EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1080657
Filing Year: 2021
Filename: 1080657_10-K_2021_0001437749-21-007660.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1.
OVERVIEW AND CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Presidio Property Trust, Inc. (“we”, “our”, “us” or the “Company”) is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”). We were incorporated in the State of California on September 28, 1999, and in August 2010, we reincorporated as a Maryland corporation. In October 2017, we changed our name from “NetREIT, Inc.” to “Presidio Property Trust, Inc.” As of March 29, 2021 we had approximately 9.6 million shares of Series A Common Stock outstanding with approximately 4,600 stockholders, none of which to our knowledge owned more than 5.0% of the outstanding shares. We are a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, and registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Through the Company, its subsidiaries and its partnerships, we own 15 commercial properties in fee interest and have partial interests in two commercial properties through our interests in various affiliates in which we serve as general partner, member and/or manager. We purchased the partnership interest in one limited partnership that owned one property during 2016. Each of the limited partnerships is referred to as a “DownREIT.” In each DownREIT, we have the right, through put and call options, to require our co-investors to exchange their interests for shares of our common stock at a stated price after a defined period (generally five years from the date they first invested in the entity’s real property), the occurrence of a specified event or a combination thereof. The Company is a limited partner in five partnerships and sole shareholder in one corporation, which entities purchase and leaseback model homes from homebuilders.
MARKET AND BUSINESS STRATEGY
The Company invests in a diverse multi-tenant portfolio of real estate assets. Beginning in 2015, we began to focus our commercial portfolio primarily on office and industrial properties (“Office/Industrial Properties”) and model homes (“Model Home Properties”), and have been managing the portfolio to transition out of retail properties. Our commercial properties are currently located in Southern California, Colorado and North Dakota. Our commercial property tenant base is highly diversified and consists of approximately 192 individual commercial tenants with an average remaining lease term of approximately 2.9 years as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, one commercial tenant represented more than 5.0% of our annualized base rent, while our ten largest tenants represented approximately 28.88% of our annualized base rent. In addition, our commercial property tenant base has limited exposure to any single industry.
Our main objective is to maximize long-term stockholder value through the acquisition, management, leasing and selective redevelopment of high-quality office and industrial properties. We focus on regionally dominant markets across the United States which we believe have attractive growth dynamics driven in part by important economic factors such as strong office-using employment growth; net in-migration of a highly educated workforce; a large student population; the stability provided by healthcare systems, government or other large institutional employer presence; low rates of unemployment; and lower cost of living versus gateway markets. We seek to maximize returns through investments in markets with limited supply, high barriers to entry, and stable and growing employment drivers. Our model home portfolio supports the objective of maximizing stockholder value by focusing on purchasing new single-family model homes and leasing them back to experienced homebuilders. We operate the model home portfolio in markets where we can diversify by geography, builder size, and model home purchase price.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Significant Transactions in 2020 and 2019
Acquisitions
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We acquired 28 Model Home Properties and leased them back to the homebuilders under triple net leases during the year ended December 31, 2020. The purchase price for the properties was $10.2 million. The purchase price consisted of cash payments of $3.1 million and mortgage notes of $7.1 million.
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We acquired 33 Model Home Properties and leased them back to the homebuilders under triple net leases during the year ended December 31, 2019. The purchase price for the properties was $13.0 million. The purchase price consisted of cash payments of $3.9 million and mortgage notes of $9.1 million.
Dispositions
We review our portfolio of investment properties for value appreciation potential on an ongoing basis, and dispose of any properties that no longer satisfy our requirements in this regard, taking into account tax and other considerations. The proceeds from any such property sale, after repayment of any associated mortgage or repayment of secured or unsecured indebtedness, are available for investing in properties that we believe will have a greater likelihood of future price appreciation.
During year ended December 31, 2020 we disposed of the following properties:
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Centennial Tech Center, which was sold on February 5, 2020 for approximately $15.0 million and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $913,000.
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Union Terrace, which was sold on March 13, 2020 for approximately $11.3 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $688,000.
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One of four Executive Office Park buildings, which was sold on December 2, 2020 for approximately $2.3 million and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $75,000.
• During the year ended December 31, 2020, we disposed of 46 model homes for approximately $18.1 million and recognized a gain of approximately $1.6 million.
