Same-store communities are stabilized communities we have owned since January 1, 2002. Non-same store communities are stabilized communities we have acquired or developed since January 1, 2002. Development and lease-up communities are non-stabilized communities we have developed or acquired after January 1, 2002. Dispositions represent communities we have sold since January 1, 2002, which are not included in discontinued operations.
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Total property revenues for the year ended December 31, 2003 increased 1.8% as compared to 2002, but decreased from $727 to $725 on a per apartment home per month basis. Total property revenues from our same-store properties decreased 1.3%, from $361.4 million for 2002 to $356.6 million for 2003, which represents a decrease of $9 on a per apartment home per month basis. For same-store properties, rental rates on a per apartment home per month basis increased $14 from 2002 to 2003, and vacancy loss decreased $6 per apartment home over the same period. These increases in revenues were offset by increases in concessions granted which increased $30 per apartment home per month from 2002 to 2003. One of our primary objectives in 2003 was to increase occupancy rates at our same-store properties, which began the year at approximately 90.9% occupied and rose to approximately 94.5% occupied at December 31, 2003. Related to this increase, concessions granted during 2003 at our same-store properties increased approximately $15.3 million from 2002. Property revenues from our non-same store, development and lease-up properties increased from $26.3 million for 2002 to $46.4 million for 2003 due to the completion and stabilization of properties in our development pipeline. The decrease in property revenues from 2002 to 2003 attributable to property dispositions was $8.2 million. Fee and asset management revenues during the year ended December 31, 2003 increased $1.0 million over 2002. This increase was due primarily to fees earned on third-party construction and development projects. Other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2003 decreased $2.5 million from 2002. Other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 included $5.3 million of interest income from our third-party development program. This program was completed in 2002. Other revenues for 2003 included approximately $3.9 million of interest income related to our mezzanine financing program, which we began in the third quarter of 2002. Interest income from this program totaled $0.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2002. Total property expenses for the year ended December 31, 2003 increased $12.8 million, or 8.6%, as compared to 2002, and increased from $3,297 to $3,509 on an annualized per apartment home basis. Total property expenses from our same-store properties increased 4.7%, from $136.7 million for 2002 to $143.2 million for 2003, which represents an increase of $153 on an annualized per apartment home basis. The increase in same-store property expenses per apartment home was due primarily to increases in property insurance premiums, salary expenses, repair and maintenance expenses and slight increases in all other expense categories. Property expenses from our non-same store, development and lease-up properties increased from $10.3 million for 2002 to $19.1 million for 2003. The increase in operating expenses during 2003 from our non-same store, development and lease-up properties was consistent with the growth in revenues during the same period. The decrease in property expenses from 2002 to 2003 attributable to property dispositions was $2.4 million. Property management expense, which represents regional supervision and accounting costs related to property operations, increased from $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 to $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2003. This increase was due primarily to increases in salary and benefit expenses. Fee and asset management expense, which represents expenses related to third-party construction projects and property management for third parties, increased from $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 to $3.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2003. This increase was due primarily to increased costs associated with our third-party construction division, including cost overruns on fixed fee projects that totaled $2.0 million for 2003. See further discussion of our third-party construction in our “Business” section.
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General and administrative expenses increased $1.8 million from $14.4 million in 2002 to $16.2 million in 2003, and increased as a percent of revenues from 3.5% to 3.9%. The increase was due primarily to increases in salary and benefit expenses, costs associated with pursuing potential transactions that were not consummated and increases in public company related costs. Gross interest cost before interest capitalized to development properties increased $8.1 million, or 9.8%, from $82.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 to $90.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2003. The overall increase in interest expense was due to higher average debt balances during 2003 that were incurred to fund our increase in real estate assets. This increase was partially offset by declines in the average interest rate on our outstanding debt, due to declines in variable interest rates and savings from maturing debt. Interest capitalized increased from $10.9 million to $15.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 and 2003, respectively, due to higher average balances in our development pipeline. Depreciation and amortization increased from $103.3 million for 2002 to $108.1 million for 2003. Total real estate assets have increased approximately $276.3 million since January 1, 2002 due to construction efforts at our new development properties, property acquisitions and capital improvements, partially offset by property dispositions. The increase in amortization was due primarily to costs related to new debt financings that were issued in late 2002 and 2003. Gain on sale of properties for the year ended December 31, 2003 was from the sale of 61.1 acres of undeveloped land located in Houston. Gain on sale of properties for the year ended December 31, 2002 totaled $0.4 million due primarily to the sale of 6.7 acres of undeveloped land located in Houston. During 2002, we also sold two properties with 786 apartment homes in Las Vegas and Reno and 58.6 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to those properties. Equity in income of joint ventures increased $2.8 million from 2002, primarily from gains recognized on sale of properties held in joint ventures. Our portion of the gain recognized on these property sales totaled $1.4 million during 2003. 2002 Compared to 2001 Income from continuing operations decreased $16.0 million, or 27.5%, from $58.3 million to $42.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The weighted average number of apartment homes increased by 1,301 apartment homes, or 2.9%, from 44,164 to 45,465 for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The increase in the weighted average number of apartment homes was due primarily to the acquisition of 1,662 apartment homes and an increase in occupancy at our newly constructed properties. We had 122 and 124 wholly owned operating properties at December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The weighted average number of apartment homes and the number of operating properties exclude the impact of our ownership interest in properties owned in joint ventures, and the impact from properties classified as discontinued operations. Our apartment communities generate rental revenue and other income through the leasing of apartment homes. Revenues from our rental operations comprised 96% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002. Our primary financial focus for our apartment communities is net operating income. Net operating income represents total property revenues less total property expenses. Net operating income decreased $5.2 million, or 2.1%, from $251.8 million to $246.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. Net operating income from our stabilized communities, which represents properties owned and stabilized as of January 1, 2001, decreased $10.6 million, or 4.7% from
