, of the companys wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries will not be relying on exemptions under either Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act. Consequently, interests in these subsidiaries (which are expected to constitute most, if not all, of our assets) generally will not constitute investment securities. Accordingly, we believe that our company and most, if not all, of its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries will not be considered investment companies under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act.
In addition, we believe that neither our company nor any of its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries will be considered investment companies under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act because they will not engage primarily, or propose to engage primarily, or hold themselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, our company and its subsidiaries will be primarily engaged in non-investment company businesses related to real estate.
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Consequently, the company and its subsidiaries expect to be able to conduct their respective operations such that none of them will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
The determination of whether an entity is a majority-owned subsidiary of our company is made by us. The Investment Company Act defines a majority-owned subsidiary of a person as a company 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of which are owned by such person, or by another company which is a majority-owned subsidiary of such person. The Investment Company Act further defines voting securities as any security presently entitling the owner or holder thereof to vote for the election of directors of a company. We treat companies in which we own at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities as majority-owned subsidiaries for purposes of the 40% test. We have not requested that the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, approve our treatment of any entity as a majority-owned subsidiary and the SEC staff has not done so. If the SEC staff were to disagree with our treatment of one or more companies as majority-owned subsidiaries, we would need to adjust our strategy and our assets in order to comply with the 40% test. Any such adjustment in our strategy could have a material adverse effect on us.
We intend to conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries fall within the definition of investment company under the Investment Company Act. If our company or any of its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries inadvertently falls within one of the definitions of investment company, we intend to rely on the exclusion provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act, which is available for entities primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate. In addition to prohibiting the issuance of certain types of securities, this exclusion generally requires that at least 55% of an entitys assets must be comprised of mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate, also known as qualifying assets, and at least 80% of the entitys assets must be comprised of qualifying assets and a broader category of assets that we refer to as real estate related assets under the Investment Company Act. Additionally, no more than 20% of the entitys assets may be comprised of miscellaneous assets.
Qualification for exemption from the definition of investment company under the Investment Company Act will limit our ability to make certain investments. For example, these restrictions may limit the ability of our company and its subsidiaries to invest directly in mortgage-related securities that represent less than the entire ownership in a pool of mortgage loans, debt and equity tranches of securitizations and certain asset-backed securities, distressed debt, subordinated debt and real estate companies or in assets not related to real estate. Although we intend to monitor our portfolio, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain this exemption from registration for our company or each of our subsidiaries.
To the extent that the SEC staff provides more specific guidance regarding any of the matters bearing upon the definition of investment company and the exceptions to that definition, we may be required to adjust our investment strategy accordingly. Additional guidance from the SEC staff could provide additional flexibility to us, or it could further inhibit our ability to pursue the investment strategy we have chosen.
To assist us in complying with the limitations on the concentration of ownership of a REIT imposed by the Code, among other purposes, our charter prohibits, with certain exceptions, any stockholder from beneficially or constructively owning, applying certain attribution rules under the Code, more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of stock or more than 9.8% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our shares of stock. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, waive the 9.8% ownership limit with respect to a particular stockholder if it is presented with certain representations and undertakings required by our charter and other evidence satisfactory to it that such ownership will not then or in the future jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. Our board of directors agreed to waive the 9.8% ownership limit with respect to the holdings by NELL Partners of 36,666 shares of common stock.
Our charter also prohibits any person from, among other things:
| beneficially or constructively owning shares of our capital stock that would result in our being closely held under Section 856(h) of the Code, or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT; or |
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| transferring shares of our capital stock if such transfer would result in our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons. |
In addition, our charter provides that any ownership or purported transfer of our capital stock in violation of the foregoing restrictions will result in the shares so owned or transferred being automatically transferred to a charitable trust for the benefit of a charitable beneficiary (or, in the case of a transfer that would result in our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, be void), and the purported owner or transferee acquiring no rights in such shares. If a transfer to a charitable trust would be ineffective for any reason to prevent a violation of the restriction, the transfer resulting in such violation will be void from the time of such purported transfer.
We intend to make regular quarterly distributions to holders of our common stock. U.S. federal income tax law generally requires that a REIT distribute annually at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain, and that it pay tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that it annually distributes less than 100% of its net taxable income. We generally intend to pay over time quarterly dividends in an amount equal to 100% of our net taxable income. We plan to pay our first dividend in respect of the period from the closing of the offerings through June 30, 2011, which may be prior to the time that we have fully used the net proceeds from the offerings to acquire our target assets. Although not currently anticipated, if our board of directors determines to authorize distributions in excess of the income or cash flow generated from our target assets, we may make such distributions from the proceeds of this or future offerings of equity or debt securities or other forms of debt financing or the sale of our assets.
Any distributions we make will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our actual results of operations. These results and our ability to pay distributions will be affected by various factors, including the net income from our portfolio of investments, our operating expenses and any other expenditures. For more information, see the section entitled Distribution Policy included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We cannot assure you that we will make any distributions to our stockholders.
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Common stock offered by us |
4,500,000 shares of common stock will be offered through our underwriters in the underwritten offering on a firm commitment basis, of which 690,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and 500,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to WOF, each of which is an affiliate of our sponsor, through our directed share program without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us other than $0.14 per share as an underwriting fee. Immediately prior to the closing of the underwritten offering, we will complete the irrevocable private placement offering to WOF of 500,000 shares of our common stock. The purchase price for each share of common stock in the private placement offering will be the same as the initial public offering price in the underwritten offering, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us. |
Capital stock to be outstanding after the offerings |
5,036,666 shares of common stock. |
Over-allotment option to purchase additional shares |
The underwriters have an option to purchase up to an additional 675,000 shares of common stock from us. The underwriters can exercise this option at any time within 30 days from the date of this prospectus. |
Financial advisor warrant |
In connection with this offering, we have also agreed to issue to International Assets Advisory, LLC, our financial advisor, the financial advisor warrant to purchase up to 150,000 shares of our common stock. If International Assets Advisory, LLC exercises this warrant, the purchase price for each share of common stock is expected to be $12.50 per share (125% of the price per share of common stock sold in this offering). Neither the warrant nor the underlying shares of common stock to be issued upon an exercise of the warrant will be registered. Under certain circumstances, the warrant also may be exercised on a cashless basis, which allows our financial advisor to elect to pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrant for that number of shares of our common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our common stock underlying the warrant, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrant and the fair market value (defined below) of the common stock by (y) the fair market value of the common stock. The fair market value shall mean the average reported last sale price of our common stock for the five trading days immediately preceding the date as of which the fair market value is being determined. |
Use of proceeds |
We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock in the underwritten offering of approximately $39.8 million, or $46.1 million |
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if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option, based on the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share, in each case after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses (including the advisory fee and expense reimbursements payable to International Assets Advisory, LLC) payable by us of approximately $4.8 million, or $5.3 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option and after deducting estimated organizational costs of approximately $0.4 million. We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock in the private placement offering of approximately $4.7 million, after deducting estimated organizational costs and offering expenses of approximately $0.3 million. The total net proceeds that we estimate we will receive from the private placement offering and the underwritten offering will be approximately $44.5 million, or $50.8 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option. We intend to invest the net proceeds to us of the private placement offering and the underwritten offering of our common stock in two or more properties with an aggregate gross value (inclusive of mortgage indebtedness) of approximately $127.2 million, or $145.1 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option, including the two properties we have identified for potential acquisition, which are more fully described in the section entitled Description of Real Estate Investments. We intend to acquire properties through the incurrence of indebtedness (secured and unsecured) constituting approximately 65% of our tangible assets value on a portfolio basis, with the balance of the acquisition cost thereof funded through the use of the net proceeds to us of the private placement offering and the underwritten offering. While currently we do not have any financing commitments in place in connection with the acquisitions of the two properties, upon completion of the offerings we expect to execute commitment letters with either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and pay a fee equal to 2% of the loan proceeds for each of the two loans, which payments will be reimbursed to us at the closing of each loan. If first mortgage financing is unavailable from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we plan to prioritize the acquisition of the two properties and use the proceeds from the offering to acquire one of the properties, as more fully described in the section entitled Description of Real Estate Investments. Neither our charter nor our by-laws contain any limitation on the amount of leverage we may use. Our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder approval, limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing. In addition, we expect to repay amounts borrowed from |
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WOF pursuant to three separate financing arrangements that aggregate approximately $1.8 million. See the section entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Liquidity and Capital Resources located elsewhere in this prospectus for details relating to these financing arrangements. Our manager may invest proceeds of the offerings in interest-bearing short-term investments that are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT, pending investment in our target assets. These initial investments are expected to provide a lower net return than we will seek to achieve from our target assets. See the section entitled Use of Proceeds included elsewhere in this prospectus. |
Proposed AMEX symbol |
APTS |
Our principal executive offices are located at 3625 Cumberland Boulevard, Suite 400, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. Our telephone number is (770) 818-4100. Our website is www.pacapts.com. The contents of our website are not part of this prospectus. The information on our website is not intended to form a part of or be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
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The purchase of shares of our common stock involves a number of risks. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in conjunction with the other information contained in this prospectus before making an investment in our common stock. The risks discussed in this prospectus could adversely affect our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. This could cause the value of our common stock to decline and/or you to lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face, but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that, as of the date of this prospectus, we deem immaterial also may harm our business.
We were incorporated on September 18, 2009, and our manager was organized on May 18, 2010, and thus we and our manager are both recently formed entities with no prior operating history and we both may be unable to successfully operate our businesses or achieve our investment objectives. The past performance of other real estate investment programs sponsored by our sponsor, John A. Williams, or his affiliates may not be indicative of the performance we may achieve. We have no income, cash flow, funds from operations or funds from which we can make distributions to you. We may not be able to conduct our business as planned and/or successfully carry out our business as planned.
You should consider our prospectus in light of the risks, uncertainties and difficulties frequently encountered by companies like ours that do not have a substantial operating history, many of which may be beyond our control. Therefore to be successful in this market, we must among other things:
| identify and acquire investments that further our investment strategy; |
| attract, integrate, motivate and retain qualified personnel to manage our day-to-day operations; |
| respond to competition both for investment opportunities and potential investors in us; and |
| build and expand our operations structure to support our business. |
We cannot guarantee that we will succeed in achieving these goals, and our failure to do so could cause you to lose all or a portion of your investment.
The past performance of prior investment programs sponsored by our sponsor is not indicative of our future results and you should not rely on such past performance to predict our future results. Our business is different in a number of respects from the operations of prior programs and our portfolio is unlikely to mirror the portfolios of the prior programs, resulting in returns to our stockholders that vary from those generated by those prior programs. Therefore, the prior programs of our sponsor, which were generally conducted through privately held entities, were not subject to the up-front commissions, fees and expenses associated with the offerings, the limitations on leverage associated with a public program, or to many of the laws and regulations to which we will be subject. Further, Post Properties, Inc., a publicly held REIT founded by our sponsor, operated under substantially different investment guidelines and economic conditions than we will face in our business. As a result of all these and other factors, you should not assume that your investment will generate returns, if any, comparable to those experienced by investors in the prior programs sponsored by our sponsor or his affiliates.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to make distributions to our stockholders is dependent upon our managers performance in the acquisition of, and arranging of financing for, investments, as well as our property managers performance in the selection of residents and the negotiation of leases. The
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current market for properties that meet our investment objectives is highly competitive, as is the leasing market for such properties. The more proceeds we raise in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering, the greater our challenge will be to invest all the net offering proceeds on attractive terms. Other than the pending investments described in this prospectus, you will not have the opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments. You must rely entirely on the oversight of our board of directors, the management ability of our manager and the performance of our manager and property manager. We cannot be sure that our manager will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms.
Additionally, as a public company, we are subject to the ongoing reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the Exchange Act, we may be required to file with the SEC financial statements of properties we acquire and investments we make in real estate-related assets. To the extent any required financial statements are not available or cannot be obtained, we will not be able to acquire the investment. As a result, we may be unable to acquire certain properties or real estate-related assets that otherwise would be a suitable investment. We could suffer delays in our investment acquisitions due to these reporting requirements.
Furthermore, if we acquire properties prior to, during, or upon completion of construction, it will typically take several months following completion of construction to rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the receipt of distributions attributable to those particular properties.
Delays we encounter in the selection and acquisition of investments could adversely affect your returns. In addition, if we are unable to invest our offering proceeds in real properties and real estate-related assets in a timely manner, we will hold the proceeds of the offerings in an interest-bearing account, invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments, which generate lower returns than we anticipate with our target assets, or, ultimately, liquidate. In such an event, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and the returns to our stockholders would be adversely affected.
The residential apartment community industry is highly competitive. This competition could reduce occupancy levels and revenues at our apartment communities, which would adversely affect our operations. We face competition from many sources, including from other apartment communities both in the immediate vicinity and the geographic market where our apartment communities are and will be located. Overbuilding of apartment communities may occur. If so, this would increase the number of apartment units available and may decrease occupancy and unit rental rates.
Furthermore, apartment communities we acquire most likely compete, or will compete, with numerous housing alternatives in attracting tenants, including owner occupied single- and multi-family homes available to rent or purchase. Competitive housing in a particular area and the increasing affordability of owner occupied single- and multi-family homes available to rent or buy caused by declining mortgage interest rates and government programs to promote home ownership could adversely affect our ability to retain our tenants, lease apartment units and increase or maintain rental rates.
The competition for apartment communities may significantly increase the price we must pay for assets we seek to acquire, and our competitors may succeed in acquiring those properties or assets themselves. In addition, our potential acquisition targets may find our competitors to be more attractive because they may have greater resources, may be willing to pay more for the properties or may have a more compatible operating philosophy. In particular, larger apartment REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investment properties may increase. This competition will result in increased demand for these assets and therefore increased prices paid for them. Because of an increased interest in single-property acquisitions among tax-motivated individual purchasers, we may pay higher prices if we purchase single properties in comparison with portfolio acquisitions. If we pay higher prices for our properties, our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to pay distributions to you may be materially and adversely affected.
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Our board of directors will determine the amount and timing of distributions. In making this determination, our directors will consider all relevant factors, the amount of cash available for distribution, capital expenditure and reserve requirements and general operational requirements. We cannot assure you how long it may take to generate sufficient available cash flow to fund distributions nor can we assure you that sufficient cash will be available to make distributions to you. With no prior operations, we cannot predict the amount of distributions you may receive and we may be unable to pay, maintain or increase distributions over time. Our inability to acquire properties or real estate-related investments may have a negative effect on our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to pay distributions.
Further, if the aggregate amount of our distributions in any given year exceeds our earnings and profits (as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), the excess amount either will be (i) a return of capital, or (ii) gain from the sale or exchange of property to the extent that a stockholders tax basis in our common stock equals or is reduced to zero as the result of our current or prior year distributions, in each case for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For further information regarding the tax consequences if we make distributions other than from funds from operations, please see the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Upon the closing of the offerings, we intend to acquire the two properties for which we have entered into purchase agreements and we intend to declare a distribution on our shares of common stock at an annual rate of $0.50 per share (5% of the initial public offering price per share) payable to our stockholders after the second quarter of 2011. This rate represents approximately 220% of our estimated cash available for distribution based on our pro forma operating results for the year ended December 31, 2010, which assume the purchase of these two properties. Therefore, we expect that our operating cash flow will be insufficient to cover our anticipated initial quarterly distribution to stockholders for the second quarter of 2011 and any such distributions thereafter.
As mentioned above, we may pay distributions from sources other than from our cash flow from operations. Until we acquire additional properties or other real estate-related investments, we will not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to pay distributions. Our inability to acquire properties or other real estate-related investments may result in a lower return on your investment than you expect. If we have not generated sufficient cash flow from our operations and other sources, such as from borrowings, sale of additional securities, advances from our manager, our managers deferral, suspension and/or waiver of its fees and expense reimbursements, to fund distributions, we may use the proceeds from the offerings. Moreover, our board of directors may change this policy, in its sole discretion, at any time. Distributions made from offering proceeds are a return of capital to stockholders, from which we will have already paid offering and organization expenses in connection with the offering. We have not established any limit on the amount of proceeds from the offerings that may be used to fund distributions, except that, in accordance with our organizational documents and Maryland law, we may not make distributions that would: (1) cause us to be unable to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business; (2) cause our total assets to be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus senior liquidation preferences, if any; or (3) jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT.
If we fund distributions from the proceeds of the offerings, we will have less funds available for acquiring properties or real estate-related investments. As a result, the return you realize on your investment may be reduced. Funding distributions from borrowings could restrict the amount we can borrow for investments, which may affect our profitability. Funding distributions with the sale of assets or the proceeds of the offerings may affect our ability to generate cash flows. Funding distributions from the sale of additional securities could dilute your interest in us if we sell shares of our common stock or securities convertible or exercisable into shares of our common stock to third party investors. Payment of distributions from the
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mentioned sources could restrict our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, affect our profitability and/or affect the distributions payable to you upon a liquidity event, any or all of which may have an adverse effect on your investment.
Currently, we do not have any agreements or letters of intent in place for any financing sources. Our strategy depends, in part, on our ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms. Recently, domestic and international financial markets have experienced unusual volatility and uncertainty. Liquidity has tightened in overall financial markets, including the investment grade debt and equity capital markets. The dislocation in the credit markets has had a negative effect on the ability of purchasers of real estate to obtain financing. Consequently, there is greater uncertainty regarding our ability to access the credit markets in order to attract financing on reasonable terms. Returns on our assets and our ability to make acquisitions could be adversely affected by our inability to secure financing on reasonable terms, if at all.
The selling price of the shares of common stock has been determined pursuant to negotiations among us and the underwriters, based upon the following primary factors: the economic conditions in and future prospects for the industry in which we compete; our prospects for future earnings; an assessment of our management; the present state of our development, including the contracts to acquire Oxford Rise and Oxford Summit; the prevailing conditions of the equity securities markets at the time of the underwritten offering; and current market valuations of public companies considered comparable to our company. Because the offering price is not based upon any independent valuation, the offering price is not indicative of the proceeds that you would receive upon liquidation.
Our board of directors is authorized, without your approval, to cause us to issue additional shares of our common stock or to raise capital through the issuance of preferred stock (including equity or debt securities convertible into preferred stock), options, warrants and other rights, on terms and for consideration as our board of directors in its sole discretion may determine. Any such issuance could result in dilution of the equity of our stockholders. Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, authorize us to issue common stock or other equity or debt securities (1) to persons from whom we purchase apartment communities, as part or all of the purchase price of the community, or (2) to our manager in lieu of cash payments required under the management agreement or other contract or obligation. Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may determine the value of any common stock or other equity or debt securities issued in consideration of apartment communities or services provided, or to be provided, to us, except that while shares of our common stock are offered by us to the public, the public offering price of the shares of our common stock will be deemed their value.
Our charter also authorizes our board of directors, without stockholder approval, to designate and issue one or more classes or series of preferred stock (including equity or debt securities convertible into preferred stock) and to set or change the voting, conversion or other rights, preferences, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions and qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of each class of shares so issued. If any preferred stock is publicly offered, the terms and conditions of such preferred stock (including any equity or debt securities convertible into preferred stock) will be set forth in a registration statement registering the issuance of such preferred stock or equity or debt securities convertible into preferred stock. Because our board of directors has the power to establish the preferences and rights of each class or series of preferred stock, it may afford the holders of any series or class of preferred stock preferences, powers, and rights senior to the rights of holders of common stock or other preferred stock. If we ever create and issue additional preferred stock or equity or debt securities convertible into preferred stock with a distribution preference over common stock or preferred stock, payment of any distribution preferences of new
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outstanding preferred stock would reduce the amount of funds available for the payment of distributions on the common stock and junior preferred stock. Further, holders of preferred stock are normally entitled to receive a preference payment if we liquidate, dissolve, or wind up before any payment is made to the common stockholders, likely reducing the amount common stockholders would otherwise receive upon such an occurrence. In addition, under certain circumstances, the issuance of additional preferred stock may delay, prevent, render more difficult or tend to discourage a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of a large block of our securities, or the removal of incumbent management.
Stockholders have no rights to buy additional shares of stock or other securities if we issue new shares of stock or other securities. We may issue common stock, convertible debt or preferred stock pursuant to a subsequent public offering or a private placement, or to sellers of properties we directly or indirectly acquire instead of, or in addition to, cash consideration. Investors purchasing common stock in the underwritten offering who do not participate in any future stock issuances will experience dilution in the percentage of the issued and outstanding stock they own. In addition, depending on the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, you also may experience dilution in the book value and fair market value of, and the amount of distributions paid on, your shares of our common stock.
On March 14, 2011, we sent letters to potential investors who may invest in our underwritten offering through our directed share program. These letters were distributed to a limited number of people, with all of whom we had a pre-existing personal or business relationship. Each letter included a copy of our preliminary prospectus filed on March 10, 2011. In addition, our recorded electronic road show presentation was temporarily posted on a website, together with an electronic link to our preliminary prospectus. We believe that these communications were free writing prospectuses permitted under SEC rules, and that our dissemination of or making available these materials did not violate the Securities Act. There nevertheless is a risk that one or both of these communications may be deemed to be a prospectus not meeting the requirements of the Securities Act, which would result in a violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act.
If the communications were ultimately determined to have violated Section 5 of the Securities Act, then purchasers in the underwritten offering that received the directed share program letters and/or viewed the electronic road show, and potentially all purchasers of shares of our common stock in the underwritten offering, would have the right under the Securities Act for a period of one year from the date of the violation to seek recovery of the consideration paid in connection with their purchases, with interest thereon but less any income received from shares, or, if they had already sold the shares of our common stock, sue for damages resulting from their purchases. The total amount of these damages could equal the gross proceeds of this offering, plus interest and the purchasers attorneys fees. The Company could be directly or indirectly responsible for these payments or damages. We also could be subject to enforcement actions by the SEC, which could result in injunctive relief or the imposition of fines. There can be no guarantee that we would be successful in refuting any of or all such claims. If any such claims were to succeed, we may not have sufficient funds to pay the resulting damages or to finance a repurchase of our shares of common stock and our business could be materially and adversely affected.
We may decide to borrow funds in order to meet the REIT minimum distribution requirements even if our management believes that the then prevailing market conditions generally are not favorable for such borrowings or that such borrowings would not be advisable in the absence of such tax considerations. If we borrow money to meet the REIT minimum distribution requirement or for other working capital needs, our expenses will increase, our net income will be reduced by the amount of interest we pay on the money we borrow and we will be obligated to repay the money we borrow from future earnings or by selling assets, any or all of which may decrease future distributions to stockholders.
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To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy certain tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, nature of our assets and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of your investment.