During year ended December 31, 2019 we disposed of the following properties:
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Morena Office Center, which was sold on January 15, 2019 for approximately $5.6 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $700,000.
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Nightingale land, which was sold on May 8, 2019 for approximately $875,000 and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $93,000.
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On July 1, 2019, NetREIT Genesis, LLC sold a 43% tenants-in-common interest in Genesis Plaza (“TIC Interest”) for $5.6 million to a newly formed entity, NetREIT Genesis II, LLC, in which NetREIT Casa Grande LP is the sole member. NetREIT Casa Grande LP owned and sold Morena Office Center on January 15, 2020. The sale of the TIC Interest was structured as a 1031 exchange and included $2.9 million in cash and assumption of debt. The Company remains a guarantor of the debt and NetREIT Genesis, LLC and NetREIT Genesis II, LLC are jointly and severally liable for the debt securing Genesis Plaza, the financial terms and conditions of which remain materially unchanged.
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The Presidio office building, which was sold on July 31, 2019 for approximately $12.3 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $4.5 million.
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During the year ended December 31, 2019, we disposed of 41 model homes for approximately $14.6 million and recognized a gain of approximately $1.2 million.
Model Home Properties
Our Model Home properties are located in 6 states throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2020, we owned 118 model homes with a net book value of approximately $42.5 million.
NetREIT Dubose Model Home REIT, Inc. (“NetREIT Dubose”) is engaged in the business of acquiring model homes from third party homebuilders in sale-leaseback transactions whereby a homebuilder sells the Model Home to NetREIT Dubose and leases back the Model Home under a triple net lease (“NNN”) for use in marketing its residential development. Our Model Home business was started in March 2010 through the acquisition of certain assets and rights from Dubose Model Homes USA. Subsequent to its formation, NetREIT Dubose raised $10.6 million pursuant to a private placement of its common stock (the private placement terminated on December 31, 2013). As of December 31, 2020, the Company has a net investment of $2.6 million in NetREIT Dubose through the purchase of common stock. We owned approximately 24.4% of NetREIT Dubose as of December 31, 2020.
We operate six limited partnerships in connection with NetREIT Dubose: Dubose Model Home Investors #202, LP (“DMHI #202”), Dubose Model Home Investors #203, LP (“DMHI #203”), Dubose Model Home Investors #204, LP (“DMHI #204”), Dubose Model Home Investors #205, LP (“DMHI #205”), Dubose Model Home Investors #206, LP (“DMHI #206”) and NetREIT Dubose Model Home REIT, LP. The limited partnerships typically raise private equity to invest in Model Home Properties and lease them back to the homebuilders. As of December 31, 2020 the Company owned:
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10.3% of DMHI #202. The partnership raised $2.9 million, including our investment. This partnership was formed to raise up to $5.0 million through the sale of units.
• 2.3% of DMHI #203. The partnership raised $4.4 million, including our investment. This partnership was formed to raise up to $5.0 million through the sale of units.
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3.6% of DMHI #204. The partnership raised $2.8 million, including our investment. This partnership was formed to raise up to $5.0 million through the sale of units.
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4.0% of DMHI #205. The partnership raised $2.5 million, including our investment. This partnership was formed to raise up to $5.0 million through the sale of units. This partnership continues to raise capital through the sale of additional limited partnership units.
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12.1% of DMHI #206. The partnership raised $0.8 million, including our investment. This partnership was formed to raise up to $5.0 million through the sale of units. This partnership continues to raise capital through the sale of additional limited partnership units.
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100% of NetREIT Model Homes, Inc.
NetREIT Dubose owns 100% of NetREIT Dubose Model Home REIT LP.
We provide management services to our limited partnerships through NetREIT Advisors, LLC (“NetREIT Advisors”) and Dubose Advisors LLC (“Dubose Advisors”). These entities are 100% owned subsidiaries and are referred to collectively as the (“Advisors”). For their services, each of the Advisors receives ongoing management fees, acquisition fees and has the right to receive certain other fees when a partnership sells or otherwise disposes of a Model Home. NetREIT Advisors manages NetREIT Dubose and NetREIT Model Homes, LLC and Dubose Advisors manages DMHI #202, DMHI #203, DMHI #204, DMHI #205 and DMHI #206.