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$224.2 million to $213.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. This decrease was offset by increases in net operating income from our newly developed and acquired properties. Rental revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 decreased slightly from the year ended December 31, 2001. Rental revenues per apartment home per month decreased $20, or 2.9%, from $691 to $671 for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to higher concessions granted and higher vacancy rates in the majority of our markets during 2002. Overall average occupancy decreased from 94.2% for the year ended December 31, 2001 to 92.2% for the year ended December 31, 2002. Other property revenues increased $1.9 million from $28.7 million to $30.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively, which represents a monthly increase of $2 per apartment home. This increase in other property revenues was due primarily to increases in miscellaneous property fees, as well as increases in cable and water revenues. Fee and asset management revenues for 2002 decreased $1.5 million from 2001. This decrease was due primarily to a reduction in fees earned from our investments in third-party development projects in 2002. Other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002 decreased $0.9 million from the year ended December 31, 2001. This decrease was due primarily to decreases in interest income related to our investments in third-party development projects partially offset by increases in revenues from townhome sales. Property operating and maintenance expenses increased $5.8 million or 5.6%, from $103.2 million to $108.9 million, and increased as a percent of total property income from 26.1% to 27.5% for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively. The increase in property operating and maintenance expenses as a percent of property income was due primarily to a decline in rental income from our stabilized communities combined with an increase in operating expenses. On an annualized basis, property operating and maintenance expenses increased $60 per unit, or 2.6%. This increase was due primarily to increases in salary and benefit expenses and a 33.7% increase in property insurance expenses. Real estate taxes increased $1.2 million from $39.8 million to $41.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002, respectively, which represents an annual increase of $2 per apartment home. The increase was due primarily to increases in the valuations of properties and increases in property tax rates. Property management expense, which represents regional supervision and accounting costs related to property operations, increased from $9.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 to $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This increase was due primarily to increases in salary and benefit expenses. Fee and asset management expense, which represents expenses related to third-party construction projects and property management for third parties, increased from $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 to $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. This increase was due primarily to increased costs associated with our third-party construction division. See further discussion of our third-party construction in our “Business” section. General and administrative expenses increased $1.9 million, from $12.5 million in 2001 to $14.4 million in 2002, and increased as a percent of revenues from 3.0% to 3.5%. The increase was due primarily to increases in salary and benefit expenses, including long-term incentive compensation costs, increases in costs associated with pursuing potential transactions that were not consummated and information technology expenses.
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Other expenses, which represent the construction costs associated with the townhomes sold during the year, increased $1.3 million, from $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 to $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. During 2002, we sold eight townhomes, compared with five townhome sales in 2001. Gross interest cost before interest capitalized to development properties increased $1.7 million, or 2.0%, from $80.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 to $82.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. The overall increase in interest expense was due to higher average debt balances in 2002, offset by lower average interest rates on our floating rate debt. Interest capitalized remained constant at $10.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001. Depreciation and amortization increased from $99.6 million to $103.3 million. This increase was due to increases in real estate assets resulting from new development, property acquisitions and capital improvements during the past two years. Gain on sale of properties for the year ended December 31, 2002 totaled $0.4 million due primarily to the sale of 6.7 acres of undeveloped land located in Houston. During 2002, we also sold two properties with 786 apartment homes and 58.6 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to those properties. We will continue to manage these two properties for a third party and therefore have included the gain resulting from this sale, which totaled approximately $18,000, in “Gain on sale of properties.” Gain on sale of properties for the year ended December 31, 2001 totaled $2.4 million due primarily to the sale of 22.7 acres of undeveloped land located in Houston. Equity in income of joint ventures decreased $8.2 million from the year ended 2001, primarily from gains recognized in one of our joint ventures from the sale of three properties totaling 1,264 apartment homes in 2001. The gains from these properties, which are located in North Carolina and Dallas, totaled $6.6 million for year ended December 31, 2001. During the year ended December 31, 2002, one property with 300 apartment homes was sold, resulting in a gain of $37,000. Funds from Operations (FFO) Management considers FFO to be an appropriate measure of performance of an equity REIT. The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts currently defines FFO as net income (computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles), excluding gains (or losses) from property sales, plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Our definition of diluted FFO also assumes conversion at the beginning of the period of all dilutive convertible securities, including minority interests, which are convertible into common equity. We consider FFO to be a useful performance measure of our operating performance because FFO, together with net income and cash flows, provides investors with an additional basis to evaluate our ability to incur and service debt and to fund capital expenditures and distributions to shareholders and unitholders. We believe that in order to facilitate a clear understanding of our consolidated historical operating results, FFO should be examined in conjunction with net income as presented in the consolidated statements of operations and data included elsewhere in this report. FFO is not defined by generally accepted accounting principles. FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income as an indication of our operating performance or to net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. Furthermore, FFO as disclosed by other REITs may not be comparable to our calculation.
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The reconciliation of net income available to common shareholders to FFO and the calculation of diluted FFO for the years ended December 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001 are as follows: (In thousands) |