Currently, NELL Partners, which is controlled by Messrs. Williams and Silverstein, is the owner of 36,666 shares of our common stock. Upon the consummation of the private placement offering, Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, will own 500,000 shares of common stock. Pursuant to these holdings, our sponsor will have significant influence over management and affairs and over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets, for the foreseeable future. In addition, Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC, Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and other affiliates of our sponsor may purchase shares in the underwritten offering. These entities collectively may own or control a significant portion of our common stock. This concentrated control limits the ability of the holders of shares of common stock to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that the common stockholders not affiliated with us or our sponsor do not view as beneficial, including transactions with our manager or affiliates of our manager. Additionally, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected because of the imbalance of control among the stockholders.
We are an externally advised REIT, which means that our manager provides our management team and support personnel and administers our day-to-day business operations. We are dependent on our sponsor, John A. Williams, and on our manager and their affiliates to manage our operations and acquire and manage our portfolio of real estate assets. Our manager will make all decisions with respect to the management of our company. Our manager will depend upon the fees and other compensation that it will receive from us in connection with the purchase, management and sale of our investments to conduct its operations. Any adverse changes in the financial condition of, or our relationship with, our sponsor, our manager or their affiliates could hinder their ability to successfully manage our operations and our portfolio of investments.
In February 2010, iStar Tara, LLC filed a lawsuit seeking confirmation of foreclosure relating to the Mansion Hotel property in Atlanta, Georgia, where Mr. Williams, our sponsor, served as guarantor to a loan entered into by Mansion Centre Development related to the property. In addition, Mr. Williams is party to a related lawsuit on personal guarantees given by Mr. Williams for the benefit of Mansion Centre Development. The claims against Mr. Williams in these legal proceedings, if adversely determined against Mr. Williams, would have a material adverse effect on Mr. Williams' net worth. Mr. Williams has informed us of his belief that he has meritorious defenses against these claims and plans to pursue such defenses vigorously.
In June 2010, litigation was initiated by, among others, Mr. Williams and Leonard Silverstein, our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and a Director, for a judicial declaration that they have no liability under certain guarantees executed by them in favor of Synovus Bank (as successor-in-interest to Bank of North Georgia) in connection with certain real estate loans on the basis that all such liabilities were allegedly released by Synovus Bank pursuant to an agreement. Synovus Bank has asserted counterclaims
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against, among other counterclaim defendants, Messrs. Williams and Silverstein, including counterclaims alleging that Messrs. Williams and Silverstein remain liable to Synovus Bank pursuant to the guarantees at issue. The counterclaims against each of Messrs. Williams and Silverstein in these legal proceedings, if adversely determined against him, would have a material adverse effect on his net worth. Messrs. Williams and Silverstein have informed us of their respective beliefs that they have meritorious defenses against these counterclaims and plan to pursue such defenses vigorously.
In April 2010, RBC Bank (USA) filed a lawsuit against, among others, Mr. Williams alleging that he is liable to RBC Bank (USA) for breach of certain guaranties executed by Mr. Williams in favor of RBC Bank (USA) in connection with certain real estate loans. The claims against Mr. Williams in these legal proceedings, if adversely determined against Mr. Williams, would have a material adverse effect on Mr. Williams net worth. Mr. Williams has informed us of his belief that he has meritorious defenses against these claims and plans to pursue such defenses vigorously.
Our manager has broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering, and you will have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments that are not described in this prospectus or other periodic filings with the SEC. We will rely on the management ability of our manager, subject to the oversight and approval of our board of directors. Accordingly, you should not purchase shares of our common stock unless you are willing to entrust all aspects of our day-to-day management to our manager. If our manager suffers or is distracted by adverse financial or operational problems in connection with its operations or the operations of our sponsor unrelated to us, our manager may be unable to allocate time and/or resources to our operations. If our manager is unable to allocate sufficient resources to oversee and perform our operations for any reason, we may be unable to achieve our investment objectives or to pay distributions to you.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain of our executive officers and other key personnel of our manager. In particular, we depend on the skills and expertise of John A. Williams, the director of our investment strategies. Neither we nor our manager has an employment agreement with any of our or its key personnel, including Mr. Williams, and we cannot guarantee that all, or any, will remain affiliated with us or our manager. If any of our key personnel were to cease their affiliation with our manager, our operating results could suffer. Further, we do not intend to maintain key person life insurance that would provide us with proceeds in the event of death or disability of Mr. Williams or any of our key personnel.
We believe our future success depends upon our managers ability to hire and retain highly skilled managerial, operational and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we cannot assure you that our manager will be successful in attracting and retaining such skilled personnel. If our manager loses or is unable to obtain the services of key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, and the value of your investment may decline.
Furthermore, our manager may retain independent contractors to provide various services for us, including administrative services, transfer agent services and professional services. Such contractors have no fiduciary duty to our manager or us and may not perform as expected or desired. Any such services provided by independent contractors will be paid for by us as an operating expense.
Our manager and its affiliates will perform services for us in connection with, among other things, the offer and sale of our shares, the selection and acquisition of our investments, and the management and leasing of our properties, the servicing of our mortgage, bridge, mezzanine or other loans, the administration of our other investments and the disposition of our assets. They will be paid substantial fees for these services. These
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fees will reduce the amount of cash available for investment or distributions to stockholders. For a detailed discussion of these fees, see Our Manager and Management Agreement Management Compensation.
From time to time, our sponsor, our manager and/or their affiliates may agree to waive or defer all or a portion of the acquisition, asset management or other fees, compensation or incentives due to them, pay general administrative expenses or otherwise supplement stockholder returns in order to increase the amount of cash available to make distributions to stockholders. If our sponsor, our manager and/or their affiliates choose to no longer waive or defer such fees and incentives, our results of operations will be lower than in previous periods and your return on your investment could be negatively affected.
Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, business combinations between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as: (i) any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation; or (ii) an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation.
A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.
After the expiration of the five-year period described above, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder must generally be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
| 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and |
| two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation, other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected, or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder. |
These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporations common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under the Maryland General Corporation Law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. The Maryland General Corporation Law also permits various exemptions from these provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Pursuant to the statute, our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination with Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the super-majority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC. As a result, Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. See the sections entitled Description of Securities Business Combinations included elsewhere in this prospectus.
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Our board of directors determines our major policies, including with regard to financing, growth, debt capitalization, REIT qualification and distributions. Our board of directors may amend or revise these and other policies without a vote of the stockholders. Under our charter and the Maryland General Corporation Law, our stockholders generally have a right to vote only on the following matters:
| the election or removal of directors; |
| the amendment of our charter, except that our board of directors may amend our charter without stockholder approval to: |
| change our name; |
| change the name or other designation or the par value of any class or series of stock and the aggregate par value of our stock; |
| increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock that we have the authority to issue; |
| increase or decrease the number of our shares of any class or series of stock that we have the authority to issue; and |
| effect certain reverse stock splits; |
| our liquidation and dissolution; and |
| our being a party to a merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets or statutory share exchange. |
All other matters are subject to the discretion of our board of directors.
Our charter authorizes us to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of common or preferred stock, without stockholder approval, up to 415,066,666 shares. In addition, our board of directors may, without stockholder approval, amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of our stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue and classify or reclassify any unissued shares of common or preferred stock and set the preferences, rights and other terms of the classified or reclassified shares. As a result, our board of directors may establish a class or series of shares of common or preferred stock that could delay or prevent a merger, third party tender offer or similar transaction or a change in incumbent management that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.
We are a holding company with no business operations of our own. Our only significant asset is and will be the general and limited partnership interests in our operating partnership. We conduct, and intend to conduct, all of our business operations through our operating partnership. Accordingly, our only source of cash to pay our obligations is distributions from our operating partnership and its subsidiaries of their net earnings and cash flows. We cannot assure you that our operating partnership or its subsidiaries will be able to, or be permitted to, make distributions to us that will enable us to make distributions to our stockholders from cash flows from operations. Each of our operating partnerships subsidiaries is or will be a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from such entities. In addition, because we are a holding company, your claims as stockholders will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of our operating partnership and its subsidiaries will be able to satisfy your claims as stockholders only after all of our and our operating partnerships and its subsidiaries liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.
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The Maryland General Corporation Law provides that a director has no liability in such capacity if he performs his duties in good faith, in a manner he reasonably believes to be in our best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. A director who performs his or her duties in accordance with the foregoing standards should not be liable to us or any other person for failure to discharge his or her obligations as a director.
In addition, our charter provides that our directors and officers will not be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages unless the director or officer actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services, or is adjudged to be liable to us or our stockholders based on a finding that his or her action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding. Our charter also requires us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to any individual who is a present or former director or officer and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or any individual who, while a director or officer and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. With the approval of our board of directors, we may provide such indemnification and advance for expenses to any individual who served a predecessor of the Company in any of the capacities described above and any employee or agent of the Company or a predecessor of the Company, including our manager and its affiliates. For details regarding the circumstances under which we are required or authorized to indemnify and to advance expenses to our directors, officers or our manager, see the section entitled Our Management Limitation of Liability and Indemnification included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We also are permitted to purchase and maintain insurance or provide similar protection on behalf of any directors, officers, employees and agents, including our manager and its affiliates, against any liability asserted which was incurred in any such capacity with us or arising out of such status. This may result in us having to expend significant funds, which will reduce the available cash for distribution to our stockholders.
In the future, our board of directors may consider internalizing the functions performed for us by our manager by acquiring our managers assets. The method by which we could internalize these functions could take many forms. There is no assurance that internalizing our management functions will be beneficial to us and our stockholders. Such an acquisition could also result in dilution of your interests as a stockholder and could reduce earnings per share and funds from operation per share. For example, we may not realize the perceived benefits or we may not be able to properly integrate a new staff of managers and employees or we may not be able to effectively replicate the services provided previously by our manager or its affiliates. Internalization transactions involving the acquisition of managers affiliated with entity sponsors have also, in some cases, been the subject of litigation. Even if these claims are without merit, we could be forced to spend significant amounts of time and money defending claims which would reduce the amount of time and funds available for us to invest in properties or other investments and to pay distributions. All these factors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay distributions.
We are not registered, and do not intend to register ourselves or any of our subsidiaries, as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we become obligated to register the company or any of our subsidiaries as an investment company, the registered entity would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act imposing, among other things, limitations on
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capital structure, restrictions on specified investments, prohibitions on transactions with affiliates and compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations.
We intend to conduct our operations, directly and through wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, so that we and each of our subsidiaries are exempt from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is not deemed to be an investment company if it neither is, nor holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, nor proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is not deemed to be an investment company if it neither is engaged, nor proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and does not own or propose to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
We believe that we and most, if not all, of our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries will not be considered investment companies under either Section 3(a)(1)(A) or Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act. If we or any of our wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries would ever inadvertently fall within one of the definitions of investment company, we intend to rely on the exception provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(c)(5)(C), the SEC staff generally requires a company to maintain at least 55% of its assets directly in qualifying assets and at least 80% of qualifying assets in a broader category of real estate related assets to qualify for this exception. Mortgage-related securities may or may not constitute qualifying assets, depending on the characteristics of the mortgage-related securities, including the rights that we have with respect to the underlying loans. The companys ownership of mortgage-related securities, therefore, is limited by provisions of the Investment Company Act and SEC staff interpretations. See the section entitled Business Our Investment Strategy included elsewhere in this prospectus.
The method we use to classify our assets for purposes of the Investment Company Act will be based in large measure upon no-action positions taken by the SEC staff in the past. These no-action positions were issued in accordance with factual situations that may be substantially different from the factual situations we may face, and a number of these no-action positions were issued more than ten years ago. No assurance can be given that the SEC staff will concur with our classification of our assets. In addition, the SEC staff may, in the future, issue further guidance that may require us to re-classify our assets for purposes of qualifying for an exclusion from regulation under the Investment Company Act. If we are required to re-classify our assets, we may no longer be in compliance with the exclusion from the definition of an investment company provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act.
A change in the value of any of our assets could cause us or one or more of our wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries to fall within the definition of investment company and negatively affect our ability to maintain our exemption from regulation under the Investment Company Act. To avoid being required to register us or any of our subsidiaries as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income- or loss-generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire interests in companies that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our investment strategy.
As part of our managers obligations under the management agreement, our manager will agree to refrain from taking any action which, in its sole judgment made in good faith, would subject us to regulation under the Investment Company Act. Failure to maintain an exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act would require us to significantly restructure our business plan. For example, because affiliate transactions are generally prohibited under the Investment Company Act, we would not be able to enter into transactions with any of our affiliates if we are required to register as an investment company, and we may be required to terminate our management agreement and any other agreements with affiliates, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business and pay distributions. If we were required to register us as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our
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business, and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business.
We rely on our executive officers and the executive officers and employees of our manager and its affiliates for the day-to-day operation of our business. These persons also conduct or may conduct in the future day-to-day operations of other programs and entities sponsored by or affiliated with our manager or sponsor. Because these persons have or may have such interests in other real estate programs and engage in other business activities, they may experience conflicts of interest in allocating their time and resources among our business and these other activities. The amount of time that our manager and its affiliates spend on our business will vary from time to time and is expected to be more while we are raising money and acquiring investments. During times of intense activity in other programs and ventures, they may devote less time and fewer resources to our business than are necessary or appropriate to manage our business. We expect that as our real estate activities expand, our manager will attempt to hire additional employees who would devote substantially all their time to our business. There is no assurance that our manager will devote adequate time to our business. If our manager, our sponsor or any of their respective affiliates suffers or is distracted by adverse financial or operational problems in connection with its operations unrelated to us, it may allocate less time and resources to our operations. If any of the foregoing events occur, the returns on our investments, our ability to make distributions to stockholders and the value of your investment may suffer.
Our executive officers and the employees of our manager, our sponsor and their respective affiliates on which we rely could make substantial profits as a result of investment opportunities allocated to entities other than us. As a result, these individuals could pursue transactions that may not be in our best interest, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and your investment. Our manager and its affiliates may, in the future, be engaged in other activities that could result in potential conflicts of interest with the services that they will provide to us. In addition, our sponsor or his affiliates may compete with us for the acquisition and/or refinancing of properties.
Our manager and its affiliates will receive substantial fees from us, including distributions with respect to our managers special limited partnership interest in the operating partnership, which entitles our manager to receive a participation in net sales proceeds. See the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement Management Compensation Special Limited Partnership Interest included elsewhere in this prospectus for information relating to the calculation of distributions with respect to the special limited partnership interest and conditions under which it may be paid. Further, our manager will receive an asset management fee based on the total value of our assets, and its affiliates will receive fees based on our revenues, which, in each case, could incent our manager to use higher levels of leverage to finance investments or accumulate assets to increase fees than would otherwise be in our best interests. These fees could influence our managers advice to us, as well as the judgment of the affiliates of our manager who serve as our officers and directors. Among other matters, the acquisition or disposition fees and other possible fees payable to affiliates of our manager in connection with its services for the seller or buyer, could affect the judgment of our manager or its affiliates with respect to property acquisitions from, or the making of investments in, other programs sponsored by our sponsor. Therefore, considerations relating to their compensation from other programs could result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders, which could hurt our income and, as a result, our ability to make distributions to you and/or lead to a decline in the value of your investment.
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Our manager is controlled by our sponsor, and is thus subject to an inherent conflict of interest. Specifically, because the manager or its affiliates will receive significant fees for property and asset management of our properties, our manager may face a conflict of interest when determining whether we should sell properties, including under circumstances where the manager or its affiliates would no longer manage the property after the transaction. As a result of this conflict of interest, we may not dispose of properties when it would be in our best interests to do so.
The prices we pay to affiliates of our manager for our properties will be equal to the prices paid by them, plus the costs incurred by them relating to the acquisition and financing of the properties, or if the price to us is in excess of such cost, substantial justification for such excess will exist and such excess will be reasonable and consistent with current market conditions as determined by a majority of our independent directors. Substantial justification for a higher price could result from improvements to a property by the affiliate of our manager or increases in market value of the property during the period of time the property is owned by the affiliate as evidenced by an appraisal of the property. In no event will we acquire property from an affiliate at an amount in excess of its then current appraised value as determined by averaging the appraisals of two independent appraisers selected by our independent directors not otherwise interested in the transaction. An appraisal is current if obtained within six months. These prices will not be the subject of arms-length negotiations, which could mean that the acquisitions may be on terms less favorable to us than those negotiated in an arms-length transaction. Even though we will use independent third party appraisals to determine fair market value when acquiring properties from our manager and its affiliates, we may pay more for particular properties than we would have in an arms-length transaction, which would reduce our cash available for other investments or distribution to our stockholders.
If we purchase properties from third parties who have sold, or may sell, properties to our manager or its affiliates, our manager may experience a conflict between our current interests and its interest in preserving any ongoing business relationship with these sellers. As a result of this conflict, the terms of any transaction between us and such third parties may not reflect the terms that we could receive in the market on an arms-length basis. If the terms we receive in a transaction are less favorable to us, our results from operations may be adversely affected.
Any existing or future agreements between us and our sponsor, our manager or any of their respective affiliates were not and will not be reached through arms-length negotiations. Thus, such agreements may require us to pay more than we would if we were using unaffiliated third parties. The management agreement, the operating partnership agreement and the terms of the compensation to our manager and its affiliates or distributions to our manager were not arrived at through arms-length negotiations. The terms of the management agreement, the operating partnership agreement and similar agreements may not solely reflect your best interest and may be overly favorable to the other party to such agreements including in terms of the substantial compensation to be paid to or the potential substantial distributions to these parties under these agreements.
John A. Williams controls our manager. In addition, Mr. Williams is our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors and the President and Chief Executive Officer of our manager. As a result, Mr. Williams has a direct interest in all fees paid to our manager and is in a position to make
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decisions about our investments in ways that could maximize fees payable to our manager and its affiliates. Some compensation is payable to our manager whether or not there is cash available to make distributions to our stockholders. To the extent this occurs, our manager and its affiliates benefit from us retaining ownership and leveraging our assets, while our stockholders may be better served by the sale or disposition of, or lack of leverage on, the assets. For example, because asset management fees payable to our manager are based on total assets under management, including assets purchased using debt, our manager may have an incentive to incur a high level of leverage in order to increase the total amount of assets under management. In addition, our managers ability to receive fees and reimbursements depends on our revenues from continued investment in real properties and real estate-related investments. Therefore, the interest of our manager and its affiliates in receiving fees may conflict with the interest of our stockholders in earning a return on their investment in our common stock.
Our sponsor or his affiliates have sponsored existing programs with investment objectives and strategies similar to ours, and may sponsor other similar programs in the future. Our sponsor and his affiliates are not prohibited from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any other business or from possessing interests in any other business ventures, including ventures involved in the acquisition, development, ownership, management, leasing or sale of real estate. Our sponsor and/or one or more of his affiliates may simultaneously owe fiduciary duties to us and one or more of these business ventures. If our sponsor or his affiliates breach their fiduciary or contractual obligations to us, or do not resolve conflicts of interest, we may not meet our investment objectives, which could reduce our expected cash available for distributions to you.
Our sponsor and/or his affiliates may own and/or manage properties in the same geographical areas in which we expect to acquire real estate assets or may compete with us for acquisitions of these assets. Our properties may compete for tenants with other properties owned and/or managed by our sponsor and his affiliates. Our sponsor may face conflicts of interest when evaluating acquisitions as well as tenant opportunities for our properties and other properties owned and/or managed by our sponsor and his affiliates, and these conflicts of interest may have a negative impact on our ability to acquire suitable investments and attract and retain tenants for our properties.
In accordance with our acquisition strategies, we may make investments in joint ventures or other partnership arrangements between us and affiliates of our sponsor or with unaffiliated third parties. We also may purchase properties in partnerships, co-tenancies or other co-ownership arrangements. Such investments may involve risks not otherwise present when acquiring real estate directly, including, for example:
| joint venturers may share certain approval rights over major decisions; |
| a co-venturer, co-owner or partner may at any time have economic or business interests or goals which are or which become inconsistent with our business interests or goals, including inconsistent goals relating to the sale of properties held in the joint venture or the timing of termination or liquidation of the joint venture; |
| the possibility that our co-venturer, co-owner or partner in an investment might become insolvent or bankrupt; |
| the possibility that we may incur liabilities as a result of an action taken by our co-venturer, co-owner or partner; |
| that such co-venturer, co-owner or partner may be in a position to take action contrary to our instructions or requests or contrary to our policies or objectives, including our policy with respect to qualifying and maintaining our qualification as a REIT; |
| disputes between us and our joint venturers may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and directors from focusing their time and effort on our business and result in subjecting the properties owned by the applicable joint venture to additional risk; or |
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| that under certain joint venture arrangements, neither venture partner may have the power to control the venture, and an impasse could be reached which might have a negative influence on the joint venture. |
These events could result in, among other things, exposing us to liabilities of the joint venture in excess of our proportionate share of these liabilities. The partition rights of each owner in a jointly owned property could reduce the value of each portion of the divided property. Moreover, there is an additional risk neither co-venturer will have the power to control the venture, and under certain circumstances, an impasse could be reached regarding matters pertaining to the co-ownership arrangement, which might have a negative influence on the joint venture and decrease potential returns to you. In addition, the fiduciary obligation that our sponsor or our board of directors may owe to our partner in an affiliated transaction may make it more difficult for us to enforce our rights.
If we have a right of first refusal or buy/sell right to buy out a co-venturer, co-owner or partner, we may be unable to finance such a buy-out if it becomes exercisable or we may be required to purchase such interest at a time when it would not otherwise be in our best interest to do so. If our interest is subject to a buy/sell right, we may not have sufficient cash, available borrowing capacity or other capital resources to allow us to elect to purchase an interest of a co-venturer subject to the buy/sell right, in which case we may be forced to sell our interest as the result of the exercise of such right when we would otherwise prefer to keep our interest. Finally, we may not be able to sell our interest in a joint venture if we desire to exit the venture.
A multifamily propertys income and value may be adversely affected by international, national and regional economic conditions. Currently, the U.S. and international markets are experiencing increased levels of volatility due to a combination of many factors, including decreasing values of home prices and commercial real estate, limited access to credit markets, increased energy costs, increased unemployment rates, and recovery from the recent national and global recession. If such conditions persist, the multifamily real estate industry may experience a significant decline in business caused by a reduction in overall renters. The current weak economy and increase in unemployment rates also may have an adverse affect on our operations if the tenants occupying the multifamily properties we acquire cease making rent payments to us.
In addition, local real estate conditions such as an oversupply of properties or a reduction in demand for properties, availability of for sale properties, competition from other similar properties, our ability to provide adequate maintenance, insurance and management services, increased operating costs (including real estate taxes), the attractiveness and location of the property and changes in market rental rates, may adversely affect a propertys income and value. The continued rise in energy costs could result in higher operating costs, which may adversely affect our results from operations. In addition, local conditions in the markets in which we own or intend to own properties may significantly affect occupancy or rental rates at such properties. The risks that may adversely affect conditions in those markets include: layoffs, business closings, relocations of significant local employers and other events negatively impacting local employment rates and the local economy; an oversupply of, or a lack of demand for, apartments; a decline in household formation; the inability or unwillingness of residents to pay rent increases; and rent control, rent stabilization and other housing laws, which could prevent us from raising rents.