Use of Leverage
On September 17, 2019 the Company executed a Promissory Note pursuant to which Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund ("Polar"), executed a loan in the principal amount of $14.0 million to the Company ("Polar Note"). The Polar Note bears interest at a fixed rate of 8% per annum and requires monthly interest-only payments. On September 1, 2020, we extended the maturity of the Polar Note from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 ("Maturity"), at which time the entire outstanding principal balance of $7.7 million as of December 31, 2020 and accrued and unpaid interest will be due and payable. On September 30, 2020 we paid a renewal fee of 4% on the unpaid principal balance, which is being amortized through the Maturity date. The Company used the proceeds of the Polar Note to redeem all of the outstanding shares of the Series B Preferred Stock. During March 2021, prior to Maturity, the polar note was paid in full, from available cash on hand. See Part 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules - Note. 14 Subsequent Events for additional information.
We use mortgage loans secured by our individual properties in order to maximize the return for our stockholders. Typically these loans are for terms ranging from five to ten years. Currently, the majority of our mortgage loans are structured as non-recourse to us with limited exceptions that would cause a recourse event only upon occurrence of certain fraud, misconduct, environmental, or bankruptcy events. Non-recourse financing limits our exposure to the amount of equity invested in each property pledged as collateral thereby protecting the equity in our other assets. We can provide no assurance that the non-recourse financing will be available to us in the future on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all and there may be circumstances where lenders have recourse to our other assets. To a lesser extent, we use recourse financing. At December 31, 2020, $41.0 million of our total debt of $120.8 million was recourse to the Company of which $28.1 million relates to the model homes properties.
We have used both fixed and variable interest rate debt to finance our properties. Wherever possible, we prefer to obtain fixed rate mortgage financing as it provides better cost predictability. As of December 31, 2020, we have three mortgage loans which includes variable interest rate provisions.
In 2021, we have $10.2 million of principal payments on mortgage notes payable related to the model home properties, including payments related to mortgage notes payable that mature in 2021. We plan to refinance a significant portion of the mortgage notes payable or sell the model home properties to repay the mortgage notes payable. We have $16.4 million of principal payments on mortgage notes payable relating to commercial properties in 2021, including $14.9 million related to three commercial properties maturing in 2021. We have sold subsequent to December 31, 2020 or plan to sell properties and extend the maturity date of the mortgage notes payable or refinance a significant portion of the mortgage notes payable. See Part 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules-Note 14. Subsequent Events for additional information.
Our short-term liquidity needs include satisfying the debt service requirements of our existing mortgages. If our cash flow from operating activities is not sufficient to fund our short-term liquidity needs, we will fund a portion of these needs from additional borrowings of secured or unsecured indebtedness, from real estate sales, from sales of equity or debt securities, or we will reduce the rate of distribution to the stockholders.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, NTR Property Management, Inc., is the primary property manager for all of its properties. The Company subcontracts with third party property management companies in Southern California, Colorado and North Dakota to render on-site management services.
COMPETITION
We compete with a number of other real estate investors, many of whom own similar properties in the same geographical markets. Competitors include other REITs, pension funds, insurance companies, investment funds and companies, partnerships and developers. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources than we do and may be able to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the creditworthiness of a tenant or the geographic location of its investments. In addition, many of these competitors have capital structures that allow them to make investments at higher prices than what we can prudently offer while still generating a return to their investors that is commensurate with the return we are seeking to provide our investors. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates, or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose potential tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our leases expire. The concentration of our commercial properties in Colorado and North Dakota makes us susceptible to local market conditions in these areas.
To be successful, we must be able to continue to respond quickly and effectively to changes in local and regional economic conditions by adjusting rental rates of our properties as appropriate. If we are unable to respond quickly and effectively, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, and ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and pay dividends may be adversely affected.
REGULATION
Our management continually reviews our investment activity and monitors the proportion of our portfolio that is placed in various investments in order to prevent us from coming within the application of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). If at any time the character of our investments could cause us to be deemed an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we would be required to comply with the operating restrictions of the Investment Company Act, which are generally inconsistent with our normal operations. As such, we work to ensure that we are not deemed to be an “investment company.”