We cannot predict when the multifamily real estate market will recover. Therefore, to the extent that there are adverse economic conditions in the multifamily market, such conditions could result in a reduction of our income and cash available for distributions and thus affect the amount of distributions we can make to you.
Our loans held for investment generally will be directly or indirectly secured by a lien on real property, or the equity interests in an entity that owns real property, that, upon the occurrence of a default on the loan, could result in our acquiring ownership of the property. We will not know whether the values of the properties
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ultimately securing our loans will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination of those loans. If the values of the underlying properties decline, our risk will increase because of the lower value of the security associated with such loans. In this manner, real estate values could impact the values of our loan investments. Any investments in mortgage-related securities, collateralized debt obligations and other real estate-related investments (including potential investments in real property) may be similarly affected by real estate property values. Therefore, our investments will be subject to the risks typically associated with real estate.
The value of real estate may be adversely affected by a number of risks, including:
| natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods; |
| acts of war or terrorism, including the consequences of terrorist attacks, such as those that occurred on September 11, 2001; |
| adverse changes in national and local economic and real estate conditions; |
| an oversupply of (or a reduction in demand for) space in the areas where particular properties are located and the attractiveness of particular properties to prospective tenants; |
| changes in governmental laws and regulations, fiscal policies and zoning ordinances and the related costs of compliance therewith and the potential for liability under applicable laws; |
| costs of remediation and liabilities associated with environmental conditions affecting properties; and |
| the potential for uninsured or underinsured property losses. |
The value of each property is affected significantly by its ability to generate cash flow and net income, which in turn depends on the amount of rental or other income that can be generated net of expenses required to be incurred with respect to the property. Many expenditures associated with properties (such as operating expenses and capital expenditures) cannot be reduced when there is a reduction in income from the properties. These factors may have a material adverse effect on the ability of the borrowers to pay their loans, as well as on the value that we can realize from assets we own or acquire.
Natural disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and floods, could significantly reduce the value of our properties. While we will attempt to obtain adequate insurance coverage for natural disasters, insurance may be too expensive or may not properly compensate us for the long-term loss in value that a property may suffer if the area around it suffers a significant natural disaster. As a result, we may not be compensated for the loss in value. Any diminution in the value of our properties or properties underlying an investment that is not fully reimbursed will reduce our profitability and adversely affect the value of your investment.
We cannot predict the severity of the effect that potential future terrorist attacks would have on us. We may suffer losses as a result of the adverse impact of any future attacks and these losses may adversely impact our performance and the value of our real estate. The events of September 11, 2001 created significant uncertainty regarding the ability of real estate owners to obtain insurance coverage protecting against terrorist attacks at commercially reasonable rates. We may not be able to obtain insurance against the risk of terrorism because it may not be available or may not be available on terms that are economically feasible. The terrorism insurance that we obtain may not be sufficient to cover loss for damages to our properties as a result of terrorist attacks. The inability to obtain sufficient terrorism insurance or any terrorism insurance at all could limit our investment options as some mortgage lenders insist that specific coverage against terrorism be purchased by commercial owners as a condition of providing loans. We intend to obtain terrorism insurance if required by our lenders, but the terrorism insurance that we obtain may not be sufficient to cover loss for damages to our properties as a result of terrorist attacks. In addition, where insurance against the risk of terrorism is not available or is not available on terms that are economically feasible, we may be required to
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provide other financial support, either through financial assurances or self-insurance, to cover potential losses. We cannot assure you that we will have adequate coverage for such losses.
Our properties are subject to various covenants and local laws and regulatory requirements, including permitting and licensing requirements. Local regulations, including municipal or local ordinances, zoning restrictions and restrictive covenants imposed by community developers, may restrict our use of our properties and may require us to obtain approval from local officials or community standards organizations at any time with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations of any of our existing properties. Among other things, these restrictions may relate to fire and safety, seismic, asbestos-cleanup or hazardous material abatement requirements. We cannot assure you that existing regulatory policies will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or renovations, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that would increase such delays or result in additional costs. Our growth strategy may be materially and adversely affected by our ability to obtain permits, licenses and zoning approvals. Our failure to obtain such permits, licenses and zoning approvals could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our properties are generally expected to be subject to the Disabilities Act. Under the Disabilities Act, all places of public accommodation are required to comply with federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The Disabilities Act has separate compliance requirements for public accommodations and commercial facilities that generally require that buildings and services be made accessible and available to people with disabilities. The Disabilities Acts requirements could require removal of access barriers and could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, monetary penalties or, in some cases, an award of damages. We will attempt to acquire properties that comply with the Disabilities Act or place the burden on the seller or a third party to ensure compliance with such laws. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to acquire properties or allocate responsibilities in this manner. If we cannot, our funds used for compliance with these laws may affect cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions to you.
The multifamily communities we acquire must comply with Title III of the Disabilities Act, to the extent that such properties are public accommodations and/or commercial facilities, as defined by the Disabilities Act. Compliance with the Disabilities Act could require removal of structural barriers to handicapped access in certain public areas of our multifamily communities where such removal is readily achievable. The Disabilities Act does not, however, consider residential properties, such as multifamily communities to be public accommodations or commercial facilities, except to the extent portions of such facilities, such as the leasing office, are open to the public.
We must comply with the FHAA, which requires that apartment communities first occupied after March 13, 1991 be accessible to handicapped residents and visitors. Compliance with the FHAA could require removal of structural barriers to handicapped access in a community, including the interiors of apartment units covered under the FHAA. Recently there has been heightened scrutiny of multifamily housing communities for compliance with the requirements of the FHAA and Disabilities Act and an increasing number of substantial enforcement actions and private lawsuits have been brought against apartment communities to ensure compliance with these requirements. Noncompliance with the FHAA could result in the imposition of fines, awards of damages to private litigants, payment of attorneys fees and other costs to plaintiffs, substantial litigation costs and substantial costs of remediation.
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Our properties will be subject to increases in tax rates, utility costs, operating expenses, insurance costs, repairs and maintenance, administrative and other expenses. Some of the leases on our properties may require the tenants to pay all or a portion of utility costs; however, most of these costs will be borne by us. Such increased expenses could adversely affect funds available for future acquisitions or cash available for distributions.
We intend to rely primarily on our cash flow from operations to make distributions to our stockholders. The cash flow from equity investments in our multifamily properties depends on the amount of revenue generated and expenses incurred in operating our properties. The revenue generated and expenses incurred in operating our properties depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. For instance, rents from our properties may not increase as expected or the real estate-related investments we purchase may not generate the anticipated returns. If our investments do not generate revenue sufficient to meet our operating expenses, debt service and capital expenditures, our cash flows and ability to make distributions to you will be adversely affected.
The multifamily real estate market may experience substantial influxes of capital from investors. This substantial flow of capital, combined with significant competition for real estate, may result in inflated purchase prices for such assets and compression of capitalization rates. To the extent we purchase real estate in such an environment, we are subject to the risk that, if the real estate market subsequently ceases to attract the same level of capital investment, or if the number of companies seeking to acquire such assets decreases, our returns will be lower and the value of our assets may not appreciate or may decrease significantly below the amount we paid for such assets.
In connection with the acquisition of a property, we may agree on restrictions that prohibit the sale of that property for a period of time or impose other restrictions, such as a limitation on the amount of debt that can be placed or repaid on that property. Even absent such restrictions, the real estate market is affected by many factors that are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and supply and demand. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us, or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property or real estate-related asset. If we are unable to sell a property or real estate-related asset when we determine to do so, it could have a significant adverse effect on our cash flow and results of operations. As a result, we may not have funds to make distributions to our stockholders.
Real estate investments are relatively illiquid, and as a result, we will have a limited ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. We also will have a limited ability to sell assets in order to fund working capital and similar capital needs. When we sell any of our properties, we may not realize a gain on such sale. We may elect not to distribute any proceeds from the sale of properties to our stockholders; for example, we may use such proceeds to:
| purchase additional properties; |
| repay debt, if any; |
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| buy out interests of any co-venturers or other partners in any joint venture in which we are a party; |
| create working capital reserves; or |
| make repairs, maintenance, tenant improvements or other capital improvements or expenditures to our remaining properties. |
The prices that we can obtain when we determine to sell a property will depend on many factors that are presently unknown, including the operating history, tax treatment of real estate investments, demographic trends in the area and available financing. There is a risk that we will not realize any significant appreciation on our investment in a property. Accordingly, your ability to recover all or any portion of your investment under such circumstances will depend on the amount of funds so realized and claims to be satisfied therefrom.
Our ability to sell our properties also may be limited by our need to avoid a 100% penalty tax that is imposed on gain recognized by a REIT from the sale of property characterized as dealer property. In order to ensure that we avoid such characterization we may be required to hold our properties for a minimum period of time and comply with certain other requirements in the Code, or possibly hold some properties through TRSs that must pay full corporate-level income taxes.
Our anticipated acquisition activities are subject to many risks. We may acquire properties that are subject to liabilities or that have problems relating to environmental condition, state of title, physical condition or compliance with zoning laws, building codes, or other legal requirements. In each case, our acquisition may be without any, or with only limited, recourse with respect to unknown liabilities or conditions. As a result, if any liability were asserted against us relating to those properties or entities, or if any adverse condition existed with respect to the properties or entities, we might have to pay substantial sums to settle or cure it, which could adversely affect our cash flow and operating results. However, some of these liabilities may be covered by insurance. In addition, we intend to perform customary due diligence regarding each property or entity we acquire. We also will attempt to obtain appropriate representations and undertakings from the sellers of the properties or entities we acquire, although it is possible that the sellers may not have the resources to satisfy their indemnification obligations if a liability arises. Unknown liabilities to third parties with respect to properties or entities acquired might include, without limitation:
| liabilities for clean-up of undisclosed environmental contamination; |
| claims by tenants or other persons dealing with the former owners of the properties; |
| liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business; and |
| claims for indemnification by general partners, directors, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of the properties. |
Such liabilities could cause losses that adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety. Examples of Federal laws include: National Environmental Policy Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Federal Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act and the Hazard Communication Act. These laws and regulations generally govern wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and above-ground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous
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materials, and the remediation of contamination associated with disposals. Some of these laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on residents, owners or operators for the costs of investigation or remediation of contaminated properties, regardless of fault or the legality of the original disposal. In addition, the presence of these substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or rent the property or to use the property as collateral for future borrowing.
There also may be potential liability associated with lead-based paint arising from lawsuits alleging personal injury and related claims. The existence of lead paint is especially a concern in residential units. A structure built prior to 1978 may contain lead-based paint and may present a potential for exposure to lead, however, structures built after 1978 are not likely to contain lead-based paint.
Properties values also may be affected by their proximity to electric transmission lines. Electric transmission lines are one of many sources of electro-magnetic fields, or EMFs, to which people may be exposed. Research completed regarding potential health concerns associated with exposure to EMFs has produced inconclusive results. Notwithstanding the lack of conclusive scientific evidence, some states now regulate the strength of electric and magnetic fields emanating from electric transmission lines, and other states have required transmission facilities to measure for levels of EMFs. On occasion, lawsuits have been filed (primarily against electric utilities) that allege personal injuries from exposure to transmission lines and EMFs, as well as from fear of adverse health effects due to such exposure. This fear of adverse health effects from transmission lines has been considered both when property values have been determined to obtain financing and in condemnation proceedings. We may not, in certain circumstances, search for electric transmission lines near our properties, but are aware of the potential exposure to damage claims by persons exposed to EMFs.
Recently, indoor air quality issues, including mold, have been highlighted in the media and the industry is seeing mold claims from lessees rising. Due to such recent increase in mold claims and given that the law relating to mold is unsettled and subject to change, we could incur losses from claims relating to the presence of, or exposure to, mold or other microbial organisms, particularly if we are unable to maintain adequate insurance to cover such losses. We also may incur unexpected expenses relating to the abatement of mold on properties that we may acquire.
Limited quantities of asbestos-containing materials are present in various building materials such as floor coverings, ceiling texture material, acoustical tiles and decorative treatment. Environmental laws govern the presence, maintenance and removal of asbestos. These laws could be used to impose liability for release of, and exposure to, hazardous substances, including asbestos-containing materials, into the air. Such laws require that owners or operators of buildings containing asbestos (i) properly manage and maintain the asbestos, (ii) notify and train those who may come into contact with asbestos, and (iii) undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, if asbestos would be disturbed during renovation or demolition of a building. These laws may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators of real properties for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. As the owner of our properties, we may be liable for any such costs.
Compliance with new or more stringent laws or regulations or stricter interpretation of existing laws may require material expenditures by us. We cannot assure you that future laws, ordinances or regulations will not impose any material environmental liability, or that the current environmental condition of our properties will not be affected by the operations of residents, existing conditions of the land, operations in the vicinity of the properties, or the activities of unrelated third parties. In addition, there are various local, state and federal fire, health, life-safety and similar regulations that we may be required to comply with. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in fines and/or damages, suspension of personnel of our manager and/or other sanctions.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real property may be liable for the cost of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on, under or in such property. The costs of removal or remediation could be substantial.
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These laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the hazardous or toxic substances.
Environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures. Environmental laws provide for sanctions in the event of noncompliance and may be enforced by governmental agencies or, in certain circumstances, by private parties. Certain environmental laws and common law principles govern the presence, maintenance, removal and disposal of certain building materials, including asbestos and lead-based paint (which are both discussed above).
The cost of defending against such claims of liability, of compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of paying personal injury claims could materially adversely affect our business, assets or results of operations and, consequently, amounts available for distribution to you.
We cannot assure you that properties which we acquire will not have any material environmental conditions, liabilities or compliance concerns. Accordingly, we have no way of determining at this time the magnitude of any potential liability to which we may be subject arising out of environmental conditions or violations with respect to the properties we own.
If we suffer losses that are not covered by insurance or that are in excess of insurance coverage, we could lose invested capital and anticipated profits. We intend to obtain comprehensive insurance for our properties, including casualty, liability, fire, extended coverage and rental loss customarily obtained for similar properties in amounts which our manager determines are sufficient to cover reasonably foreseeable losses, and with policy specifications and insured limits that we believe are adequate and appropriate under the circumstances. Material losses may occur in excess of insurance proceeds with respect to any property as insurance proceeds may not provide sufficient resources to fund the losses. However, there are types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as losses due to wars, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, pollution, environmental matters, mold or terrorism which are either uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments.
In addition, many insurance carriers exclude asbestos-related claims from standard policies, pricing asbestos endorsements at prohibitively high rates or adding significant restrictions to such coverage.
Because of our inability to obtain specialized coverage at rates that correspond to our perceived level of risk, we may not obtain insurance for acts of terrorism or asbestos-related claims. We will continue to evaluate the availability and cost of additional insurance coverage from the insurance market. If we decide in the future to purchase insurance for terrorism or asbestos, the cost could have a negative impact on our results of operations. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs on a property, we could lose our capital invested in the property, as well as the anticipated future revenues from the property and, in the case of debt that is recourse to us, would remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property. Any loss of this nature would adversely affect us. Although we intend to adequately insure our properties, we cannot assure that we will successfully do so.
When residents do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their space, in order to attract replacement residents, we may be required to expend funds for capital improvements to the vacated apartment units. In addition, we may require substantial funds to renovate a multifamily community in order to sell it, upgrade it or reposition it in the market. If we have insufficient capital reserves, we will have to obtain financing from other sources. We intend to establish capital reserves in an amount we, in our discretion, believe is necessary. A lender also may require escrow of capital reserves in excess of any established reserves. If these reserves or any reserves otherwise established are designated for other uses or are insufficient to meet our cash needs, we may have to obtain financing from either affiliated or unaffiliated sources to fund our cash requirements. We cannot assure you that sufficient financing will be available or, if available, will be available on economically
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feasible terms or on terms acceptable to us. Moreover, certain reserves required by lenders may be designated for specific uses and may not be available for capital purposes such as future capital improvements. Additional borrowing will increase our interest expense, therefore, our financial condition and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders may be adversely affected.
We may elect to acquire properties which require rehabilitation. In particular, we may acquire affordable properties that we will rehabilitate and convert to market rate properties. Consequently, we may retain independent general contractors to perform the actual physical rehabilitation work and will be subject to risks in connection with a contractors ability to control the rehabilitation costs, the timing of completion of rehabilitation, and a contractors ability to build and rehabilitate in conformity with plans and specifications.
We expect that most of our apartment leases will be for a term of one year or less. Because these leases generally permit the residents to leave at the end of the lease term without any penalty, our rental revenues may be impacted by declines in market rents more quickly than if our leases were for longer terms.
We intend to acquire properties selectively. Acquisition of properties entails risks that investments will fail to perform in accordance with expectations. In undertaking these acquisitions, we will incur certain risks, including the expenditure of funds on, and the devotion of managements time to, transactions that may not come to fruition. Additional risks inherent in acquisitions include risks that the properties will not achieve anticipated occupancy levels and that estimates of the costs of improvements to bring an acquired property up to our standards may prove inaccurate.
We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including individuals, corporations, bank and insurance company investment accounts, other REITs, real estate limited partnerships, and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities. Many of these entities have significant financial and other resources, including operating experience, allowing them to compete effectively with us. Competitors with substantially greater financial resources than us may be able to accept more risk than we can effectively manage. In addition, those competitors that are not REITs may be at an advantage to the extent they can utilize working capital to finance projects, while we (and our competitors that are REITs) will be required by the annual distribution provisions under the Code to distribute significant amounts of cash from operations to our stockholders.
The multifamily apartment industry is highly competitive. This competition could reduce occupancy levels and revenues at our multifamily communities, which would adversely affect our operations. Our competitors include those in other apartment communities both in the immediate vicinity where our multifamily communities will be located and the broader geographic market. Such competition also may result in overbuilding of apartment communities, causing an increase in the number of apartment units available and potentially decreasing our occupancy and apartment rental rates. We also may be required to expend substantial sums to attract new residents. The resale value of the property could be diminished because the market value of a particular property will depend principally upon the value of the leases of such property. In addition, increases in operating costs due to inflation may not be offset by increased apartment rental rates. Further, costs associated with real estate investment, such as real estate taxes and maintenance costs, generally are not reduced when circumstances cause a reduction in income from the investment. These events would cause a significant decrease in revenues and could cause us to reduce the amount of distributions to our stockholders.
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Moreover, the residential apartment community industry is highly competitive. This competition could reduce occupancy levels and revenues at our apartment communities, which would adversely affect our operations. We expect to face competition from many sources, including from other apartment communities both in the immediate vicinity and the broader geographic market where our apartment communities will be located. Overbuilding of apartment communities may occur. If so, this will increase the number of apartment units available and may decrease occupancy and apartment rental rates. In addition, increases in operating costs due to inflation may not be offset by increased apartment rental rates. We may be required to expend substantial sums to attract new residents.
Additionally, the large amount of foreclosed homes available at very attractive prices, along with the low residential mortgage interest rates currently available and government sponsored programs to promote home ownership, has resulted in a record high level on the National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index, an index used to measure whether or not a typical family could qualify for a mortgage loan on a typical home. The foregoing factors may encourage potential renters to purchase residences rather than renting an apartment, thereby causing a decline in the pool of available renters for our properties.
Some or all of our properties have incurred, and will incur, vacancies. If vacancies of a significant level continue for a long period of time, we may suffer reduced revenues resulting in lower cash distributions to you. In addition, the resale value of the property could be diminished because the market value of a particular property will depend principally upon the value of the leases of such property.
We expect to concentrate our investments in the multifamily sector. As a result, we will be subject to risks inherent in investments in a single type of property. A downturn or slowdown in the demand for multifamily housing may have more pronounced effects on the cash available for distribution or on the value of our assets than if we had more fully diversified our investments. See the section entitled Business Market Opportunities included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We may make acquisitions outside of our existing market areas if appropriate opportunities arise. Our sponsors, our managers or any of their affiliates historical experience in their existing markets does not ensure that we will be able to operate successfully in new markets, should we choose to enter them. We may be exposed to a variety of risks if we choose to enter new markets, including an inability to accurately evaluate local market conditions, to identify appropriate acquisition opportunities, to hire and retain key personnel, and a lack of familiarity with local governmental and permitting procedures. In addition, we may abandon opportunities to enter new markets that we have begun to explore for any reason and may, as a result, fail to recover expenses already incurred.
We are likely to acquire multiple properties in a single transaction. Such portfolio acquisitions are more complex and expensive than single-property acquisitions, and the risk that a multiple-property acquisition does not close may be greater than in a single-property acquisition. Portfolio acquisitions also may result in us owning investments in geographically dispersed markets, placing additional demands on our ability to manage the properties in the portfolio. In addition, a seller may require that a group of properties be purchased as a package even though we may not want to purchase one or more properties in the portfolio. In these situations, if we are unable to identify another person or entity to acquire the unwanted properties, we may be required to operate, or attempt to dispose of, these properties. To acquire multiple properties in a single transaction we may be required to accumulate a large amount of cash. We would expect that the returns that we can earn on
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such cash will be less than the ultimate returns on real property, and therefore, accumulating such cash could reduce the funds available for distributions. Any of the foregoing events may have an adverse effect on our operations.
If we decide to sell any of our properties, we intend to use our commercially reasonable efforts to sell them for cash. However, in some instances we may sell our properties by providing financing to purchasers. If we provide financing to purchasers, we will bear the risk of default by the purchaser and will be subject to remedies provided by law, which could negatively impact distributions to our stockholders. There are no limitations or restrictions on our ability to take such purchase money obligations. We may, therefore, take a purchase money obligation secured by a mortgage as full or partial payment for the purchase price of a property. The terms of payment to us generally will be affected by custom in the area where the property being sold is located and the then-prevailing economic conditions. If we receive promissory notes or other property in lieu of cash from property sales, the distribution of the proceeds of sales to our stockholders, or their reinvestment in other assets, will be delayed until the promissory notes or other property are actually paid, sold or refinanced or we have otherwise disposed of such promissory notes or other property. In some cases, we may receive initial down payments in cash and other property in the year of sale in an amount less than the selling price and subsequent payments will be spread over a number of years. If any purchaser defaults under a financing arrangement with us, it could negatively impact our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We may make investments in opportunity-oriented properties in various phases of development, redevelopment or repositioning and portfolio acquisitions, which may cause our revenues and net income to fluctuate significantly from one period to another. Projects do not produce revenue while in development or redevelopment. During any period when our projects in development or redevelopment or those with significant capital requirements increase without a corresponding increase in stable revenue-producing properties, our revenues and net income likely will decrease. Many factors may have a negative impact on the level of revenues or net income produced by our portfolio of investments, including higher than expected construction costs, failure to complete projects on a timely basis, failure of the properties to perform at expected levels upon completion of development or redevelopment, and increased borrowings necessary to fund higher than expected construction or other costs related to the project. Further, our net income and stockholders equity could be negatively affected during periods with large portfolio acquisitions, which generally require large cash outlays and may require the incurrence of additional financing. Any such reduction in our revenues and net income during such periods could cause a resulting decrease in our cash available for distributions during the same periods.
We may agree to obtain certain properties from contributors who contribute their direct or indirect interest in such properties to our operating partnership in exchange for operating partnership units and agree to restrictions on sales or refinancing, called lock-out provisions, that are intended to preserve favorable tax treatment for the contributors of such properties and otherwise agree to provide the indemnities to contributions. Additionally, we may agree to lock-out provisions in connection with obtaining financing for the acquisition of properties. Furthermore, we may agree to make a certain amount of debt available for these contributors to guarantee in order to preserve their favorable tax treatment. Lock-out provisions and the consequences of related tax indemnities could materially restrict us from selling, conveying, transferring otherwise disposing of all or any portion of the interest in these properties in a taxable transaction or from refinancing properties. This would affect our ability to turn our investments into cash and thus affect cash available to return capital to you. Lock-out provisions could impair our ability to take actions during the lock-out period that would otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, and therefore, might have an
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adverse impact on the value of our shares. In particular, lock-out provisions could preclude us from participating in major transactions that could result in a disposition of our assets or a change in control even though that disposition or change in control might be in the best interests of our stockholders.
We intend to acquire properties subject to existing financing or by borrowing new funds. In addition, we may incur or increase our mortgage debt by obtaining loans secured by selected, or by all of our, real properties to obtain funds to acquire additional real properties and/or make capital improvements to properties. We also may borrow funds, if necessary, to satisfy the requirement that we generally distribute to stockholders as dividends at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income (excluding net capital gain), or otherwise as is necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT.
We intend to incur mortgage debt on a particular property only if we believe the propertys projected cash flow is sufficient to service the mortgage debt. However, if there is a shortfall in cash flow requiring us to use cash from other sources to make the mortgage payments on the property, then the amount available for distributions to stockholders may be affected. In addition, incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by properties may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and our loss of the property securing the loan which is in default. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds. We may, in some circumstances, give a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one or more of our properties. In these cases, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, there is a risk that more than one property may be affected by a default.
Any mortgage debt which we place on properties may contain clauses providing for prepayment penalties. If a lender invokes these penalties upon the sale of a property or the prepayment of a mortgage on a property, the cost to us to sell the property could increase substantially, and may even be prohibitive. This could lead to a reduction in our income, which would reduce cash available for distribution to stockholders and may prevent us from borrowing more money.
We also may finance our property acquisitions using interest-only mortgage indebtedness. During the interest-only period, the amount of each scheduled payment will be less than that of a traditional amortizing mortgage loan. The principal balance of the mortgage loan will not be reduced (except in the case of prepayments) because there are no scheduled monthly payments of principal during this period. After the interest-only period, we will be required either to make scheduled payments of amortized principal and interest or to make a lump-sum or balloon payment at maturity. These required principal or balloon payments will increase the amount of our scheduled payments and may increase our risk of default under the related mortgage loan. If the mortgage loan has an adjustable interest rate, the amount of our scheduled payments also may increase at a time of rising interest rates. Increased payments and substantial principal or balloon maturity payments or prepayment penalties will reduce the funds available for distribution to our stockholders because cash otherwise available for distribution will be required to pay principal and interest associated with these mortgage loans.
Our investment guidelines limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing. Subject to these limitations on overall leverage in our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder approval, there is no limitation in our charter or our by-laws on the amount we can borrow for the purchase of any individual property or other investment. Use of excessive leverage could result in our loss of investment in one or more properties, which could adversely affect your shares of common stock.
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If we are unable to borrow monies on terms and conditions that we find acceptable, we likely will have to reduce the number of properties we can purchase, and the return on the properties we do purchase may be lower. If we place mortgage debt on properties, we run the risk of being unable to refinance the properties when the debt becomes due or of being unable to refinance on favorable terms. If interest rates are higher when we refinance the properties, our income could be reduced. As such, we may find it difficult, costly or impossible to refinance indebtedness which is maturing. If any of these events occur, our interest cost would increase as a result, which would reduce our cash flow. This, in turn, could reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and may hinder our ability to raise capital by issuing more stock or borrowing more money. If we are unable to refinance maturing indebtedness with respect to a particular property and are unable to pay the same, then the lender may foreclose on such property.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are major sources of financing for the multifamily sector and both experienced significant losses beginning in 2008 and through 2010 due to credit-related expenses, securities impairments and fair value losses. If new U.S. government regulations (i) heighten Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs underwriting standards, (ii) adversely affect interest rates, or (iii) reduce the amount of capital they can make available to the multifamily sector, it could reduce or remove entirely a vital resource for multifamily financing. Any potential reduction in loans, guarantees and credit-enhancement arrangements from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could jeopardize the effectiveness of the multifamily sectors available financing and decrease the amount of available liquidity and credit that could be used to acquire and diversify our portfolio of multifamily assets.
Due to increased market concerns about Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the U.S. federal government, on July 30, 2008, the government passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, or the HERA. On September 7, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or the FHFA, placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship and, together with the U.S. Treasury, established a program designed to boost investor confidence in Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs debt and mortgage-related securities. As the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the FHFA controls and directs the operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and may (i) take over the assets of and operate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with all the powers of the stockholders, the directors and the officers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and conduct all business of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; (ii) collect all obligations and money due to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; (iii) perform all functions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which are consistent with the conservators appointment; (iv) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and (v) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.
In addition to the FHFA becoming the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the U.S. Treasury has taken three additional actions: (i) the U.S. Treasury and the FHFA have entered into preferred stock purchase agreements between the U.S. Treasury and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will ensure that each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac maintains a positive net worth; (ii) the U.S. Treasury has established a new secured lending credit facility which will be available to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks, which is intended to serve as a liquidity backstop, which was indefinitely extended; and (iii) the U.S. Treasury has initiated a temporary program to purchase U.S. government agency RMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
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Although the U.S. Treasury has committed capital to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there can be no assurance that these actions will be adequate for their needs. If these actions are inadequate, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could continue to suffer losses and could fail to honor their guarantees and other obligations. The future roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be significantly reduced and the nature of their guarantees could be considerably limited relative to historical measurements. Any changes to the nature of the guarantees provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could redefine what constitutes a U.S. government agency RMBS and could have broad adverse market implications. Such market implications could negatively affect the performance and market value of our investments.
On February 11, 2011, the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development issued a report to the U.S. Congress entitled Reforming Americas Housing Finance Market that lays out, among other things, three options for long-term reform, which would reduce or wind down the role that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play in the mortgage market. These proposals are: (a) a privatized system of housing finance with the government insurance role limited to the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), the United States Department of Agriculture (the USDA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) assistance for narrowly targeted groups of borrowers; (b) a privatized system of housing finance with assistance from the FHA, USDA and VA for narrowly targeted groups of borrowers and a guarantee mechanism to scale up during times of crisis; and (c) a privatized system of housing finance with FHA, USDA and VA assistance for low- and moderate-income borrowers and catastrophic reinsurance behind significant private capital. Any such proposals, if enacted, may have broad and material adverse implications for the multifamily sector and our business, operations and financial condition. We expect such proposals to be the subject of significant discussion and it is not yet possible to determine whether or when any of such proposals may be enacted, what form any final legislation or policies might take and how proposals, legislation or policies emanating from this report may impact the multifamily sector and our business, operations and financial condition. We are evaluating, and will continue to evaluate, the potential impact of the proposals set forth in this report.
Recently, domestic financial markets have experienced unusual volatility, uncertainty and a tightening of liquidity in both the investment grade debt and equity capital markets. The commercial real estate debt markets are also experiencing volatility as a result of certain factors including the tightening of underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies and the lack of an efficient securitization market. Credit spreads for major sources of capital widened significantly during the U.S. credit crisis as investors demanded a higher risk premium. Should the overall cost of borrowings increase, either by increases in the index rates or by increases in lender spreads, we will need to factor such increases into the economics of our acquisitions. This may result in our acquisitions generating lower overall economic returns and potentially reducing cash flow available for distribution.
The recent dislocations in the debt markets have reduced the amount of capital that is available to finance real estate, which, in turn, (a) may no longer allow real estate investors to rely on capitalization rate compression to generate returns, and (b) has slowed real estate transaction activity, all of which may reasonably be expected to have a material adverse impact on revenues and income from the acquisition and operations of real properties and mortgage loans. Investors will need to focus on market-specific growth dynamics, operating performance, asset management and the long-term quality of the underlying real estate asset.
In addition, the state of the debt markets could have an impact on the overall amount of capital investing in real estate which may result in price or value decreases of real estate assets.
Consequently, there is greater uncertainty regarding our ability to access the credit market in order to attract financing on reasonable terms. Investment returns on our assets and our ability to make acquisitions could be adversely affected by our inability to secure financing on reasonable terms, if at all.
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As mentioned above, we intend to incur debt. High debt levels would cause us to incur higher interest charges, would result in higher debt service payments, and could be accompanied by restrictive covenants. Interest we pay could reduce cash available for distribution to stockholders. Additionally, if we incur variable rate debt, increases in interest rates would increase our interest costs, which would reduce our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to you. If we need to repay existing debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to liquidate one or more of our investments in properties at times which may not permit realization of the maximum return on such investments and could result in a loss.
In providing financing to us, a lender may impose restrictions on us that affect our ability to incur additional debt, make certain investments, reduce liquidity below certain levels, make distributions to our stockholders and otherwise affect our distribution and operating policies. In general, we expect our loan agreements to restrict our ability to encumber or otherwise transfer our interest in the respective property without the prior consent of the lender. Such loan documents may contain other negative covenants that may limit our ability to discontinue insurance coverage, replace our manager or impose other limitations. Any such restriction or limitation may have an adverse effect on our operations and our ability to make distributions to you. Further, such restrictions could make it difficult for us to satisfy the requirements necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
In purchasing properties subject to financing, we may obtain financing with due-on-sale and/or due-on-encumbrance clauses. Due-on-sale clauses in mortgages allow a mortgage lender to demand full repayment of the mortgage loan if the borrower sells the mortgaged property. Similarly, due-on-encumbrance clauses allow a mortgage lender to demand full repayment if the borrower uses the real estate securing the mortgage loan as security for another loan. These clauses may cause the maturity date of such mortgage loans to be accelerated and such financing to become due. In such event, we may be required to sell our properties on an all-cash basis, to acquire new financing in connection with the sale, or to provide seller financing. It is not our intent to provide seller financing, although it may be necessary or advisable for us to do so in order to facilitate the sale of a property. It is unknown whether the holders of mortgages encumbering our properties will require such acceleration or whether other mortgage financing will be available. Such factors will depend on the mortgage market and on financial and economic conditions existing at the time of such sale or refinancing.
In financing our property acquisitions, we will seek to obtain secured nonrecourse loans. However, only recourse financing may be available, in which event, in addition to the property securing the loan, the lender may look to our other assets for satisfaction of the debt. Therefore, should we be unable to repay a recourse loan with the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of the property securing the loan, the lender could look to one or more of our other properties for repayment. Also, in order to facilitate the sale of a property, we may allow the buyer to purchase the property subject to an existing loan whereby we remain responsible for the debt.
To the extent that we use derivative financial instruments in connection with our floating interest rate debt, we will be exposed to credit, basis and legal enforceability risks. Derivative financial instruments may include interest rate swap contracts, interest rate cap or floor contracts, futures or forward contracts, options or repurchase agreements. In this context, credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms
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of the derivative contract. If the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes us, which creates credit risk for us. Basis risk occurs when the index upon which the contract is based is more or less variable than the index upon which the hedged asset or liability is based, thereby making the hedge less effective. Finally, legal enforceability risks encompass general contractual risks, including the risk that the counterparty will breach the terms of, or fail to perform its obligations under, the derivative contract. If we are unable to manage these risks effectively, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to make distributions to you will be adversely affected.
We may invest in senior debt, mezzanine debt and membership or partnership interests in entities that own multifamily properties. These investments will involve special risks relating to the particular company, including its financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, business and prospects. In particular, the debt securities may not be collateralized and also may be subordinated to the entitys other obligations. We are likely to invest in debt securities of companies that are not rated or are rated non-investment grade by one or more rating agencies. Investments that are not rated or are rated non-investment grade have a higher risk of default than investment grade rated assets and therefore may result in losses to us. We have not adopted any limit on such investments.
These investments also will subject us to the risks inherent with real estate investments referred to in this prospectus, including the risks described with respect to commercial properties and similar risks, including:
| risks of delinquency and foreclosure, and risks of loss in the event thereof; |
| the dependence upon the successful operation of, and net income from, real property; |
| risks generally incident to interests in real property; and |
| risks specific to the type and use of a particular property. |
These risks may adversely affect the value of our investments in entities that own multifamily properties and the ability of our borrowers thereof to make principal and interest payments in a timely manner, or at all, and could result in significant losses.
We may originate (in connection with a forward purchase contract) or acquire mezzanine loans in entities that own multifamily properties, which take the form of subordinated loans secured by second mortgages on the underlying property or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of either the entity owning the property or a pledge of the ownership interests of the entity that owns the interest in the entity owning the property. These types of assets involve a higher degree of risk than long-term senior mortgage lending secured by income-producing real property, because the loan may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender and because it is in second position and there may not be adequate equity in the property. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt. As a result, we may not recover some of or all our initial expenditure. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal. Significant losses related to our mezzanine loans would result in operating losses for us and may limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
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We intend to qualify as a REIT under the Code. A REIT generally is not taxed at the corporate level on income and gains it distributes to its stockholders on a timely basis. Although we do not intend to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, as to our REIT status, we have received the opinion of our tax counsel, Proskauer Rose LLP with respect to our qualification as a REIT. This opinion has been issued in connection with the offering. Investors should be aware, however, that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS or on any court. The opinion of Proskauer Rose LLP represents only the view of our counsel based on our counsels review and analysis of existing law and on certain representations as to factual matters and covenants made by us, including representations relating to the values of our assets and the sources of our income and representations related to our future conduct. Proskauer Rose LLP has no obligation to advise us or the holders of our common stock of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed in its opinion or of any subsequent change in applicable law. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex rules for which there are only limited judicial or administrative interpretations. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to continue to qualify as a REIT. In addition, new legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly change the tax laws with respect to qualification as a REIT or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of such qualification, including changes with retroactive effect.
If we elect to be taxed as a REIT and then were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year:
| we would not be allowed to deduct our distributions to our stockholders when computing our taxable income; |
| we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax) on our taxable income at regular corporate rates; |
| we could be disqualified from being taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost, unless entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions; |
| we would have less cash to make distributions to our stockholders; and |
| we might be required to borrow additional funds or sell some of our assets in order to pay corporate tax obligations we may incur as a result of our disqualification. |
Although we intend to operate in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may cause our board of directors to determine to delay or revoke our REIT election. Even if we qualify as a REIT, we expect to incur some taxes, such as state and local taxes, taxes imposed on certain subsidiaries and potential U.S. federal excise taxes.
We encourage you to read the Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations section below for further discussion of the tax issues related to the offering.
Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may be subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. For example, net income from the sale of properties that are dealer properties sold by a REIT (a prohibited transaction under the Code) will be subject to a 100% tax. We may not make sufficient distributions to avoid excise taxes applicable to REITs. We also may decide to retain net capital gain we earn from the sale or other disposition of our property and pay income tax directly on such income. In that event, our stockholders would be treated as if they earned that income and paid the tax on it directly. However, stockholders that are tax-exempt, such as charities or qualified pension plans, would have no benefit from their deemed payment of such tax liability unless they file U.S. federal income tax returns and thereon seek a refund of such tax. We also may be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, including franchise, payroll and transfer taxes, either directly or at the level of our operating partnership or at the level of the other companies
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through which we indirectly own our assets, such as our TRSs, which are subject to full U.S. federal, state, local and foreign corporate-level income taxes. Any taxes we pay directly or indirectly will reduce our cash available for distribution to you.
In order to qualify and maintain our status as a REIT, we must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income (excluding net capital gain), determined without regard to the deduction for distributions paid. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income and net capital gain and to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on any amount by which distributions we pay with respect to any calendar year are less than the sum of (i) 85% of our ordinary income, (ii) 95% of our capital gain net income, and (iii) 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. These requirements could cause us to distribute amounts that otherwise would be spent on investments in real estate assets and it is possible that we might be required to borrow funds, possibly at unfavorable rates, or sell assets to fund these distributions. Although we intend to make distributions sufficient to meet the annual distribution requirements and to avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our earnings while we qualify as a REIT, it is possible that we might not always be able to do so. See the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations included in this prospectus.
Our ability to dispose of property during the first few years following acquisition is restricted to a substantial extent as a result of our REIT qualification. Under applicable provisions of the Code regarding prohibited transactions by REITs, we will be subject to a 100% penalty tax on any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of any property (other than foreclosure property) that we own, directly or through any subsidiary entity, including our operating partnership, but generally excluding our TRSs, that is deemed to be inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of trade or business. Whether property is inventory or otherwise held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on the particular facts and circumstances surrounding each property. While we qualify as a REIT, we intend to avoid the 100% prohibited transaction tax by (1) conducting activities that may otherwise be considered prohibited transactions through a TRS (but such TRS will incur income taxes), (2) conducting our operations in such a manner so that no sale or other disposition of an asset we own, directly or through any subsidiary, will be treated as a prohibited transaction or (3) structuring certain dispositions of our properties to comply with a prohibited transaction safe harbor available under the Code for properties held for at least two years. However, despite our present intention, no assurance can be given that any particular property we own, directly or through any subsidiary entity, including our operating partnership, but excluding our TRSs, will not be treated as inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.
Some of our assets may need to be owned or sold, or operations conducted, by TRSs. Any of our TRSs will be subject to U.S. federal and state income tax on their taxable income. The after-tax net income of our TRSs would be available for distribution to us. Further, we will incur a 100% excise tax on transactions with our TRSs that are not conducted on an arms-length basis. For example, to the extent that the rent paid by one of our TRSs exceeds an arms-length rental amount, such amount is potentially subject to the excise tax. We intend that all transactions between us and our TRSs will be conducted on an arms-length basis, and therefore, any amounts paid by our TRSs to us will not be subject to the excise tax; provided, however, that no assurance can be given that no excise tax would arise from such transactions.
In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made in the provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to investments similar to an investment in shares of our
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common stock. Additional changes to the tax laws are likely to continue to occur, and we cannot assure you that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of a stockholder. Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in our shares or on the market value or the resale potential of our assets. You are urged to consult with your own tax adviser with respect to the impact of recent legislation on your investment in our shares and the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our shares. You also should note that our counsels tax opinion was based upon existing law and Treasury Regulations, applicable as of the date of its opinion, all of which will be subject to change, either prospectively or retroactively.
Although REITs generally receive better tax treatment than entities taxed as regular corporations, it is possible that future legislation would result in a REIT having fewer tax advantages, and it could become more advantageous for a company that invests in real estate to elect to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a corporation. As a result, our charter provides our board of directors with the power, under certain circumstances, to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election and cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, without the vote of our stockholders. Our board of directors has fiduciary duties to us and our stockholders and could only cause such changes in our tax treatment if it determines in good faith that such changes are in the best interest of our stockholders.
We intend to maintain the status of the operating partnership as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, if the IRS were to successfully challenge the status of the operating partnership as a partnership for such purposes, it would be taxable as a corporation. In such event, this would reduce the amount of distributions that the operating partnership could make to us. This would also result in our losing REIT status, and becoming subject to a corporate level tax on our own income. This would substantially reduce our cash available to pay distributions and the yield on your investment. In addition, if any of the partnerships or limited liability companies through which the operating partnership owns its properties, in whole or in part, loses its characterization as a partnership and is not otherwise disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be subject to taxation as a corporation, thereby reducing distributions to the operating partnership. Such a recharacterization of an underlying property owner could also threaten our ability to maintain our REIT qualification.
Our taxable income may substantially exceed our net income as determined based on GAAP, or differences in timing between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash may occur. For example, we may acquire assets, including debt securities requiring us to accrue original issue discount, or OID, or recognize market discount income, that generate taxable income in excess of economic income or in advance of the corresponding cash flow from the assets referred to as phantom income. In addition, in the event a borrower with respect to a particular debt instrument encounters financial difficulty rendering it unable to pay stated interest as due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income. We may also be required under the terms of the indebtedness that we incur to use cash received from interest payments to make principal payment on that indebtedness, with the effect that we will recognize income but will not have a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
As a result of the foregoing, we may generate less cash flow than taxable income in a particular year and find it difficult or impossible to meet the REIT distribution requirements in certain circumstances. In such circumstances, we may be required to (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions, (2) borrow on unfavorable terms, (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be used for future acquisitions or used to repay debt, or (4) make a taxable distribution of our shares of common stock as part of a distribution in which stockholders may elect to receive shares of common stock or (subject to a limit measured as a percentage of the total distribution) cash, in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements.
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In general, in order for a loan to be treated as a qualifying real estate asset producing qualifying income for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests, the loan must be secured by real property. We may originate (in connection with a forward purchase contract) or acquire mezzanine loans that are not directly secured by real property but instead secured by equity interests in a partnership or limited liability company that directly or indirectly owns real property. In Revenue Procedure 2003-65, the IRS provided a safe harbor pursuant to which a mezzanine loan that is not secured by real estate would, if it meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, be treated by the IRS as a qualifying real estate asset. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law and in many cases it may not be possible for us to meet all of the requirements of the safe harbor. We cannot provide assurance that any mezzanine loan in which we invest would be treated as a qualifying asset producing qualifying income for REIT qualification purposes. If any such loan fails either the REIT income or asset tests, we may be disqualified as a REIT.
Furthermore, if we participate in any appreciation in value of real property securing a mortgage loan and the IRS characterizes such shared appreciation mortgage as equity rather than debt, for example, because of a large interest in cash flow of the borrower, we may be required to recognize income, gains, and other items with respect to the real property for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This could affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
In connection with our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income (excluding net capital gains) to our stockholders. In order to satisfy this requirement, we may distribute taxable dividends to our common stockholders that are payable in cash and shares of our common stock at the election of each stockholder. Under IRS Revenue Procedure 2010-12, up to 90% of any such taxable dividend with respect to the taxable years 2011 and 2012 could be payable in our common stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, U.S. stockholders may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash dividends received. Accordingly, U.S. stockholders receiving a distribution of our shares may be required to sell shares received in such distribution or may be required to sell other stock or assets owned by them, at a time that may be disadvantageous, in order to satisfy any tax imposed on such distribution. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock that it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to certain non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock, by withholding or disposing of part of the shares in such distribution and using the proceeds of such disposition to satisfy the withholding tax imposed. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our common stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, such sale may put downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.