Various environmental laws govern certain aspects of the ongoing operation of our properties. Such environmental laws include those regulating the existence of asbestos-containing materials in buildings, management of surfaces with lead-based paint (and notices to tenants about the lead-based paint) and waste-management activities. Our failure to comply with such requirements could subject us to government enforcement action and/or claims for damages by a private party.
To date, we have not experienced a noticeable effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position as a result of a lack of compliance with federal, state and local environmental protection regulations. All of our proposed acquisitions are inspected prior to such acquisition. These inspections are conducted by qualified environmental consultants, and we review in detail their reports prior to our acquisition of any property. Nevertheless, it is possible that our environmental assessments will not reveal all environmental liabilities, or that some material environmental liabilities exist of which we are unaware. In some cases, we may be required to abandon otherwise economically attractive acquisitions because the costs of removal or control of hazardous materials are considered to be prohibitive or we are unwilling to accept the potential risks involved. We do not believe we will be required to engage in any large-scale abatement at any of our current properties. We believe that through professional environmental inspections and testing for asbestos, lead paint and other hazardous materials, coupled with a relatively conservative posture toward accepting known environmental risk, we minimize our exposure to potential liability associated with environmental hazards.
We are unaware of any environmental hazards at any of our current properties that, individually or in the aggregate, may have a material adverse impact on our operations or financial position. We have not been notified by any governmental authority, and we are not otherwise aware of any material non-compliance, liability, or claim relating to environmental liabilities in connection with any of our properties. We do not believe that the cost of continued compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations will have a material adverse effect on us, our financial condition or our results of operations. Future environmental laws, regulations, or ordinances, however, may require additional remediation of existing conditions that are not currently actionable. Also, if more stringent requirements are imposed on us in the future, the costs of compliance could have a material adverse effect on us and our financial condition.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. While the resolution of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operation or liquidity.
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY
Our Management
We refer to our executive officers and any directors who are affiliated with them as our “Management”. Our Management is currently comprised of:
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Jack K. Heilbron, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, President and Director of NetREIT Dubose, and President of NetREIT Advisors;
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Adam Sragovicz, Chief Financial Officer of the Company and Dubose Advisors;
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Larry G. Dubose, Director of the Company, CFO and Director of NetREIT Dubose, and CEO of Dubose Advisors and NetREIT Advisors; and
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Gary M. Katz, Senior Vice President, Asset Management of the Company.
Mr. Heilbron has overall responsibility for the day-to-day activities of the Company. Mr. Sragovicz oversees financial matters including financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, funding activities, tax and insurance. Mr. Dubose is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Dubose Advisors and NetREIT Advisors and the model homes division. Mr. Heilbron and Mr. Katz are responsible for recommending all Company property acquisitions and dispositions.
Our Board of Directors
Our Management is subject to the direction and supervision of our board of directors (our “Board”). Among other things, our Board must approve each real property acquisition our Management proposes. There are six directors comprising our Board, four of whom are independent directors (“Independent Directors”). Two of our directors, Mr. Heilbron and Mr. Dubose are not independent directors.
OUR REIT STATUS
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2000. To continue to be taxed as a REIT, we must satisfy numerous organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code (“the code”) and calculated on an annual basis. As a REIT, we are generally not subject to federal income tax on income that we distribute to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any year, our income will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following our failure to qualify. Even though we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to state and local taxes on our income and property and to federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income. For more information, please see Risks Related to our Status as a REIT and Related Federal Income Tax Matters. We qualified as a REIT for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.
HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES
Due to the nature of our business, our performance depends on identifying, attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining a highly skilled workforce in multiple areas, including property management, asset management and strategy, accounting, business development and management. Our human capital management strategy, which we refer to as our people strategy, is tightly aligned with our business needs. During 2020, our human capital efforts were focused on retaining top talent, and continuing to increase our agility to meet the quickly changing needs of the business, considering the challenges of the global pandemic and social and political unrest and had no COVID related layoffs. We use a variety of human capital measures in managing our business, including: workforce demographics; diversity metrics with respect to representation, attrition, hiring, promotions and leadership; and talent management metrics including retention rates of top talent and hiring metrics.