Further, while Revenue Procedure 2010-12 applies only to taxable dividends payable by us in a combination of cash and stock with respect to the taxable years 2011 and 2012, and it is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to pay taxable dividends in cash and stock in later years. Moreover, various tax aspects of such a taxable cash/stock dividend are uncertain and have not yet been addressed by the IRS. No assurance can be given that the IRS will not impose additional requirements in the future with respect to taxable cash/stock dividends, including on a retroactive basis, or assert that the requirements for such taxable cash/stock dividends have not been met.
The maximum tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates has been reduced by legislation to 15% for tax years beginning before January 1, 2013. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced rates.
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Although this legislation does not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, the more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends could cause investors who are individuals, trusts and estates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including our common stock.
The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction we enter into to manage risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, if properly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations, does not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions will likely be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both of the gross income tests. See the section entitled Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations Gross Income Tests Hedging Transactions included elsewhere in this prospectus. As a result of these rules, we may need to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our TRSs would be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in a TRS will generally not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward against future taxable income of such TRS.
To qualify as a REIT, we must ensure that we meet the REIT gross income tests annually and that at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets, including certain mortgage loans and certain kinds of mortgage-related securities. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, and no more than 25% of the value of our total securities can be represented by securities of one or more TRSs. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate assets from our portfolio or not make otherwise attractive investments in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.
In order to qualify as a REIT for each taxable year ending on or after December 31, 2011, five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code, may not own, actually or constructively, more than 50% in value of our issued and outstanding shares of stock at any time during the last half of a taxable year. Attribution rules in the Code determine if any individual or entity actually or constructively owns our shares of stock under this requirement. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our shares of stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year for each taxable year after 2011. To help insure that we meet these tests, among other purposes, our charter restricts the acquisition and ownership of our shares of stock.
Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT while we so qualify. Unless exempted by our board of directors, as long as we qualify as a REIT, our charter prohibits, among other limitations on ownership and transfer of shares of our stock, any person from beneficially or constructively owning (applying certain attribution rules under the Code) more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of stock or more than 9.8% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our
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shares of stock. Our board of directors may not grant an exemption from these restrictions to any proposed transferee whose ownership in excess of 9.8% of the value of our outstanding shares would result in the termination of our qualification as a REIT. These restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply, however, if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions is no longer required in order for us to qualify as a REIT.
These ownership limits could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of the stockholders.
Subject to certain exceptions, distributions received from us will be treated as dividends of ordinary income to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such dividends ordinarily will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, unless the distributions are treated as effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. stockholder of a U.S. trade or business. Capital gain distributions attributable sales or exchanges of U.S. real property generally will be taxed to a non-U.S. stockholder as if such gain were effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. See the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Gain recognized by a non-U.S. stockholder upon the sale or exchange of our common stock generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless such stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest within the meaning of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA. Our common stock will not constitute a U.S. real property interest so long as we are a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity. A domestically-controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT if at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of such REITs stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. We believe, but cannot assure you, that we have been a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity, and because our common stock will be publicly traded, no assurance can be given that we will continue to be a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.
Even if we do not qualify as a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity at the time a non-U.S. stockholder sells or exchanges our common stock, gain arising from such a sale or exchange would not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA as a sale of a U.S. real property interest if: (1) our common stock is regularly traded, as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market, and (2) such non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually and constructively, 5% or less of our common stock throughout the applicable testing period. See the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations Special Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Stockholders Sale of our Shares by a Non-U.S. Stockholder included elsewhere in this prospectus. We encourage you to consult your own tax advisor to determine the tax consequences applicable to you if you are a non-U.S. stockholder.
If (1) we are a pension-held REIT, (2) a tax-exempt stockholder has incurred debt to purchase or hold our common stock or (3) a holder of common stock is a certain type of tax-exempt stockholder, dividends on, and gains recognized on the sale of, common stock by such tax-exempt stockholder may be subject to U.S. federal income tax as unrelated business taxable income under the Code.
Special considerations apply to the purchase of stock by employee benefit plans subject to the fiduciary rules of Title I of ERISA, including pension or profit sharing plans and entities that hold assets of such ERISA Plans, and plans and accounts that are not subject to ERISA, but are subject to the prohibited transaction rules of Section 4975 of the Code, including IRAs, Keogh Plans, and medical savings accounts (collectively, we refer to ERISA Plans and plans subject to Section 4975 of the Code as Benefit Plans). If you are investing the assets of any Benefit Plan, you should satisfy yourself that:
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| your investment is consistent with your fiduciary obligations under ERISA and the Code; |
| your investment is made in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the Benefit Plan, including the Benefit Plans investment policy; |
| your investment satisfies the prudence and diversification requirements of Sections 404(a)(1)(B) and 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA, if applicable, and other applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code; |
| your investment will not impair the liquidity of the Benefit Plan; |
| your investment will not produce UBTI for the Benefit Plan; |
| you will be able to value the assets of the plan annually in accordance with ERISA requirements and applicable provisions of the Benefit Plan; and |
| your investment will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. |
Fiduciaries may be held personally liable under ERISA for losses as a result of failure to satisfy the fiduciary standards of conduct and other applicable requirements of ERISA. In addition, if an investment in our stock constitutes a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code, the fiduciary of the plan who authorized or directed the investment may be subject to imposition of excise taxes with respect to the amount invested and an IRA investing in the stock may lose its tax exempt status.
Plans that are not subject to ERISA or the prohibited transactions of the Code, such as government plans or church plans, may be subject to similar requirements under state law. Such plans should satisfy themselves that the investment satisfies applicable law. We have not, and will not, evaluate whether an investment in our stock is suitable for any particular plan.
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In accordance with the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, as amended, or the USA PATRIOT Act, the shares of common stock offered hereby may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, to any unacceptable investor, which means anyone who is:
| a designated national, specially designated national, specially designated terrorist, specially designated global terrorist, foreign terrorist organization, or blocked person within the definitions set forth in the Foreign Assets Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department; |
| acting on behalf of, or an entity owned or controlled by, any government against whom the U.S. maintains economic sanctions or embargoes under the Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department; |
| within the scope of Executive Order 13224 Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism, effective September 24, 2001; |
| subject to additional restrictions imposed by the following statutes or regulations, and executive orders issued thereunder: the Trading with the Enemy Act, the Iraq Sanctions Act, the National Emergencies Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the United Nations Participation Act, the International Security and Development Cooperation Act, the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1994, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996, the Cuban Democracy Act, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act and the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriation Act or any other law of similar import as to any non-U.S. country, as each such act or law has been or may be amended, adjusted, modified or reviewed from time to time; or |
| designated or blocked, associated or involved in terrorism, or subject to restrictions under laws, regulations, or executive orders as may apply in the future similar to those set forth above. |
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We make forward-looking statements in this prospectus that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When we use the words believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, plan, continue, intend, should, could, may or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:
| use of proceeds of the offerings; |
| our business and investment strategy; |
| our projected operating results; |
| actions and initiatives of the U.S. government and changes to U.S. government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies; |
| the state of the U.S. economy generally or in specific geographic areas; |
| economic trends and economic recoveries; |
| our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements, including through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; |
| financing and advance rates for our target assets; |
| our expected leverage; |
| general volatility of the securities markets in which we invest; |
| changes in the values of our assets; |
| our expected portfolio of assets; |
| our expected investments; |
| interest rate mismatches between our target assets and our borrowings used to fund such investments; |
| changes in interest rates and the market value of our target assets; |
| changes in prepayment rates on our target assets; |
| effects of hedging instruments on our target assets; |
| rates of default or decreased recovery rates on our target assets; |
| the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate volatility; |
| impact of and changes in governmental regulations, tax law and rates, accounting guidance and similar matters; |
| our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| our ability to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act; |
| availability of investment opportunities in mortgage-related and real estate-related investments and securities; |
| availability of qualified personnel; |
| estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future; |
| our understanding of our competition; and |
| market trends in our industry, interest rates, real estate values, the debt securities markets or the general economy. |
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The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. Some of these factors are described in this prospectus under the sections entitled Prospectus Summary, Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Business. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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We are offering 4,500,000 shares of our common stock through our underwriters in the underwritten offering on a firm commitment basis at the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share, of which 690,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and 500,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to WOF, each of which is an affiliate of our sponsor, through our directed share program without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us other than $0.14 per share as an underwriting fee. Immediately prior to the closing of the underwritten offering, we will complete the irrevocable private placement offering to WOF of 500,000 shares of our common stock, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us. The purchase price for each share of common stock in the private placement offering will be the same as the initial public offering price in the underwritten offering. The holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock will have the right to elect a majority of our board of directors.
Minimum Dollar Amount |
Per Cent | Maximum Dollar Amount(1) |
Per Cent | |||||||||||||
Gross offering proceeds | $ | 50,000,000 | 100.00 | % | $ | 56,750,000 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||
Expenses of the Offerings: |
||||||||||||||||
Underwriting discounts(2) | $ | 2,483,600 | 4.97 | % | $ | 2,956,100 | 5.21 | % | ||||||||
Offering expenses and organizational costs(3) | $ | 3,000,000 | 6.00 | % | $ | 3,000,000 | 5.29 | % | ||||||||
Amount available for investment | $ | 44,516,400 | 89.03 | % | $ | 50,793,900 | 89.50 | % | ||||||||
Prepaid terms and fees related to purchase of property(4) | $ | 1,842,043 | 3.68 | % | $ | 1,842,043 | 3.25 | % | ||||||||
Cash down payment (equity) | $ | 22,270,000 | 44.54 | % | $ | 22,270,000 | 39.24 | % | ||||||||
Acquisition fees (real estate commissions)(5) | $ | 633,500 | 1.27 | % | $ | 633,500 | 1.12 | % | ||||||||
Working capital and dividend reserve | $ | 3,500,000 | 7.00 | % | $ | 3,500,000 | 6.17 | % | ||||||||
Proceeds invested | $ | 28,245,543 | 56.49 | % | $ | 28,245,543 | 49.77 | % | ||||||||
Expenses of the Offerings | $ | 5,483,600 | 10.97 | % | $ | 5,956,100 | 10.50 | % | ||||||||
Total application of proceeds | $ | 33,729,143 | 67.46 | % | $ | 34,201,643 | 60.27 | % |
(1) | Assumes the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option. |
(2) | Assumes the sale in the underwritten offering of 690,000 shares of our common stock to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and 500,000 shares of our common stock to Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC without payment by the Company of any underwriting discounts or commissions other than $0.14 per share as an underwriting fee. |
(3) | Assumes offering expenses of $2.6 million (including legal, accounting, printing and other expenses of the offering, and the advisory fee and expense reimbursements payable to International Assets Advisory, LLC) and organizational costs of approximately $0.4 million. |
(4) | Includes prepaid interest, points, loan commitment fees and legal and other costs of acquisition. The percentage of such items to be capitalized is 20.42%. |
(5) | Real Estate Commissions are defined as the total of all fees and commissions paid by any person to any person, including our manager or affiliates, in connection with the selection, purchase, construction or development of any property by us, whether designated as real estate commission, acquisition fees, finders fees, selection fees, development fees, construction fees, non-recurring management fees, consulting fees or any other similar fees or commissions howsoever designated and howsoever treated for tax or accounting purposes. No Real Estate Commissions are being paid in connection with the purchase of the acquired properties other than the acquisition fee that will be paid to our manager pursuant to our management agreement with the manager, see the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement Management Compensation included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the acquisition fee. |
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We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from selling our common stock in the underwritten offering will be approximately $39.8 million in the aggregate, or $46.1 million in the aggregate if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option, based upon an initial public offering price of $10.00 per share, in each case, and after deducting applicable underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses (including the advisory fee and expense reimbursements payable to International Assets Advisory, LLC), of approximately $4.8 million, or $5.3 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option and after deducting estimated organizational costs of approximately $0.4 million. We estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from selling our common stock in the private placement offering will be approximately $4.7 million in the aggregate, based upon the private placement offering price of $10.00 per share, after deducting applicable estimated organizational costs and offering expenses of approximately $0.3 million. The total net proceeds that we estimate we will receive from the private placement offering and the underwritten offering, after deducting applicable underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses (including the advisory fee and expense reimbursements payable to International Assets Advisory, LLC), will be approximately $44.5 million, or $50.8 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option.
We intend to invest the net proceeds to us of the private placement offering and the underwritten offering of our common stock in properties with an aggregate gross value (inclusive of mortgage indebtedness) of approximately $127.2 million, or $145.1 million if the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option, including the two real estate investments (described below) that have been identified for potential acquisition. We intend to acquire properties through the incurrence of indebtedness (secured and unsecured) constituting approximately 65% of our tangible assets value on a portfolio basis, with the balance of the acquisition cost thereof funded through the use of the net proceeds to us of the private placement and underwritten offering. Neither our charter nor our by-laws contain any limitation on the amount of leverage we may use. Our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder approval, limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing.
We have entered into purchase agreements relating to the acquisition of two properties with third parties affiliated with our manager, i.e. (a) Oxford Rise Partners LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, and WOF for the acquisition of Oxford Rise JV, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and (b) Oxford Summit Development, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, and Williams Realty Fund I, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, for the acquisition of Oxford Summit Partners, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company. The acquisition price for each property was determined pursuant to the appraisals of two independent real estate appraisers. It is expected that these acquisitions will be consummated shortly after the completion of the offerings. We anticipate that the aggregate purchase price for the two properties, together with acquisition fees and other expenses, (approximately $65.9 million), will be paid with approximately $24.8 million from the proceeds of the offerings, with the balance thereof being paid from planned debt financing activities. While currently we do not have any financing commitments in place in connection with the acquisitions of the two properties, upon completion of the offerings we expect to execute commitment letters with either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and pay a fee equal to 2% of the loan proceeds for each of the two loans, which payments will be reimbursed to us at the closing of each loan. If first mortgage financing is unavailable from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we plan to prioritize the acquisition of the two properties and use the proceeds from the offering to acquire the Oxford Rise property. See the sections entitled Business Our Investment Strategy and Description of Real Estate Investments included elsewhere in this prospectus.
In addition, we expect to repay amounts borrowed from WOF pursuant to three separate financing arrangements that aggregate approximately $1.8 million. See the section entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations Liquidity and Capital Resources located elsewhere in this prospectus for details relating to these financing arrangements.
Our manager may invest net proceeds of the private placement offering and the underwritten offering in interest-bearing short-term investments that are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT, pending investment in our target assets. These initial investments are expected to provide a lower net return than we will seek to achieve from our target assets.
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We intend to make regular quarterly distributions to holders of our common stock. U.S. federal income tax law generally requires that a REIT distribute annually at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain, and that it pay tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that it annually distributes less than 100% of its net taxable income. We generally intend to pay over time regular quarterly dividends in an amount equal to the remainder of our net taxable income to holders of our common stock. We plan to pay our first dividend at an annualized rate of $0.50 per share (5% of our initial public offering price per share) in respect of the period from the closing of the offerings through June 30, 2011, which may be prior to the time when we have fully invested the net proceeds from the offerings in our target assets. Although not currently anticipated, if our board of directors determines to make distributions in excess of the income or cash flow generated from our target assets, we may make such distributions from the proceeds of this or future offerings of equity or debt securities or other forms of debt financing or the sale of assets.
To the extent that in respect of any calendar year, cash available for distribution is less than our REIT taxable income, we could be required to sell assets or borrow funds to make cash distributions or make a portion of the required distribution in the form of a taxable stock distribution or distribution of debt securities. We generally will not be required to make distributions with respect to activities conducted through any TRS that we form following the completion of the offerings. For more information, see the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations General included elsewhere in this prospectus.
To satisfy the requirements to qualify as a REIT and generally not be subject to U.S. federal income and excise tax, we intend to make regular quarterly distributions of all or substantially all the remainder of our REIT taxable income to holders of our common stock out of assets legally available therefor. The amount of cash available for distribution will be decreased by any fees or expenses payable by us to our manager under the management agreement. Any distributions we make to our stockholders will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our earnings, financial condition, liquidity, debt covenants, funding or margin requirements under credit facilities, repurchase agreements or other secured and unsecured borrowing agreements, maintenance of our REIT qualification, applicable provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Our earnings, financial condition and liquidity will be affected by various factors, including the net income from our portfolio, our operating expenses and any other expenditures. See the section entitled Risk Factors included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We anticipate that our distributions generally will be taxable as ordinary income to our stockholders, although a portion of the distributions may be designated by us as qualified dividend income or capital gain or may constitute a return of capital. In addition, a portion of such distributions may be taxable stock dividends payable in our shares. We will furnish annually to each of our stockholders a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their characterization as ordinary income, return of capital, qualified dividend income or capital gain. For more information, see the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations Taxation of U.S. Stockholders included elsewhere in this prospectus.
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The following table describes our pro forma net loss before noncontrolling interests for the year ended December 31, 2010 and the adjustments we have made thereto in order to estimate our cash available for distribution to the holders of our common stock for the year ending December 31, 2010. These unaudited pro forma calculations and adjustments for the year ended December 31, 2010 give effect to the Company's initial public offering, the Company's concurrent private placement to WOF and the Company's acquisition of the Acquired Properties as if these events had occurred on January 1, 2010.
Pro forma net loss before noncontrolling interests for the year ended December 31, 2010 | ($7,998,353 | ) | ||
Add: Pro forma real estate depreciation | 1,676,364 | |||
Add: Pro forma amortization of lease intangibles | 6,850,000 | |||
Add: Pro forma amortization of deferred financing costs | 53,729 | |||
Add: Pro forma organizational costs | 360,179 | |||
Add: Pro-forma non-cash director compensation (1) | 350,000 | |||
Add: Net effects of straight-line rents | 12,252 | |||
Pro forma cash flows provided by operations for the year ended December 31, 2010 | 1,304,170 | |||
Less: Estimated annual provision for recurring capital expenditures (2) | (157,500 | ) | ||
Estimated cash flows used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2010 | (157,500 | ) | ||
Estimated cash available for distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010 | $ | 1,146,670 | ||
Pro forma annual distribution to noncontrolling interest for the year ended December 31, 2010 | | |||
Pro forma annual distribution to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2010 | 2,518,333 | |||
Pro forma annual distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010 | $ | 2,518,333 | ||
Pro forma difference between estimated cash available for distribution and pro forma annual distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010 | $ | (1,371,663 | ) | |
Pro forma distribution per share of common stock for the year ended December 31, 2010(3) | $ | 0.50 | ||
Payout ratio based on estimated cash available for distribution to our holders of common stock(4) | 219.62 | % |
(1) | Estimated annual compensation and related meeting expense fees that will be paid to the Companys directors in Company common stock. |
(2) | Estimated annual provision for recurring capital expenditures is based on $281 per unit per year. This estimate is based on historical experience for recently completed construction and the fact that the Acquired Properties having been completed in 2007 and 2008. |
(3) | Pro forma distribution per share for the year ended December 31, 2010 is based on 5,036,666 shares outstanding following the completion of the Company's initial public offering and the Company's concurrent private placement to WOF. The table excludes shares issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option. |
(4) | Payout ratio based on estimated cash available for distribution to our holders of common stock is calculated as the pro forma annual distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010 divided by the estimated cash available for distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010. |
Our expected initial annual dividend rate of $0.50 per common share represents approximately 219.62% of our estimated cash available for distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010. Assuming a pro rata amount of the estimated cash available for distribution for the year ended December 31, 2010 is available for distribution for the quarter ending June 30, 2011, we estimate our operating cash flow will be insufficient to cover our expected initial quarterly distribution to stockholders for the quarter ending June 30, 2011. Moreover, we believe our dividends may exceed our cash available for distribution after the quarter ending June 30, 2011. However, the above table does not include any increases or decreases in revenues or costs associated with: (1) any rental and related revenue increases or decreases from changes in occupancy for the Acquired Properties from leases that may be executed subsequent to December 31, 2010; (2) rental and related revenue from renewals of expiring leases for the Acquired Properties that may be executed subsequent
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to December 31, 2010 (of the Acquired Properties' leases expiring in 2010, they renewed 51.4% of the tenants); (3) rental and related revenue from additional acquisitions completed subsequent to the completion of the offerings from our current acquisition pipeline and other acquisition opportunities; and (4) any offsetting costs associated with any increases in revenue. As a result, our actual payout ratio could be higher or lower than the payout ratio shown in the table above. In any event, unless our operating cash flow increases, we will be required to fund future distributions from proceeds of the offerings or to reduce such distributions. We have established a working capital and dividend reserve for this purpose, see Use of Proceeds.
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The following table sets forth (a) our actual capitalization at December 31, 2010, and (b) our capitalization as adjusted to reflect the effect of (i) the change in designation of all our shares of Class A Common Stock to common stock, (ii) the change of each of our issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock to one issued and outstanding share of common stock, (iii) the sale of 500,000 shares of common stock in the private placement offering to WOF at an offering price of $10.00 per share, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us, and (iv) the sale of 4,500,000 shares of our common stock in the underwritten offering at an initial public offering price of $10.00 per share, of which 690,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and 500,000 shares of our common stock are being offered to WOF, each of which is an affiliate of our sponsor, through our directed share program without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us other than $0.14 per share as an underwriting fee, after deducting applicable underwriting discounts and commissions, and in each case after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us (including the advisory fee and expense reimbursements payable to International Assets Advisory, LLC). You should read this table together with the section entitled Use of Proceeds included elsewhere in this prospectus.
As of December 31, 2010 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||
Stockholders equity: |
||||||||
Non-controlling interest | $ | 1 | $ | 1 | ||||
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share; 400,033,333 shares authorized and 3,333 shares issued and outstanding, actual | $ | 33 | $ | | ||||
Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share; 33,333 shares authorized and 33,333 shares issued and outstanding, actual | $ | 333 | $ | | ||||
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share; 400,066,666 shares authorized and 5,036,666 issued and outstanding, as adjusted | $ | | $ | 50,366 | ||||
Additional paid-in capital | $ | 109,632 | $ | 44,976,032 | ||||
Accumulated deficit | $ | (766,199 | ) | $ | (806,020 | ) | ||
Total equity (deficit): | $ | (656,200 | ) | $ | 44,220,379 |
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Purchasers of our common stock offered in this prospectus will experience an immediate and substantial dilution of the net tangible book value of our common stock from the initial public offering price. As of December 31, 2010, we had a net tangible book value (deficit) of approximately $(656,200), or $(17.90) per share of our common stock held by our existing stockholder, NELL Partners. After giving effect to (i) the change in designation of our shares of Class A Common Stock to common stock, (ii) the change of each of our issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock to one issued and outstanding share of common stock, and (iii) the receipt of approximately $45.5 million of estimated net proceeds from our sale of shares of common stock in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering at an offering price of $10.00 per share, our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2010 would have been $44,220,379, or $8.78 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $26.68 per share to our existing stockholder and an immediate dilution of $1.22 per share to new investors purchasing shares of common stock in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering. The following table illustrates this substantial and immediate per share dilution to new investors.
Initial public offering price per share | $ | 10.00 | ||||||
Net tangible book value (deficit) per share at December 31, 2010 | $ | (17.90 | ) | |||||
Pro forma increase per share attributable to new investors | 26.68 | |||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the underwritten offering and the private placement offering | 8.78 | |||||||
Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors | $ | 1.22 |
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share would not change our aggregate pro forma net tangible book value, but the pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors would increase (decrease) by $0.87 per share and the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering would increase (decrease) by $0.13 per share.
The following table summarizes, as of December 31, 2010:
| the total number of shares of common stock purchased from us by our existing stockholder and by new investors purchasing shares of common stock in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering; |
| the total consideration paid to us by our existing stockholder for shares of common stock owned by it and by new investors purchasing shares of common stock in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering, based on the initial public offering of $10.00 per share of common stock (before deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us in connection with the underwritten offering (excluding shares of our common stock sold to Williams Realty Fund I, LLC and WOF through our directed share program) and the estimated offering expenses payable by us in connection with the underwritten offering and the private placement offering); and |
| the average price per share of common stock paid by our existing stockholder and by new investors purchasing shares of common stock in the underwritten offering and the private placement offering. |
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price per Share | ||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percent | Amount | Percent | |||||||||||||||||
Existing stockholder | 36,666 | 0.73 | % | $ | 109,998 | 0.22 | % | $ | 3.00 | |||||||||||
New investors | 5,000,000 | 99.27 | % | 50,000,000 | 99.78 | % | $ | 10.00 | ||||||||||||
Total | 5,036,666 | 100.00 | % | $ | 50,109,998 | 100.00 | % |
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share of common stock would not change total consideration paid by new investors and would increase (decrease) the average price per share by $1.00, assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover
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page of this prospectus, would be adjusted to reflect the same total consideration paid to us by the new investors and without deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us.
The foregoing table does not reflect the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of common stock in full. If the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of common stock in full, the shares of common stock held by our existing stockholder after the underwritten offering and the private placement offering would be reduced to 0.64% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after the underwritten offering and the private placement offering, and the number of shares held by new investors would increase to 5,675,000, or 99.36% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after the underwritten offering and the private placement offering.
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The following table sets forth selected financial and operating data for the company on a historical and pro forma basis.
The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial statement data of the company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010 are derived from the financial statements of (1) the company, and (2) Oxford Rise JV, LLC and Oxford Summit Partners, LLC, which own the properties, or the Acquired Properties, being acquired by us, see Description of Real Estate Investments Property Acquisition elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2010 gives effect to our initial public offering, our concurrent private placement offering to WOF and our acquisition of the Acquired Properties, as if these events had occurred on December 31, 2010. The unaudited pro forma consolidated statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2010 give effect to our initial public offering, our concurrent private placement offering to WOF and our acquisition of the Acquired Properties as if these events had occurred on January 1, 2010.
The following selected financial and operating data should be read in conjunction with the section entitledManagement's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The company's pro forma consolidated financial statement information does not purport to (1) represent our financial position that would have actually occurred had the offerings or the acquisition of the Acquired Properties occurred on December 31, 2010, (2) represent the results of our operations that would have actually occurred had the offerings or the acquisition of the Acquired Properties occurred on January 1, 2010, or (3) project our financial position or results of operations as of any future date or for any future period, as applicable.
Company Historical | Company Pro Forma | |||||||
Year Ended December 31, 2010 |
Year Ended December 31, 2010 |
|||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||
Revenue: |
||||||||
Net rental income | $ | | $ | 5,809,620 | ||||
Other revenue | | 667,482 | ||||||
Total revenue | | $ | 6,477,102 | |||||
Expenses: |
||||||||
Total expenses | 766,199 | 14,475,456 | ||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | (766,199 | ) | $ | (7,998,354 | ) | ||
Net income (loss) per share of common stock | $ | (20.88 | ) | $ | (2.67 | ) | ||
Cash dividends declared per share of common stock | $ | | $ | | ||||
Balance sheet data (end of period): |
||||||||
Assets: |
||||||||
Total assets | $ | 829,812 | $ | 84,370,102 | ||||
Liabilities: |
||||||||
Mortgage notes payable (long-term) | $ | | $ | 41,080,000 | ||||
Note payable (short-term) | 1,470,948 | | ||||||
Accrued interest | 15,064 | | ||||||
Total liabilities | $ | 1,486,012 | $ | 41,080,000 | ||||
Total equity (deficit) | $ | (656,200 | ) | $ | 43,290,102 |
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You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the sections entitled Risk Factors, Forward-Looking Statements, Business and our audited financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2010, and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in the section entitled Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus.
We are an externally advised Maryland corporation incorporated on September 18, 2009, to acquire multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As a secondary strategy, we also may acquire senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or mezzanine debt secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily assets as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. We collectively refer to these asset classes as our target assets. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not yet commenced active operations.
We will seek to maximize returns for our stockholders by taking advantage of the current environment in the real estate market created by the recent United States financial crisis and downturn in the United States economy to acquire multifamily assets that have seen a dramatic drop in value due to a significant rise in capitalization rates, decreased occupancy due to downward pressure on renter incomes. As the real estate market and economy stabilize, we intend to employ efficient management techniques to grow income and create asset value.
As market conditions change over time, we intend to adjust our investment strategy to adapt to such changes as appropriate. We believe there are abundant opportunities among our target assets that currently present attractive risk-return profiles. However, in order to capitalize on the investment opportunities that may be present in the various other points of an economic cycle, we may expand or change our investment strategy and target assets. We believe that the diversification of the portfolio of assets that we intend to acquire, our ability to acquire, originate and manage our target assets and the flexibility of our strategy will position us to generate attractive long-term returns for our stockholders in a variety of market conditions. See the section entitled Business Our Investment Strategy included elsewhere in this prospectus.
We intend to elect and qualify to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2011. We also intend to operate our business in a manner that will permit us to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act. We will commence operations upon completion of the private placement and the underwritten offerings. We will conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership, Preferred Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P.
Immediately prior to the closing of the underwritten offering, we will complete the irrevocable private placement offering to WOF of 500,000 shares of our common stock, without payment of underwriting discounts and commissions by us. The purchase price for each share of common stock in the private placement offering will be the same as the initial public offering price in the underwritten offering.
We also intend to raise additional capital in the future.
Below is a discussion of the accounting policies that management believes will be critical once we commence operations. We consider these policies critical because they involve significant management judgments and assumptions, require estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain and because they are important for understanding and evaluating our reported financial results. These judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and our disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. With different estimates or assumptions, materially different amounts could be reported in our financial statements. Additionally, other companies may utilize different estimates that may impact the comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses.
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Cost Capitalization. Investments in real estate properties will be carried at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of 40 years for buildings, 20 years for land improvements and 5 to 12 years for computer, furniture, fixtures and equipment. Costs directly associated with the development of land and those incurred during construction are capitalized as part of the investment basis. Third-party acquisition costs will generally be expensed as incurred. Operating expenses incurred that are not related to the development and construction of the real estate investments are expensed as incurred. Repairs, maintenance and tenant turnover costs will be charged to expense as incurred and significant replacements and betterments will be capitalized. Repairs, maintenance and tenant turnover costs include all costs that do not extend the useful life of the real estate property. We will consider the period of future benefit of an asset to determine its appropriate useful life.
Real Estate Acquisition Valuation. We will record the acquisition of income-producing real estate or real estate that will be used for the production of income as a business combination. All assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination will be measured at their acquisition-date fair values. Acquisition costs generally will be expensed as incurred and restructuring costs that do not meet the definition of a liability at the acquisition date will be expensed in periods subsequent to the acquisition date. In addition, changes in accounting for deferred tax asset valuation allowances and acquired income tax uncertainties after the measurement period will be recorded to income tax expense.
We will assess the acquisition-date fair values of all tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities using methods similar to those used by independent appraisers (e.g., discounted cash flow analysis) and that utilize appropriate discount and/or capitalization rates and available market information. Estimates of future cash flows are based on a number of factors including historical operating results, known and anticipated trends, and market and economic conditions. The fair value of tangible assets of an acquired property considers the value of the property as if it were vacant.
We will record above-market and below-market in-place lease values for acquired properties based on the present value (using an interest rate that reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the in-place leases, and (ii) managements estimate of fair market lease rates for the corresponding in-place leases, measured over a period equal to the remaining average non-cancelable term of the leases. We will amortize any recorded above-market or below-market lease values as a reduction or increase, respectively, to rental income over the remaining non-cancelable terms of the respective lease, including any option periods for below-market leases.
We will estimate the value of in-place leases by considering the estimated carrying costs during hypothetical expected lease-up periods, considering current market conditions. In estimating carrying costs, management will include real estate taxes, insurance and other operating expenses and estimates of lost rentals at market rates during the expected lease-up periods.
Intangible assets include the value of in-place leases, which represents the estimated value of the net cash flows of the in-place leases to be realized, as compared to the net cash flows that would have occurred had the property been vacant at the time of acquisition and subject to lease-up. Acquired in-place lease value will be amortized to operating expense over the average remaining non-cancelable terms of the respective in-place leases.
Estimates of the fair values of the tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities will require us to make significant assumptions to estimate market lease rates, property-operating expenses, carrying costs during lease-up periods, discount rates, market absorption periods, and the number of years the property will be held for investment. The use of inappropriate assumptions would result in an incorrect valuation of our acquired tangible assets, identifiable intangibles and assumed liabilities, which would impact the amount of our net income.
Impairment of Real Estate and Related Intangible Assets and Liabilities. We will monitor events and changes in circumstances that could indicate that the carrying amounts of its real estate and related intangible assets and liabilities may not be recoverable or realized. When indicators of potential impairment suggest that the carrying value of real estate and related intangible assets and liabilities may not be recoverable, we will
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assess the recoverability by estimating whether we will recover the carrying value of the real estate and related intangible assets and liabilities through its undiscounted future cash flows and its eventual disposition. If, based on this analysis, we do not believe that we will be able to recover the carrying value of the real estate and related intangible assets and liabilities, we would record an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the real estate and related intangible assets and liabilities.
We will periodically evaluate the collectability of amounts due from tenants and will maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of tenants to make required payments under lease agreements. We will write off the balance of amounts due from tenants when we deem the amounts to be uncollectible.
We expect to lease apartment units under operating leases with terms generally of one year or less. Generally, credit investigations will be performed for prospective residents and security deposits are obtained. Rental revenue, net of concessions, will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
We will recognize gains on sales of real estate either in total or deferred for a period of time, depending on whether a sale has been consummated, the extent of the buyers investment in the property being sold, whether our receivable is subject to future subordination, and the degree of our continuing involvement with the property after the sale. If the criteria for profit recognition under the full-accrual method are not met, we will defer gain recognition and account for the continued operations of the property by applying the percentage-of-completion, reduced profit, deposit, installment or cost recovery method, as appropriate, until the appropriate criteria are met.
Other income, including interest earned on our cash, will be recognized as it is earned.
We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT and operate as such beginning with our taxable year ending December 31, 2011. We expect to have little or no taxable income prior to December 31, 2011. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to our stockholders (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP). As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent we distribute qualifying dividends to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost unless the IRS grants us relief under certain statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect our net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, we intend to organize and operate in such a manner as to qualify for treatment as a REIT.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not commenced any revenue-generating operations and will not commence any revenue-generating operations until we have completed the private placement offering and the underwritten offering. However, we have incurred costs associated with start-up and organizational activities, capital-raising activities and future property acquisitions.
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Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund and maintain our assets and operations, make distributions to our stockholders and other general business needs. We will use significant cash to purchase our target assets, repay principal and interest on our borrowings, make distributions to our stockholders and fund our operations. Initially, our sources of cash will consist of the net proceeds from the offerings, payments of principal and interest we receive on our portfolio of assets and cash generated from our operating results. In the future, we may use leverage to finance our assets through borrowings from a number of sources, including repurchase agreements, resecuritizations, securitizations, warehouse facilities and credit facilities (including term loans and revolving facilities).
We intend to utilize leverage in making our investments. The number of different investments we will acquire will be affected by numerous factors, including the amount of funds available to us. By operating on a leveraged basis, we will have more funds available for our investments. This will allow us to make more investments than would otherwise be possible, resulting in a larger and more diversified portfolio. See the section entitled Risk Factors included elsewhere in this prospectus for more information about the risks related to operating on a leveraged basis.
We have entered into purchase agreements for the acquisition of two properties from third parties affiliated with our manager. One purchase agreement is with Oxford Rise Partners LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, and WOF, which together own 100% of the membership interests in Oxford Rise JV, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Oxford Rise. The second purchase agreement is with Oxford Summit Development, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, and Williams Realty Fund I, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, which together own 100% of the membership interests in Oxford Summit Partners, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, or Oxford Summit. The acquisitions will be for 100% of the membership interests in Oxford Rise and Oxford Summit, each of which owns one fee-simple multifamily apartment community. It is expected that these acquisitions will be consummated shortly after the completion of the offerings. We anticipate that the purchase price for the two properties will be paid with approximately $24.8 million from the proceeds of the offerings. In addition, while currently we do not have any financing commitments in connection with the acquisitions of Oxford Rise and Oxford Summit, we anticipate securing a first mortgage loan on each property from either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac at approximately 65% of the total purchase price of each purchase, or approximately $19.5 million for Oxford Rise and approximately $21.6 million for Oxford Summit, or the Loans. We anticipate that each of the Loans will have a 30-year amortization period, will mature in seven years, and will either bear interest at a fixed rate of approximately 4.90% per annum, or bear interest on a floating rate with a spread of 3.05% to 3.20% per annum over 30-day LIBOR. We anticipate that the Loans will require monthly installments of interest only through the first three years and monthly installments of principal and interest throughout the remainder of their stated terms. We expect that the loan related to Oxford Rise only will be secured by the Oxford Rise property and that the loan related to Oxford Summit only will be secured by the Oxford Summit property. We expect that the loan documentation for the Loans will contain customary terms, covenants and other conditions for first mortgage debt of this type. While currently we do not have any financing commitments in place in connection with the acquisitions of the two properties, upon completion of the offerings we expect to execute commitment letters with either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and pay a fee equal to 2% of the loan proceeds for each of the two loans, which payments will be reimbursed to us at the closing of each Loan. If first mortgage financing is unavailable from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we plan to prioritize the acquisition of the two properties and use the proceeds from the offering to acquire the Oxford Rise property. The Oxford Rise purchase agreement contains a potential earn out payment to the seller based on the results of appraisals to be prepared one year after closing. We expect any such earn out payment in connection with the Oxford Rise Property to be funded from operations or future offerings of debt or equity. See the section entitled Description of Our Real Estate Investments included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed description of our planned debt financing for these two potential acquisitions.
We intend to target leverage levels (secured and unsecured) between 50% and 65% of our tangible assets value on a portfolio basis. Neither our charter nor our by-laws contain any limitation on the amount of leverage we may use. Our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder
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approval, limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing. These targets, however, will not apply to individual real estate assets or investments. At the date of acquisition of each asset, we anticipate that the cost of investment for such asset will be substantially similar to its fair market value. However, subsequent events, including changes in the fair market value of our assets, could result in our exceeding these limits. In addition, we intend to acquire all of our properties through separate special purpose entities and we intend to finance each of these properties using financing techniques for that property alone without any cross-collateralization to our other properties. See the section entitled Business Our Financing Strategy included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of our borrowing policies.
Our secured and unsecured aggregate borrowings are intended by us to be reasonable in relation to our net assets and will be reviewed by our board of directors at least quarterly. In determining whether our borrowings are reasonable in relation to our net assets, we expect that our board of directors will consider many factors, including without limitation, the lending standards of government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for loans in connection with the financing of multifamily properties, the leverage ratios of publicly traded and non-traded REITs with similar investment strategies, whether we have positive leverage (in that, the board will compare the capitalization rates of our properties to the interest rates on the indebtedness of such properties) and general market conditions. There is no limitation on the amount that we may borrow for any single investment.
If we are unable to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all, we may have to curtail our investment activities, including acquisitions and improvements to and developments of real properties, which could limit our growth prospects. This, in turn, could reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and may hinder our ability to raise capital by issuing more stock or borrowing more money. We may be forced to dispose of assets at inopportune times in order to maintain our REIT qualification and Investment Company Act exemption.
Furthermore, if prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of financing result in higher interest rates upon financing, then the interest expense relating to that financed indebtedness would be higher. Higher interest rates on newly incurred debt may negatively impact us as well. If interest rates increase, our interest costs and overall costs of capital will increase, which could adversely affect our transaction and development activity, financial condition, results of operation, cash flow, our ability to pay principal and interest on our debt and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. Finally, sellers may be less inclined to negotiate with us if they believe we may be unable to obtain financing.
Through March 25, 2011, the Company had entered into three separate financing arrangements with WOF as follows:
Date | Aggregate Amount |
Nature | Interest Rate |
Maturity Date |
Purpose of Borrowing | |||||
September 2, 2010 | $465,050 | Term Loan | 4.25% | April 30, 2011 | Organization, offering, acquisition and due diligence costs | |||||
October 12, 2010 | $1,250,000(1) | Line of Credit | 4.25% | April 30, 2011 | Organization, offering and property acquisition costs | |||||
October 12, 2010 | $750,000(2) | Revolving Line of Credit | 4.25% | April 30, 2011 | Fund deposits and escrow requirements related to property acquisitions |
(1) | $1,240,000 outstanding as of March 25, 2011. |
(2) | $52,258.90 outstanding as of March 25, 2011. |
It is expected that the amounts borrowed under these arrangements will be repaid with proceeds from the offerings and the anticipated secured and unsecured borrowings as described above.
As of March 25, 2011, we had three outstanding promissory notes each given to WOF. The first note represents funds borrowed on September 2, 2010 from WOF for payment of organization and offering
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expenses in the amount of $465,050. The second and third notes evidence lines of credit extended on October 12, 2010 from WOF for expenses and for deposits, each in the amount of $1,000,000. In March 2011, the expense line of credit promissory note was amended and restated to increase the amount available to us from $1,000,000 to $1,250,000 and the deposits line of credit promissory note was amended and restated to decrease the amount available to us from $1,000,000 to $750,000. See the table above in Liquidity and Capital Resources regarding the amount outstanding as of March 25, 2011 with respect to such lines of credit. Each of the three notes has an interest rate of 4.25% per annum and all amounts due thereunder are due on April 30, 2011, including all accrued and unpaid interest on such note.
We have identified two real estate investments for potential acquisition. We have entered into purchase agreements with third parties affiliated with our manager, for the purchase of 100% of the membership interests in each of Oxford Rise JV, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Oxford Summit Partners, LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, each of which owns one fee-simple multifamily apartment community. The acquisition price for each property was determined pursuant to the appraisals of two independent real estate appraisers. It is expected that these acquisitions will be consummated shortly after the completion of the offerings. The purchase price for the two properties will be paid from proceeds of the offerings as well as proceeds obtained, if any, from planned debt financing activities (see Liquidity and Capital Resources above). In addition, the Oxford Rise purchase agreement contains a potential earn out payment to the seller based on the results of appraisals to be prepared one year after closing.
We have entered into a second amended and restated management agreement, or management agreement, with our manager, pursuant to which our manager will be entitled to receive a base management fee and the reimbursement of certain expenses, and may earn incentive distributions. See the section entitled Our Manager and Management Agreement included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our manager will use the proceeds from its management fee in part to pay compensation to its officers and personnel who, notwithstanding that certain of them also are our officers, will receive no cash compensation directly from us.
We intend to make regular quarterly distributions to holders of our common stock. U.S. federal income tax law generally requires that a REIT distribute annually at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain, and that it pay tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that it annually distributes less than 100% of its net taxable income. We intend to pay regular quarterly dividends to our common stockholders in an amount equal to the balance of our net taxable income, if and to the extent authorized by our board of directors. Before we pay any dividend, whether for U.S. federal income tax purposes or otherwise, we must first meet both our operating requirements and debt service if any. If our cash available for distribution is less than our net taxable income, we could be required to sell assets or borrow funds to make cash distributions or we may make a portion of the required distribution in the form of a taxable stock distribution or distribution of debt securities. While we currently do not intend to use the proceeds of the offerings to make distributions to our stockholders, if we do not have enough cash to make distributions, we may borrow money, receive advances from our manager, request that our manager defer, suspend and/or waive its fees and expense reimbursements or use the offering proceeds to fund distributions.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Virtually all of our assets and liabilities will be interest rate sensitive in nature. As a result, interest rates and other factors may influence our performance more so than inflation. Changes in interest rates do not necessarily correlate with inflation rates or changes in inflation rates. Furthermore, our financial statements will be prepared in accordance with GAAP and any distributions we may make to our stockholders will be determined by our board of directors primarily based on our taxable income and, in each case, our activities and balance sheet will be measured with reference to historical cost and/or fair market value without considering inflation.
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We seek to manage our risks related to the credit quality of our assets, interest rates, liquidity, prepayment speeds and market value while, at the same time, seeking to provide an opportunity to stockholders to realize attractive risk-adjusted returns through ownership of our capital stock. While we do not seek to avoid risk completely, we believe the risk can be quantified from the past experience of our sponsor, our manager and their respective affiliates and seek to actively manage that risk, to earn sufficient compensation to justify taking those risks and to maintain capital levels consistent with the risks we undertake.
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The information presented in this section represents information on prior programs organized by John A. Williams and his affiliates to invest in real estate. Prospective investors should not assume they will experience returns comparable to those experienced by investors in past real estate programs sponsored by affiliates of our sponsor. Further, by purchasing our shares, investors will not acquire an ownership interest in any partnerships or corporations to which the following information relates. The private funds discussed in this section were conducted through privately held entities that were not subject to the up-front commissions, fees and expenses associated with the underwritten offering nor the laws and regulations that will apply to us as a publicly offered and publicly listed REIT.
The information contained herein is included solely to provide prospective investors with background to be used to evaluate the real estate experience of our sponsor and his affiliates. The information summarized below is set forth in greater detail in the Prior Performance Tables included in this prospectus. Investors should direct their attention to the Prior Performance Tables for further information regarding the prior performance of the sponsor and his affiliates. In addition, as part of our registration statement, we have filed certain tables with the Securities and Exchange Commission which report detailed information regarding Program Property acquisitions by prior programs. Investors can obtain copies of such tables, without charge, by requesting Table VI Acquisition of Properties by Programs from Part II of this registration statement from us.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION AND THE TABLES REFERENCED HEREIN SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS INDICATIVE OF HOW WE WILL PERFORM. THIS DISCUSSION REFERS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF PRIOR PROGRAMS AND PROPERTIES SPONSORED BY OUR SPONSOR OR HIS AFFILIATES OVER THE PERIODS LISTED THEREIN. IN ADDITION, THE TABLES INCLUDED WITH THIS PROSPECTUS (WHICH REFLECT RESULTS OVER THE PERIODS SPECIFIED IN EACH TABLE) DO NOT MEAN THAT WE WILL MAKE INVESTMENTS COMPARABLE TO THOSE REFLECTED IN SUCH TABLES. IF YOU PURCHASE SHARES IN PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC., YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY OWNERSHIP INTEREST IN ANY OF THE REAL ESTATE PROGRAMS DESCRIBED IN THE TABLES (UNLESS YOU ARE ALSO AN INVESTOR IN THOSE REAL ESTATE PROGRAMS).