OFFICE AND EMPLOYEES
Our office is approximately 9,224 square feet and is located in San Diego, California.
As of December 31, 2020, we had a total of 22 full-time employees.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Access to copies of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings with the SEC, including amendments to such filings are available at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.presidiopt.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with the SEC. They are also available for printing by any stockholder upon request.
Our office is located at 4995 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92123. Our telephone number is 866-781-7721. Our e-mail address is info@presidiopt.com or you may visit our website at www.presidiopt.com.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Risks Related to our Business, Properties and Operations
Our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows are expected to be adversely affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the impact could be material to us.
The current outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and the resulting volatility it has created, has disrupted our business and we expect that the COVID-19 pandemic may significantly adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations going forward. Other potential pandemics or outbreaks could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in the future. Further, the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economy and financial markets and could potentially create widespread business continuity issues of an unknown magnitude and duration.
Since being reported in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread globally, including to every state in the United States. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and on March 13, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency with respect to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and another pandemic in the future could have, repercussions across regional and global economies and financial markets. The global impact of the outbreak has been rapidly evolving and many countries, including the United States (including the states and cities that comprise the San Diego, California; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota; and other metro regions, where we own and operate properties) have also instituted quarantines, “shelter in place” mandates, including rules and restrictions on travel and the types of businesses that may continue to operate. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting almost every industry, both inside and outside these metro regions, directly or indirectly and has created business continuity issues. For instance, a number of our commercial tenants have announced temporary closures of their offices or stores and requested temporary rent deferral or rent abatement during this pandemic. In addition, jurisdictions where we own and operate properties have implemented, or may implement, rent freezes, eviction freezes, or other similar restrictions. The full extent of the impacts on our business over the long term are largely uncertain and dependent on a number of factors beyond our control.
As a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been and may continue to be impacted by one or more of the following:
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a decrease in real estate rental revenue (our primary source of operating cash flow), as a result of temporary rent deferrals, rent abatements and/or rent reductions, rent freezes or declines impacting new and renewal rental rates on properties, longer lease-up periods for both anticipated and unanticipated vacancies (in part, due to “shelter-in-place” mandates), lower revenue recognized as a result of waiving late fees, as well as our tenants’ ability and willingness to pay rent, and our ability to continue to collect rents, on a timely basis or at all;
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a complete or partial closure of one or more of our properties resulting from government or tenant action (as of February 28, 2021, only 10 of our commercial tenants are operating on a limited basis pursuant to local government orders);
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reductions in demand for commercial space and the inability to provide physical tours of our commercial spaces may result in our inability to renew leases, re-lease space as leases expire, or lease vacant space, particularly without concessions, or a decline in rental rates on new leases;
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the inability of one or more major tenants to pay rent, or the bankruptcy or insolvency of one or more major tenants, may be increased due to a downturn in its business or a weakening of its financial condition as a result of shelter-in-place orders, phased re-opening of its business, or other pandemic related causes;
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the inability to decrease certain fixed expenses at our properties despite decreased operations at such properties;
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the inability of our third-party service providers to adequately perform their property management and/or leasing activities at our properties due to decreased on-site staff;
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the effect of existing and future orders by governmental authorities in any of our markets, which might require homebuilders to cease operations for an uncertain or indefinite period of time, which could significantly affect new home orders and deliveries, and negatively impact their home sales revenue and ability to perform on their lease obligations to the Company in such markets;
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difficulty accessing capital on attractive terms, or at all, and a severe disruption and instability in the global financial markets or deteriorations in credit and financing conditions, which may affect our access to capital and our commercial tenants’ ability to fund their business operations and meet their obligations to us;
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the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our future compliance with financial covenants of debt agreements;
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a decline in the market value of real estate may result in the carrying value of certain real estate assets exceeding their fair value, which may require us to recognize an impairment to those assets;
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future delays in the supply of products or services may negatively impact our ability to complete the renovations and lease-up of our buildings on schedule or for their original estimated cost;
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a general decline in business activity and demand for real estate transactions could adversely affect our ability or desire to grow or change the complexion of our portfolio of properties;
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our insurance may not cover loss of revenue or other expenses resulting from the pandemic and related shelter-in-place rules;
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unanticipated costs and operating expenses and decreased anticipated revenue related to compliance with regulations, such as additional expenses related to staff working remotely, requirements to provide employees with additional mandatory paid time off and increased expenses related to sanitation measures performed at each of our properties, as well as additional expenses incurred to protect the welfare of our employees, such as expanded access to health services;
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the potential for one or more members of our senior management team to become sick with COVID-19 and the loss of such services could adversely affect our business;
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the increased vulnerability to cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions while employees are working remotely has the potential to disrupt our operations or cause material harm to our financial condition; and
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complying with REIT requirements during a period of reduced cash flow could cause us to liquidate otherwise attractive investments or borrow funds on unfavorable conditions.