Our sponsor founded Post Properties, Inc. (PPS: NYSE), or Post Properties, in 1970, and directed its activities as a private company until 1993, by which time Post Properties had become a vertically integrated real estate company with over 14,000 apartment units and over 900 employees. Post Properties completed an initial public offering, or IPO, of its shares in 1993. From IPO through 2002, Post Properties developed or acquired an additional 52 properties totaling 17,702 apartment units. Mr. Williams continued as Chief Executive Officer of Post Properties until July 2002 and as Chairman of the Post Properties board of directors until March 2003, at which time Post Properties had a total of 79 properties containing 29,199 units and a total market capitalization of approximately $2.9 billion. Since its founding, Post Properties focused on the development, acquisition, management, and ownership of upscale multifamily apartment communities in Georgia, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
In February of 2005, Williams Realty Advisors, LLC, or WRA, an affiliate of our sponsor, commenced the operations of Williams Realty Fund I, LLC, a private, closed-end real estate development program, or Fund I. Mr. Williams is Chief Executive Officer of WRA, the sole manager of Fund I. Fund I closed with $100 million of capital commitments from 91 investors in November of 2005. As of September 30, 2010, this fund has committed approximately $101.5 million in capital to 34 separate real estate development projects. Fund Is primary strategy was to invest in real estate development projects across a variety of property types. Fund Is investments are spread across several property types including rental apartments, for-sale condominiums, retail, senior housing, industrial warehouse, hotels, residential lots and office.
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The properties developed under Fund I are broken down as follows by aggregate project development costs: apartments 32.3%, condominiums 10.7%, hotel-condominiums 17.6%, mixed-use 6.9%, retail 5.9%, hotel 8.0%, senior residential 8.2%, residential lots 4.1%, industrial warehouse 4.8% and office 1.5%. As of September 30, 2010, all of Fund Is properties are located in the United States and, based on aggregate project development costs, are 91.8% in the Southeast and 8.2% in the Mid-Atlantic. The aggregate budgeted costs for development of Fund Is projects total over $1 billion. In addition to Fund Is investments, these projects are financed with first mortgages from banks and other financial institutions, mezzanine debt, and equity co-investment from various sources. All the properties in Fund I are new construction. As of September 30, 2010, ten properties have been sold, yielding an internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to Fund I for assets sold of approximately 20.8% to Fund I (before fees and expenses) and approximately 16.7% to Fund I (after fees and expenses have been allocated to the sold assets) and generating approximately $25 million in cash distributions by Fund I to its investors that is approximately a 13.5% internal rate of return to Fund I's investors with respect to the assets sold, where all such distributions to Fund Is investors have been paid from the sale and/or refinancing of Fund Is properties and none of such distributions have been paid from cash generated by operations. However, when all of Fund Is asset dispositions as of September 30, 2010 are included (including any assets lost to a foreclosure, a deed in lieu of foreclosure or any other disposition that is not an arms-length sale), the internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to Fund I from all disposed assets is approximately -23.2% to Fund I (before fees and expenses) and approximately -30.6% to Fund I (after fees and expenses have been allocated to all of the disposed assets) and the approximately $25 million in cash distributions by Fund I to its investors is approximately a -32.9% internal rate of return with respect to all disposed assets. Because of the development nature of Fund I and its investment in multiple property types, its investment objectives are not similar to ours.
The combination of the downturn in the economy and lingering effects of the U.S. financial crisis has severely impacted the residential and commercial real estate markets. Real estate values have decreased significantly, and the lack of credit has made refinancing or selling commercial real estate hard in todays market. Consequently, Fund Is transaction activity has been severely curtailed. As a result of these difficult conditions, the remaining assets in Fund I face formidable challenges. Any project with a residential for-sale component, such as condos or lots, faces significantly longer sell-out periods and lower sales prices than originally anticipated. Fund Is retail, hotel, and senior rental projects face more protracted lease-up periods and lower rents than originally anticipated. Even Fund Is apartment properties, which are generally stabilized at 95%+ occupancy (except one project still in lease-up), have suffered a significant diminution in value due to lower rental rates and increased cap rates.
Another challenge exists with respect to existing loans. A majority of Fund Is projects were commenced in 2005 and 2006 and were financed with three year construction loans, typically with extension options. Many of these loans have matured or will mature in the near future. Others projects have exhausted the interest carry allowances in their construction loan budgets. Since Fund I investments, like other borrowers, have few, if any, refinancing or recapitalization options available in todays market, existing lenders must either extend these loans or take back the underlying properties. Fund Is strategy is to attempt to work out acceptable loan extensions with its existing lenders that will enable it to hold these properties until they can be stabilized and sold in a more favorable transaction market. As of September 30, 2010, Fund I had seven loans related to six of its properties that were in default and that represented approximately 31.7% of Fund Is projects outstanding indebtedness. As of September 30, 2010, Fund I lost through short sales, foreclosures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure the following projects that, in the aggregate, constituted approximately 21.8% of Fund Is invested capital: (1) a project with 70 residential lots located in Atlanta, Georgia in which Fund Is investment of approximately $3.2 million was lost in a short sale in December 2009; (2) a project with 45 condominiums and a 127-room hotel located in Atlanta, Georgia in which Fund Is investment of approximately $12.5 million was lost in a foreclosure sale in February 2010; (3) a project with 94 condominiums located in Atlanta, Georgia in which Fund Is investment of approximately $1.6 million was lost in a foreclosure sale in May 2010; (4) a project with 232 apartments located in Atlanta, Georgia in which Fund Is investment of approximately $0.4 million was lost through a deed in lieu of foreclosure in June 2010; and (5) a project with 65 condominiums located in Nashville, Tennessee in which Fund Is investment of approximately $4.5 million was lost in a short sale in September 2010.
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After September 30, 2010 and prior to the date of this prospectus, Fund I disposed of the following three additional properties through two sales transactions and a foreclosure: (1) a project with approximately 133,000 square feet of retail space located in Kennesaw, Georgia, in which Fund Is investment of approximately $3.4 million was lost in a foreclosure sale in October 2010; (2) a project with 230 apartments located in Tampa, Florida was sold in December 2010 in an open market sale where Fund I received aggregate actual cash distributions of approximately $0.62 million from its investment of approximately $0.5 million; and (3) Fund Is interest in a project with 265 apartments located in Williamsburg, Virginia was sold in January 2011 to Fund Is joint venture partner where Fund I received aggregate actual cash distributions of approximately $2.34 million from its investment of approximately $0.9 million. If these subsequent dispositions are included in Fund I's return calculations, the internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to Fund I from all disposed assets is approximately -19.6% to Fund I (before fees and expenses) and approximately -33.7% to Fund I (after fees and expenses have been allocated to all of the disposed assets through September 30, 2010) and the approximately $25 million in cash distributions by Fund I to its investors is approximately a -39.1% internal rate of return with respect to all disposed assets. In addition, the disposition of these three additional properties would reduce Fund I's projects loans in default from seven loans related to six of its properties to six loans related to five of its properties and these six loans in default would be reduced to representing approximately 25.1% of Fund Is projects outstanding indebtedness (as of September 30, 2010 other than as adjusted for the two additional properties lost). After September 30, 2010 and prior to the date of this prospectus, (1) one of Fund Is pre-development projects that was in default (that represented approximately 5.0% of Fund Is projects outstanding indebtedness at September 30, 2010) was sold in a short sale to a new entity in which Fund I has an interest; and (2) Fund I has agreed with the lender on another project that is in default (that represented approximately 8.1% of Fund Is projects outstanding indebtedness at September 30, 2010) to sell the project in a transaction where it is anticipated that the lender would be paid in full.
In addition, after September 30, 2010 and prior to the date of this prospectus, Fund I has two additional properties that have a total of three loans in default that could result in a total loss of Fund I's investment as follows: (1) Fund I has agreed to terms with the lender with two loans on a project with approximately 120 residential lots located in Atlanta, Georgia in which Fund Is investment of $0.5 million would likely be lost in either a deed in lieu of foreclosure or a short sale; and (2) the lender on a pre-development project located in Hyopluxo, Florida has filed a foreclosure action against the project which, if determined adversely to Fund I, would result in Fund I losing its entire $3 million investment. If these two potential dispositions are included in Fund Is return calculations as a total loss of investment, the internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to Fund I from all disposed and potentially disposed assets is approximately -22.4% to Fund I (before fees and expenses) and approximately -37.3% to Fund I (after fees and expenses have been allocated to all of the disposed assets through September 30, 2010) and the approximately $25 million in cash distributions by Fund I to its investors is approximately a -42.5% internal rate of return with respect to all disposed assets. Finally, assuming the loss of these two additional properties along with the closing of the two workout agreements would reduce Fund Is projects loans in default from five loans related to four of its properties to no loans in default.
In addition to the above, it will be much more difficult to resolve situations where the cash flow is insufficient to service the debt. As of September 30, 2010, Fund I had two properties with insufficient cash flow to cover debt service payments, which represent in the aggregate approximately 4.1% of Fund I's invested capital. One of the two Fund I properties with insufficient cash flow to cover its debt service payments is a 193-unit senior independent living facility in Atlanta, Georgia that represents approximately 2.8% of Fund I's invested capital. While some leasing progress has been made, the property was 28% occupied as of December 31, 2010 and the independent living sector continues to face difficult market conditions. Fund I has discontinued funding additional capital for this project. However, its joint venture partner has contributed additional capital to enable the project to make full debt service payments as the developer and the joint venture partner work to put in place a redesign of a portion of the project to better meet market demand. While Fund Is joint venture partner is currently making contributions of additional capital to allow the project to make full debt service payments, there is no assurance that it will continue to do so and there is a material risk that Fund I could lose its entire investment in the property in the future. The other project with insufficient cash flow to cover its debt service payments is a former residential lot
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development site that has been converted to a multifamily development site in Hampton Roads, Virginia that represents approximately 1.3% of Fund I's invested capital. Full debt service payments on this multifamily site are currently being made by the developer of this property as the developer works to put in place a plan to fully develop the property. While the developer is currently making debt service payments, there is no assurance that it will continue to do so and there is a material risk that Fund I could lose its entire investment in the property. It is likely that Fund Is investment in a number of the remaining projects will suffer either partial or, in some cases, complete losses. Finally, in connection with the economic downturn, Fund I disclosed fair values below its book values for certain assets in its December 31, 2008 and its December 31, 2009 financial statements and recognized impairments related to a number of its assets.
In February of 2007, WRA commenced the operations of Williams Opportunity Fund, LLC, a private, closed-end real estate fund. Mr. Williams is Chief Executive Officer of WRA, the sole manager of WOF. WOF closed with over $103 million of capital commitments from 82 investors in March of 2008. As of September 30, 2010, WOF has committed approximately $67.6 million in capital to 20 separate real estate projects. WOFs primary strategy is to invest in real estate projects across a variety of property types and markets, including rental apartments, retail/mixed-use, hotels, self-storage and office.
The properties developed under WOF are broken down as follows by aggregate project costs: apartments 57.5%, retail/mixed-use 1.2%, hotel 34.8%, self-storage 1.3% and office 5.2%. As of September 30, 2010, all WOFs properties are located in the United States and, based on aggregate project development costs, are 71.3% in the Southeast, 23.9% in the Mid-Atlantic and 4.8% in the Northeast. As of September 30, 2010, the aggregate budgeted costs for WOFs projects totaled approximately $617.5 million. In addition to WOFs investments, these projects are financed with first mortgages from banks and other financial institutions, mezzanine debt, and equity co-investment from various sources. All the properties currently in WOF are new construction. As of September 30, 2010, one property has been sold, yielding an internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to WOF for the asset sold of approximately 21.2% to WOF (before fees and expenses) and approximately 15.5% to WOF (after fees and expenses have been allocated to the sold asset) and generating approximately $7.5 million in cash distributions by WOF to its investors that is approximately a 19.4% internal rate of return to WOF's investors with respect to the asset sold, where all such distributions have been paid from the sale or refinancing of WOFs properties and none of such distributions have been paid from cash generated by operations. Because of the nature of WOF and its investment in multiple property types, its investment objectives are not similar to ours.
The combination of the downturn in the economy and the lingering effects of the U.S. financial crisis has severely impacted the residential and commercial real estate markets. Liquidity and credit for the real estate industry remain scarce. Consequently, WOFs transaction and development activity has been severely curtailed. As a result of these difficult conditions, WOF faces issues in securing the debt and co-equity required to move forward with existing projects in the pre-development stage. In addition, because of limited options for leverage levels consistent with WOFs targets, the program may have a difficult time deploying all of its called capital in a timely fashion in investments that meet WOFs targeted investment profile, which could adversely impact WOFs overall results. Another challenge exists with respect to existing loans related to properties in the pre-development phase. Two of WOFs projects in pre-development have exhausted their carrying cost reserves and have reached maturity on their pre-development loans. Since these WOF investments, like other borrowers holding properties for future development, have few, if any, refinancing/recapitalization options available in todays market, existing lenders must either extend these loans or take back the underlying properties. WOFs strategy is to attempt to work out acceptable loan extensions with its projects existing lenders that will enable it to hold these properties until they can be recapitalized in connection with starting construction of the applicable projects. As of September 30, 2010, WOF had three loans related to three of its properties that were in default, which represent approximately 19.1% of WOFs projects outstanding indebtedness. After September 30, 2010 and prior to the date of this prospectus: (1) WOF acquired the property underlying one of its loans in default (that represented approximately 1.1% of WOFs projects outstanding indebtedness at September 30, 2010) in connection with a discounted payoff to the existing lender and WOF now owns the underlying property debt free; (2) the borrower of one of WOFs projects that has a loan in default (that represented approximately 3.9% of WOFs projects outstanding
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indebtedness at September 30, 2010) has filed for a judicial declaration that the underlying debt is no longer valid on the basis that such debt was allegedly released by the lender pursuant to a written agreement; and (3) WOFs interest in a project with 216 apartments located in Royersford, Pennsylvania was sold in January 2011 to WOFs development partner in the project where WOF received aggregate actual cash distributions of approximately $0.56 million from its investment of approximately $0.8 million. If the one subsequent disposition described above is included in WOFs return calculations, the internal rate of return based on actual cash distributions to WOF from all disposed assets is approximately 16.4% to WOF (before fees and expenses) and approximately 15.5% to WOF (after fees and expenses have been allocated to all the disposed assets through September 30, 2010) and the approximately $7.5 million in cash distributions by WOF to its investors is approximately a 10.7% internal rate of return with respect to all the disposed assets. In addition, on November 3, 2010, the borrower for one of the three loans in default that represented approximately 14.1% of WOFs projects outstanding indebtedness at September 30, 2010 filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and subsequently the lender for this loan in default filed a lawsuit against WOF for performance of its guarantee of the loan. WOF believes it has meritorious defenses against the guarantee performance claim and plans to pursue such defenses vigorously. In addition to its projects loans in default, as of September 30, 2010, WOF had a self-storage property in Atlanta, Georgia with insufficient cash flow to cover its debt service payments and that represents approximately 1.7% of WOF's invested capital. However, while operating cash flow is currently insufficient to cover debt service payments at this property, WOF has made, and plans to continue to make, small capital infusions to ensure that debt service payments will be made in full. The property is expected to have operating cash flow to sufficient cover its debt service payments in early 2011. Finally, in connection with the economic downturn, WOF disclosed fair values below its book values for certain assets in its December 31, 2009 financial statements and recognized impairments related to a number of its assets.
In April of 2007, WRA commenced operations of Williams Multifamily Acquisition Fund, or the Acquisition Fund. Mr. Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of WRA, the sole manager of the Acquisition Funds sole general partner. The investors in the Acquisition Fund committed $300 million in equity for the purpose of acquiring select multifamily rental properties in accordance with a prescribed value-add strategy. As of June 30, 2009, the date the investment period during which the Acquisition Fund could acquire new assets expired, the Acquisition Fund had acquired nine apartment communities with an aggregate of almost 3,200 units and totaling approximately $339.5 million in costs. On a same store basis, the Acquisition Fund's portfolio experienced net operating income (NOI) growth of approximately -1.9% from 2008 to 2009. The Acquisition Fund's same store results for 2008 to 2009 represent seven assets comprising 2,296 units that were owned for all of 2008 and 2009. NOI is defined as total revenues less operating expenses and excludes capital expenditures and debt service. The Acquisition Fund's same store growth was approximately 8.1% from 2009 to 2010. The same store results for 2009 to 2010 represent nine assets and 3,199 units that were owned for all of 2009 and 2010. As of December 31, 2010, all of the Acquisition Funds properties are located in the United States and, based on aggregate total capitalization, are 62.7% in the Southeast and 37.3% in the Southwest. All properties of the Acquisition Fund have been acquired in the past three years and no program assets have been sold. As of December 31, 2010, approximately $124.2 million of capital has been called and contributed. The Acquisition Funds objective was to employ leverage up to 65% of the value of the programs assets as part of its strategy to generate competitive internal rates of return, net of management fees, over an eight to ten-year period. The Acquisition Fund has an investment objective that is similar to ours.
The combination of the downturn in the economy and the lingering effects of the U.S. financial crisis has severely impacted the multifamily residential real estate markets. Real estate values have decreased significantly, and the lack of credit has made refinancing or selling commercial real estate hard in todays market. Consequently, the Acquisition Funds disposition activity has been severely curtailed. Because of the difficult times, the Acquisition Funds projects currently face increased vacancy rates and lower market rents than originally anticipated, both of which have adversely affected the current revenues of the program. In addition, all the Acquisition Funds assets have seen a diminution in value due to upward movement in cap rates. Finally, as of December 31, 2010, the Acquisition Fund had not yet paid any distributions to its investors.
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The adverse market conditions noted above also may cause total returns to the investors in the Acquisition Fund to be lower than originally projected. However, in light of the current downturn in the multifamily residential real estate market, and the fact that all the Acquisition Funds current debt financings do not have maturities until 2012 or later, the current business plans for this program do not contemplate any asset dispositions in the near future. Therefore total returns to investors in this program are unknown at this time.
As noted above, neither Fund I nor WOF has paid distributions from cash generated by operations. Furthermore, the Acquisition Fund, which has an investment objective that is similar to ours, had not yet paid any distributions to its investors as of December 31, 2010. The adverse market conditions have severely impacted various real estate markets. As more fully described above, Fund Is transaction activity and the Acquisition Funds disposition activity have been severely curtailed, and WOF faces issues in securing the debt and co-equity required to move forward with existing projects in the pre-development stage. In addition, as discussed above, Fund I has lost six properties through short sales, foreclosures and deeds in lieu of foreclosure.
The information summarized herein is set forth in greater detail in the Prior Performance Tables included elsewhere in this prospectus. Investors should direct their attention to the Prior Performance Tables for further information regarding the prior performance of the sponsor and his affiliates.
Other than as disclosed above, there have been no major adverse business developments or conditions experienced by any program or non-program property that would be material to investors, including as a result of recent general economic conditions.
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We are a Maryland corporation formed to acquire multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As a secondary strategy, we also may acquire senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or mezzanine debt secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily assets as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. We refer to these asset classes as our target assets.
Our promoters are John A. Williams and Leonard A. Silverstein. We will be externally managed and advised by Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is controlled by John A. Williams, our sponsor and a veteran of and expert in the multifamily industry with over four decades of experience, including the founding of one of the nations premier multifamily real estate investment trusts, Post Properties, Inc. (NYSE:PPS), and Leonard A. Silverstein. Pursuant to the terms of a management agreement between our manager and us, our manager will be responsible for administering our day-to-day business operations, identifying and acquiring targeted real estate investments, overseeing the management of the investments, handling the disposition of the real estate investments and providing us with our management team and appropriate support personnel.
We also will benefit from Mr. Williams current organization and platform that specializes in multifamily real estate investment and management. With operations in over 20 nationwide markets, Mr. Williams organization includes (i) Williams Realty Advisors, LLC, or WRA a full service investment management firm, (ii) Williams Asset Management, LLC, or WAM a full service acquisition, asset management and disposition firm, and (iii) RAM Partners, LLC, or RAM, and Williams Residential Management, LLC, or WRM both full service property level management firms. RAM provides third party services and WRM handles all owned assets within the Williams umbrella group. Collectively, RAM and WRM manage over 31,000 multifamily units. We believe these organizations provide the full range of services necessary to fulfill our investment objectives and we will benefit from their depth and breadth of experience in a number of ways, including, but not limited to: (i) our managers intent to contract directly with each of these firms to provide a substantial portion of the services our manager is required to provide in connection with running our day-to-day operations under the management agreement with us, and (ii) key employees of these firms serving as our officers and as officers of our manager.
Our manager intends to brand all apartment communities owned by the Company as A Preferred Apartment Community, to make A Preferred Apartment Community a trademarked logo and ultimate tagline for each of our communities that will signify certain brand and management standards, and intends to obtain all rights to the trademarks, including federal registration of the trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to secure such brand in connection with such branding. There can be no assurance that such trademarks will be issued. The strategy will allow each individual community to be part of a centralized marketing and advertising campaign, in addition to property level marketing and advertising. We expect that these campaigns will enhance further the individual propertys presence in the marketplace, and we believe that this will allow our communities to be perceived as premier over other properties within the marketplace. Our manager intends to enter into a non-exclusive license agreement with the Company as licensee with respect to all intellectual property of the manager other than trademarks. The license agreement will terminate automatically upon termination of our management agreement or will terminate upon a material breach of the license agreement that remains uncured for more than 30 days after receipt of notice of such breach. If the trademarks relating to the A Preferred Apartment Community brand are issued, our manager intends to enter into a non-exclusive license agreement with the Company as licensee with respect to the managers trademarks on substantially similar terms as the initial intellectual property license agreement.
Our manager will be Preferred Apartment Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is controlled by John A. Williams and Leonard A. Silverstein.
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John A. Williams has directed and coordinated the development, construction, and management of real estate developments for more than four decades. Over the course of his career, he has directed and coordinated the development, construction, and management of more than $5 billion in real estate developments. Approximately $3.5 billion of this activity has focused on multifamily housing, with the balance in other property types including hotels, condominiums and offices. Mr. Williams founded Post Properties, Inc. in 1970. He took Post Properties, Inc. public as a REIT in 1993. When he resigned as Chairman of Post Properties in 2003, the company had over 30,000 apartment units and had averaged Funds from Operation (FFO) growth of 7% per year commencing with the initial public offering.
Mr. Williams has been a national leader in the urban development concept. He is widely credited with coining the phrases Smart Growth and Live, Work, Play. His urban mixed-use projects have won numerous local and national awards. He was also an early pioneer in green development having advocated for recycling in apartment communities, superior insulation, energy efficient appliances, and environmentally conscious building materials. His early efforts and vision led to many of the LEED standards that are used today.
Among the 40 awards, honors and medals Mr. Williams has received over his 42 years of success in the industry include being named Entrepreneur of The Year, by both Stanford Business School and Ernst & Young in 1990 and 1988 respectively. He has been given The Wall Street Transcript CEO Award for Commercial Real Estate, in 1995 along with being named CEO of The Year, by Financial World, in 1996. Mr. Williams was listed on National Real Estate Investors list of The 20th Centurys Most Influential Developers, along with Atlanta Business Chronicles award for Atlanta Residential Developer of The Decade, for the 1990s; followed by, Harvard Business School extending its Community Leadership Award to Mr. Williams in 2000. He has received numerous honors and awards from Cobb County, Georgia including, The Mack Henderson Public Service Award, in 2005. Mr. Williams was inducted into the Multi-Housing News Hall of Fame: First Class in 2004, and given the Four Pillar Award in 2007 by The Council for Quality Growth. In the spring of 2008, Mr. Williams was inducted into the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business Hall of Fame as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management Hall of Fame.
While serving as the initial Chairman of the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, Mr. Williams was responsible for leading the effort to build the $200 million Exhibition Meeting Venue and Ballroom complex. These facilities were completed in 1995. The large ballroom, one of the largest in the south, was named The John A. Williams Ballroom. He also led the effort to build the state-of-the-art Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre which cost $150 million. The 2,800 seat main theatre is named The John A. Williams Theatre.
See the section Management Our Directors and Executive Officers included elsewhere in this prospectus.
In the wake of the recent financial system troubles and downturn in the United States economy, multifamily assets have seen a dramatic drop in their value as the combination of higher capitalization rates and dwindling incomes has created formidable headwinds for operators across the country. Many transactions consummated in the last five years were highly leveraged with favorable financing terms. In many instances, the terms of these deals are about to expire or the debt associated with these deals is about to mature. These transactions present problems for undercapitalized owners as the ability to refinance has diminished significantly and the only options that may be available are a sale at a dramatic discount to their basis or foreclosure. However, based on the lack of new supply projected for the next several years, the expected rebound in the general economy, the introduction of the echo boom generation into the market and the dwindling rate of homeownership, we believe this stress in the market will create multiple opportunities for acquisitions.
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Supply Constraints: With the economic conditions curtailing financing and construction, we believe the new supply pipeline will soon contract to a low not seen in recent history. As can be seen from the charts below, permits for multifamily construction have diminished to an average of around 120,000 units permitted annually. In addition, we believe that for the period from 2010 to 2015 the U.S. apartment stock will lose an average of 118,000 units per year to obsolescence or conversion to other uses. We believe that this combination should result in a few years of net completions of new units being near zero, as completions should equal units taken from the market. As the economy rebounds and demand for apartment inventory increases, we believe that there will be for an extended period of time a significant shortage of new supply for the development sector to rebuild its infrastructure and resume new construction of units. We believe this window of opportunity will allow owners with desirable product to experience rent growth and enhanced occupancy levels as the market expands and supply struggles to keep pace.
* | Based on U.S. Census Bureau data as presented by Axiometrics, Inc. |
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Economic Improvement: While the overall economy struggles to show consistent signs of improvement, we believe that multifamily seems to be the most resilient sector in the market. We believe that the historical correlation between job growth and absorption has not applied. As demonstrated in the chart below, since the third quarter of 2008, apartment absorption on a year-over-year basis has outperformed the corresponding drop in employment, with absorption posting only modest declines in the face of dramatic job losses. We believe that the rental demand for single family rental product (which accounted for a large shadow market in many cities) has dropped significantly, providing relatively more demand for traditional multifamily rental product.
* | Based on Witten Advisors Third Quarter 2010 Markets Update and Strategy Presentation and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. |
Rate of Homeownership: One of the most significant contributors to the projection for new demand for rental units is the level of homeownership in the United States. As of June 30, 2010, the home ownership rate was approximately 66.9%, down from a high of approximately 69.2% in 2004 (figures based on U.S. Census Bureau data). Based on industry sources, we believe that, while the current economic weakness probably will ease at some point in late 2010 or 2011, an increase in homeownership rates is unlikely for a much longer period of time and the current downward trend shown in chart below will continue on its current trajectory.
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* | Source: Figures based on U.S. Census Bureau data and related Arthur C. Nelson forecast (Metropolitan Research Center, University of Utah). |
Given the more stringent scrutiny from lenders and regulators alike that has been occurring, the erosion of wealth in the housing sector over the last four years, the decline in overall household income and the dramatic increase in unemployment, we expect the propensity to rent likely will continue to increase in the near term. Based on current U.S. Census Bureau data, from a demographic standpoint, there is a large population bubble of Americans under the age of 30 who will be candidates for home ownership now or in the near future; however, we believe it is likely that the current climate will compel them to delay the decision to purchase a home until they are on firmer economic footing. In addition, we believe the requirements for a mortgage may continue to be stringent and that this group may find it more attractive to rent for a longer period of time until they can qualify for a desirable home. All these factors lead us to believe that an improvement in demand for the apartment market will occur as the rental pool grows in a climate where little supply is being created.
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Echo Boom Generation: As shown in the chart of U.S. Census Bureau data below, there are approximately 84 million echo boomers in the population currently, more than their Baby Boomers parents who number approximately 76.9 million. The echo boomers were born between 1977 and 1996 and the bulk of them are currently working their way into the market (age range in 2008 was 12 31). For school year 2009 2010 more people registered at universities in the United States than at any other time in history. This trend is not expected to abate anytime in the near future. As these people graduate and work their way into the market, the pool of educated, employed and qualified renters will increase dramatically.
* | Based on U.S. Census Bureau data (December 2002 July 2008). |
We believe that we distinguish ourselves from our competitors through the following competitive advantages:
| experienced management team with significant expertise in real estate and real estate-related debt investments and capital markets; |
| access to a pipeline of investment opportunities; |
| benefits from our relationship with our manager and its affiliates; and |
| dedicated asset management team. |
We will seek to maximize returns for our stockholders by taking advantage of the current environment in the real estate market created by the recent United States financial crisis and downturn in the United States economy. While occupancy and capitalization rates in the multifamily sector have rebounded in recent months, apartment values remain below previous market highs due to significant declines in rental rates, collections and net operating incomes that have yet to fully recover. As the real estate market and economy stabilize, we intend to employ efficient management techniques to grow income and create asset value. Our investment strategy may include, without limitation, the following:
| acquiring assets where assets or the owners of assets are overleveraged and/or owners may be struggling to meet current debt service obligations on such assets, or, in certain circumstances, where owners are financial institutions or conduits under either legal or economic compulsion to sell; |
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| acquiring assets in opportunistic, performing and stable markets throughout the United States; |
| acquiring assets that enable us to target five-year average cash-on-cash returns of approximately 8.5% to 10% net of fees and expenses; |
| taking advantage of a depleting inventory of multifamily housing as a result of a lack of new construction over the past several years; and |
| taking advantage of the anticipated availability of financing from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that fits within our financing strategy. See the section entitled Business Our Financing Strategy included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of our financing strategy. |
We believe that financing will be available from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because they currently maintain that they will provide liquidity to the market in the form of debt capital at rates that meet our existing financing strategy. While market conditions may change and affect this availability, we believe Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will continue to operate and provide debt for the multifamily sector. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are providing financing in a period where their current interest rate quotes are at or near historical lows, providing favorable economics for acquisitions where we anticipate that operations will improve.
In implementing our investment strategy, we will use our managers and its affiliates expertise in identifying attractive investment opportunities with the target classes described below, as well as their transaction sourcing, underwriting, execution and asset management and disposition capabilities. We expect that our manager will make decisions based on a variety of other factors, including expected risk-adjusted returns, credit fundamentals, liquidity, availability of adequate financing, borrowing costs and macroeconomic conditions. In addition, all investment decisions will be made with a view to maintaining our qualification as a REIT.
We believe there are numerous opportunities within the multi-family sector to acquire assets that fit our investment strategy. While cap rates have come down recently, interest rates generally remain below cap rates, providing an opportunity for buyers to achieve positive leverage (borrow at a cost of capital below the cap rate on the asset). In addition, we believe that NOI growth for multifamily assets in general will be between 5% and 11% for the next three years.
* | Based on Witten Advisors Third Quarter 2010 Markets Update and Strategy Presentation. |
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We believe that opportunity to purchase assets today at a price below replacement cost and below the recent highs in multifamily pricing that occurred in 2006 to 2008, combined with the general forecast of improving NOI growth, supports our investment strategy. However, our investment strategy is dynamic and flexible, which will enable us to adapt to shifts in economic, real estate and capital market conditions and to exploit inefficiencies. Consistent with this strategy, our investment decisions will depend on prevailing market conditions and may change over time in response to opportunities available in different economic and capital market conditions. We believe this approach allows us to identify undervalued opportunities in all market cycles, often before other investors identify such opportunities.
In particular, we will look to acquire:
| assets of varying age depending on the return profile and the specific strategy for each asset; |
| assets in the top submarkets of each metropolitan statistical area (MSA) defined by highest rent per square footage, highest resident income level, highest property values for single family housing, etc.; |
| properties that should be modern in architecture and appearance with no functional obsolescence or design flaws; |
| assets comprised of 200 600 units per property to allow increased operating efficiency, with target properties outside this profile evaluated and priced appropriately; |
| assets with projected five-year average cash-on-cash returns of approximately 8.5% to 10%, net of fees and expenses; |
| assets with target capitalization rates varying by market and asset type core assets in the more stable markets probably will drift between 6.0% and 7.0% and more opportunistic assets could have significantly higher acquisition capitalization rates; |
| assets with exit capitalization rates forecasted based on market performance and asset strategy but that generally mirror entry capitalization rates (except on more opportunistic targets); and |
| assets in urban infill areas and suburban markets. |
We intend to acquire our target assets primarily for income, and only secondarily for possible capital gain. We currently do not anticipate investing in unimproved property, developing new construction properties or acquiring new construction, except we would consider a forward purchase contract on a to-be-built multifamily asset with the appropriate provisions for minimum occupancy and income thresholds in order for us to expect the asset to be priced appropriately. In connection with entering into a forward purchase contract, we may be required to provide a deposit, a mezzanine loan or other assurances of our ability to perform our obligations under the forward purchase contract. We do not currently anticipate making any mezzanine loans other than in the context of such forward purchase contracts.
Our target asset acquisitions would fit into three categories consisting of:
| Core Assets: Core assets can best be described as being relatively new properties (less than ten years old) in major markets and top submarkets. These properties typically are in infill and close-in suburban locations with significant barriers to entry and little-to-no deferred maintenance issues or significant capital expenditures necessary to maintain market presence. The properties are typically well managed and maintained by the seller. We would expect capitalization rates to range from 6.0% to 7.0%; |
| Value Add Assets: Value add assets can best be described as slightly older assets (up to 25 years old) in major markets, but submarkets can be infill or suburban. Value add assets typically have some deferred maintenance issues, capital expenditure needs and/or modest operational or occupancy deficiencies that may require more management intensive efforts than core assets. These operational deficiencies could include, but are not limited to, below market occupancy rates, unqualified or inexperienced management teams on site or at the corporate level, deferred maintenance and capital |
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expenditures. Capital expenditure needs in value add assets should be no more than $10,000 to $20,000 per unit, depending on market conditions and material costs. The capitalization rates for value add assets are expected to be higher (7.00% to 8.00% currently) than core assets with higher expected returns; and |
| Opportunistic Assets: Opportunistic assets can be older assets, but we would seek to avoid functional obsolescence in an asset defective construction and inherent flaws. Examples of functional obsolescence could include, but are not limited to, flat roofs in garden style apartments, floor plans that are significantly smaller than the market average and a high percentage of two bedroom/one bath units relative to the market. Defective construction or inherent flaws could include, but is not limited to, aluminum wiring in apartments for electricity, blu-poly piping and poor installation of mechanical systems or appliances. It is possible that we would acquire an asset with some of these flaws with the intention of correcting the issues or updating the asset. We would expect this type of asset to have serious physical or operational deficiencies that will require intensive efforts to correct either through management changes, renovation or a combination of both. Capital expenditure needs in opportunistic assets will probably exceed $20,000 per unit, depending on market conditions and material costs. Serious physical and operational deficiencies could include, but are not limited to, reroofing a property, repainting the interior and exterior of a property, replacing all the appliances in a property and completely renovating the common areas. Capitalization rates for these assets should be in excess of 8.00%; however due to the potentially serious operational deficiencies with an opportunistic asset, current cap rates may be difficult to determine and may vary widely. |
We also may invest in real estate related debt, including, but not limited to, previously originated first mortgage loans on multifamily properties that meet our investment criteria, which are performing or non-performing, previously originated mezzanine loans on multifamily properties that meet our investment criteria (second or subsequent mortgages), which are performing or non-performing, and tranches of securitized loans (pools of collateralized mortgaged-backed securities) on multifamily properties that meet our investment criteria, which are performing or non-performing. We will seek to invest in debt when there is a reasonable expectation that either the satisfaction of the debt under its current terms or the foreclosure of the asset securing the debt would result in a favorable return to us. We will analyze the current operations of any asset securing the debt that we seek to purchase in order to determine the likelihood of a default or foreclosure (in the case where there is not one currently) and price our bid for such debt based on the expectations of either a successful payoff by the current borrower or a need to foreclose on the asset. Other than in connection with forward purchase contracts, we do not intend to originate real estate related debt.
We anticipate that future acquisitions by us of assets likely will be mostly from unaffiliated third parties, but we would still consider an acquisition from an affiliated third party if such acquisition made financial sense to us and was approved by our conflicts committee comprised of independent directors.
The investment committee will periodically review our investment portfolio and its compliance with our investment guidelines, and provide our board of directors an investment report at the end of each quarter in conjunction with its review of our quarterly results. Our investment guidelines, the assets in our portfolio, the decision to utilize leverage, and the appropriate levels of leverage are periodically reviewed by our board of directors as part of their oversight of our manager. Our board of directors may amend or revise our investment guidelines without a vote of the stockholders. If our board of directors amends or revises our investment guidelines, the board will describe such amendments or revisions in our next Form 10-Q filing, a Form 8-K or a press release.
We will use a variety of metrics and measures to assist us in determining the appropriateness of the markets we will target for acquisitions, the sub-markets within those markets and the individual assets we will acquire. Generally, the company will target MSAs of one million people or more with favorable economic conditions. The conditions we may monitor in determining the economic conditions of a market include, but are not limited to, job growth, household income, the pipeline of new supply for multifamily units, the pipeline of new supply for single family units, current and forecasted occupancy for multifamily units, current
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and forecasted rental rate growth for multifamily units, and other statistics that may be relevant to individual markets. In addition, we will analyze data from our affiliate operations to corroborate any assumptions. Our affiliate operations include third party property management of 25,000 multifamily units across nine states, asset management of over 3,000 multifamily units across four states and in-house property management of over 7,000 multifamily units across seven states. In addition to the analysis of current economic conditions and forecasts and the data provided by our affiliates operations, we will utilize a network of industry contacts and relationships to generate significant information about current and future market conditions. The map below provides our most current analysis of the markets where we believe opportunities exist for us to acquire properties. These markets have different favorable and unfavorable traits which might cause us to make different acquisition decisions in each market, depending on the type of asset available in the market, the submarket it is located in within that market, the pricing we anticipate for that asset and our view on how the asset, the submarket and the broader market will perform. The map below is highlighted in red to show the markets on which we initially will focus when looking for properties to acquire. These initial markets have been selected because our affiliated operations currently have a significant presence in these markets. We anticipate this presence providing us more accurate and timely market data when evaluating potential acquisitions and speed and efficiency in putting in place a property management team post-acquisition. The map below is a guide and will change as additional information becomes available to us regarding national, market or local trends. As of the date of this prospectus, we currently do not own any properties in any of these markets and we may purchase properties in markets other than those shown on the map below. Provided, however, we do have two properties under contract to purchase, one property in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MSA and one property in the Atlanta, Georgia MSA. See the section entitled Description of Real Estate Investments Property Acquisition included elsewhere in this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the two properties we have under contract for purchase.
* | Target MSAs in the above map are as of December 31, 2010. |
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We intend to utilize leverage in making our investments. The number of different investments we will acquire will be affected by numerous factors, including the amount of funds available to us. By operating on a leveraged basis, we will have more funds available for our investments. This will allow us to make more investments that would otherwise be possible, resulting in a larger and more diversified portfolio. See the Risk Factors section of this prospectus for more information about the risks related to operating on a leveraged basis.
We intend to target leverage levels (secured and unsecured) between 50% and 65% of our tangible assets value on a portfolio basis. Neither our charter nor our by-laws contain any limitation on the amount of leverage we may use. Our investment guidelines, which can be amended by our board without stockholder approval, limit our borrowings (secured and unsecured) to 75% of the cost of our tangible assets at the time of any new borrowing. These targets, however, will not apply to individual real estate assets or investments. The amount of leverage we will seek for particular investments in our target assets will depend on our managers assessment of a variety of factors, which may include the anticipated liquidity and price volatility of the assets in our investment portfolio, the potential for losses and extension risk in the portfolio, the availability and cost of financing the assets, our opinion of the creditworthiness of our financing counterparties, the health of the U.S. economy and the health of the commercial real estate market in general. In addition, factors such as our outlook on interest rates, changes in the slope, level and volatility of interest rates and their associated credit spreads, the underlying collateral of our assets and our outlook on credit spreads relative to our outlook on interest rate and economic performance could all impact our decision and strategy for financing the target assets. At the date of acquisition of each asset, we anticipate that the cost of investment for such asset will be substantially similar to its fair market value. However, subsequent events, including changes in the fair market value of our assets, could result in our exceeding these limits. Finally, we intend to acquire all of our properties through separate special purpose entities and we intend to finance each of these properties using financing techniques for that property alone without any cross-collateralization to our other properties.
The leverage may be obtained from a variety of sources including (but not limited to) Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), commercial banks, credit companies, insurance companies, pension funds, endowments, financial services companies and other institutions who wish to provide debt financing for our assets.
Our secured and unsecured aggregate borrowings are intended by us to be reasonable in relation to our net assets and will be reviewed by our board of directors at least quarterly. In determining whether our borrowings are reasonable in relation to our net assets, we expect that our board of directors will consider many factors, including without limitation, the lending standards of government-sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other companies for loans in connection with the financing of multifamily properties, the leverage ratios of publicly traded and non-traded REITs with similar investment strategies, whether we have positive leverage (in that, the board will compare the capitalization rates of our properties to the interest rates on the indebtedness of such properties) and general market and economic conditions. There is no limitation on the amount that we may borrow for any single investment.
Risk management is a fundamental principle in our managers construction of our portfolio and in the management of each investment. Diversification of our portfolio by investment size and location is critical to controlling portfolio-level risk. Over the long term, we intend that no single asset will exceed 15% of our total assets and that we will not have more than 25% of our total assets invested in any single MSA. However, until a sufficient number of properties are acquired, we anticipate that we will have single assets in excess of 15% of our total assets and more than 25% of our assets in a single MSA.
Our manager will have an investment committee which will meet periodically, at least every quarter, to discuss investment opportunities. The investment committee will periodically review our investment portfolio and its compliance with our investment guidelines described above, and provide our board of directors an
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investment report at the end of each quarter in conjunction with its review of our quarterly results. From time to time, as it deems appropriate or necessary, our board of directors also will review our investment portfolio and its compliance with our investment guidelines and the appropriateness of our investment guidelines and strategies.
If our board of directors determines that additional funding is required, we may raise such funds through additional offerings of equity or debt securities or the retention of cash flow (subject to provisions in the Code concerning distribution requirements and the taxability of undistributed REIT taxable income) or a combination of these methods. If our board of directors determines to raise additional equity capital, it has the authority, without stockholder approval, to issue additional common stock or preferred stock in any manner and on such terms and for such consideration as it deems appropriate, at any time. We will seek to maintain a balance between the number of outstanding shares of common stock and other types of equity securities of the company issued and outstanding as we seek to fund our capital needs. However, we can make no assurances that we will be able to achieve or maintain this balance. For example, uncertainties in the marketplace could affect the timing, amount and value of any equity securities to be issued, the success or lack of success of any capital raising program, including without limitation this initial public offering of our common stock. Moreover, general economic conditions affecting our business, financial condition and operations could affect the balance between the number of outstanding shares of common stock and other types of equity securities of the company issued and outstanding.
In addition, we may finance the acquisition of investments using the various sources of financing discussed above as described in the section entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Liquidity and Capital Resources included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our investment guidelines, the assets in our portfolio, the decision to utilize leverage, and the appropriate levels of leverage are periodically reviewed by our board of directors as part of their oversight of our manager.
We may offer equity or debt securities in exchange for property or to repurchase or otherwise reacquire shares of our common stock. In addition, we may establish and offer a class or series of preferred stock, including convertible preferred stock. Subject to the percentage of ownership limitations and gross income tests necessary for REIT qualification, we may in the future invest in debt securities of other REITs, other entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers, including for the purpose of exercising control over such entities. We do not intend that our investments in securities will require us to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, and we would intend to divest such securities before any such registration would be required. We do not intend to underwrite securities of other issuers.
We intend to make available to our stockholders our annual reports, including our audited financial statements. After the public offering, we will become subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Pursuant to those requirements, we will be required to file annual and periodic reports, proxy statements and other information, including audited financial statements, with the SEC.
Our board of directors may change any of these policies without prior notice to you or a vote of our stockholders.
We intend to elect and qualify to be taxed as a REIT, commencing with our taxable year ending on December 31, 2011. In addition, we may hold certain of our assets through TRSs, which may be subject to corporate-level income tax at regular rates. Our qualification as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual investment and operating results, various complex requirements under the Code relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the diversity of ownership of our shares. We believe that we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our proposed method of operation will enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
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So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our REIT taxable income we distribute currently to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the statutory relief provisions of the Code do not apply, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we lost our REIT qualification. Distributions to stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT would not be deductible by us, nor would they be required to be made. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income or property and to U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
We intend to conduct our operations so that we and each of our subsidiaries are exempt from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is an investment company if it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is deemed to be an investment company if it is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis, or the 40% test. Investment securities exclude U.S. Government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
We intend to acquire real estate and real-estate related assets directly, for example, by acquiring fee interests in real property, or by purchasing interests, including controlling interests, in REITs or other real estate operating companies, such as rea