The significance, extent and duration of the impact of COVID-19 remains largely uncertain and dependent on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the continued severity, duration, transmission rate and geographic spread of COVID-19, the extent and effectiveness of the containment measures taken, and the response of the overall economy, the financial markets and the population, once the current containment measures are lifted.
The rapid development and volatility of this situation precludes us from making any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact of COVID-19. As a result, we cannot provide an estimate of the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business or when, or if, we (or our tenants) will be able to resume fully normal operations. Nevertheless, COVID-19 presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to our business, financial performance and condition, operating results and cash flows.
The impact of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other risks discussed in this 10-K, any of which could have a material effect on us.
We face numerous risks associated with the real estate industry that could adversely affect our results of operations through decreased revenues or increased costs.
As a real estate company, we are subject to various changes in real estate conditions, and any negative trends in such real estate conditions may adversely affect our results of operations through decreased revenues or increased costs. These conditions include:
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changes in national, regional and local economic conditions, which may be negatively impacted by concerns about inflation, deflation, government deficits, high unemployment rates, decreased consumer confidence and liquidity concerns, particularly in markets in which we have a high concentration of properties;
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fluctuations in interest rates, which could adversely affect our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all, and negatively impact the value of properties and the ability of prospective buyers to obtain financing for properties we intend to sell;
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the inability of tenants to pay rent;
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the existence and quality of the competition, such as the attractiveness of our properties as compared to our competitors’ properties based on considerations such as location, rental rates, amenities and safety record;
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competition from other real estate investors with significant capital, including other real estate operating companies, publicly traded REITs and institutional investment funds;
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increased operating costs, including increased real property taxes, maintenance, insurance and utilities costs;
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weather conditions that may increase or decrease energy costs and other weather-related expenses;
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oversupply of commercial space or a reduction in demand for real estate in the markets in which our properties are located;
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changes in, or increased costs of compliance with, laws and/or governmental regulations, including those governing usage, zoning, the environment and taxes; and
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civil unrest, acts of war, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, including earthquakes, wind and hail damage and floods, which may result in uninsured and underinsured losses.
Moreover, other factors may adversely affect our results of operations, including potential liability under environmental and other laws and other unforeseen events, many of which are discussed elsewhere in the following risk factors. Any or all of these factors could materially adversely affect our results of operations through decreased revenues or increased costs.
Conditions in the financial markets could affect our ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms and have other adverse effects on our operations.
The financial markets could tighten with respect to secured real estate financing. Lenders with whom we typically deal may increase their credit spreads resulting in an increase in borrowing costs. Higher costs of mortgage financing may result in lower yields from our real estate investments, which may reduce our cash flow available for distribution to our stockholders. Reduced cash flow could also diminish our ability to purchase additional properties and thus decrease our diversification of real estate ownership.
Disruptions in the financial markets and uncertain economic conditions could adversely affect the value of our real estate investments.
Disruptions in the financial markets could adversely affect the value of our real estate investments. Such conditions could impact commercial real estate fundamentals and result in lower occupancy, lower rental rates, and declining values in our real estate portfolio and in the collateral securing our loan investments. As a result, the value of our property investments could decrease below the amounts paid for such investments, the value of collateral securing our loans could decrease below the outstanding principal amounts of such loans, and revenues from our properties could decrease due to fewer and/or delinquent tenants or lower rental rates. These factors would significantly harm our revenues, results of operations, financial condition, business prospects and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
A decrease in real estate values could negatively affect our ability to refinance our existing mortgage obligations or obtain larger mortgages.
A decrease in real estate values would decrease the principal amount of secured loans we can obtain on a specific property and our ability to refinance our existing mortgage loans or obtain larger mortgage loans. In some circumstances, a decrease in the value of an existing property which secures a mortgage loan may require us to prepay or post additional security for that mortgage loan. This would occur where the lender’s initial appraised value of the property decreases below the value required to maintain a loan-to-value ratio specified in the mortgage loan agreement. Thus, any sustained period of depressed real estate prices would likely adversely affect our ability to finance our real estate investments.
We may be adversely affected by unfavorable economic changes in the geographic areas where our properties are located.
Adverse economic conditions in areas where properties securing or otherwise underlying our investments are located (including business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, changing demographics and other factors) and local real estate conditions (such as oversupply or reduced demand) may have an adverse effect on the value of our real estate portfolio. The deterioration of any of these local conditions could hinder our ability to profitably operate a property and adversely affect the price and terms of a sale or other disposition of the property.
Competition for properties to acquire may limit the opportunities available to us and increase our acquisition costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and negatively impact our profitability.
The market for property to acquire continues to be competitive, which may reduce suitable investment opportunities available to us and increase acquisition purchase prices. Competition for properties offering higher rates of returns may intensify if real estate investments become more attractive relative to other investments. In acquiring real properties, we may experience considerable competition from a field of other investors, including other REITs, private equity investors, institutional investment funds, and real estate investment programs. Many of these competitors are larger than we are and have access to greater financial resources and better access to lower costs of capital. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments. This competition may limit our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities that are consistent with our objectives. Our inability to acquire desirable properties on favorable terms could adversely affect our growth prospects, financial condition, our profitability and our ability to pay dividends.
Our inability to sell a property at the time and on the terms we desire could limit our ability to realize a gain on our investments and pay distributions to our stockholders.
Generally, we seek to sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of our properties when we determine such action to be in our best interests. Many factors beyond our control affect the real estate market and could affect our ability to sell properties for the price, on the terms or within the time frame that we desire. These factors include general economic conditions, the availability of financing, interest rates, supply and demand, and tax considerations. Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, we have a limited ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. Therefore, our inability to sell properties at the time and on the terms we want could reduce our cash flow, affect our ability to service or reduce our debt obligations, and limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
Lease default or termination by one of our major tenants could adversely impact our operations and our ability to pay dividends.
The success of our real estate investments depend on the financial stability of our tenants. A default or termination by a significant tenant (or a series of tenants) on its lease payments could cause us to lose the revenue associated with such lease and seek an alternative source of revenue to meet mortgage payments and prevent a foreclosure, if the property is subject to a mortgage. In the event of a significant tenant default or bankruptcy, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment. Additionally, we may be unable to lease the property for the rent previously received or sell the property without incurring a loss. These events could cause us to reduce the amount of distributions to our stockholders.
A property that becomes vacant could be difficult to sell or re-lease and could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
We expect portions of our properties to periodically become vacant by reason of lease expirations, terminations, or tenant defaults. If a tenant vacates a property, we may be unable to re-lease the property without incurring additional expenditures, or at all. If the vacancy continues for a long period of time, if the rental rates upon such re-lease are significantly lower than expected, or if our reserves for these purposes prove inadequate, we will experience a reduction in net income and may be required to reduce or eliminate distributions to our stockholders. In addition, because a property’s market value depends principally upon the value of the leases associated with that property, the resale value of a property with high or prolonged vacancies could suffer, which could further reduce our returns.
We may incur substantial costs in improving our properties.
In order to re-lease or sell a property, substantial renovations or remodeling could be required. For instance, we expect that some of our properties will be designed for use by a particular tenant or business. Upon default or termination of the lease by such a tenant, the property might not be marketable without substantial capital improvements. The cost of construction in connection with any renovations and the time it takes to complete such renovations may be affected by factors beyond our control, including material and labor shortages, general contractor and/or subcontractor defaults and delays, permitting issues, weather conditions, and changes in federal, state and local laws. If we experience cost overruns resulting from delays or other causes in any construction project, we may have to seek additional debt financing. Further, delays in construction will cause a delay in our receipt of revenues from that property and could adversely affect our ability to meet our debt service obligations.
Uninsured and/or underinsured losses may adversely affect returns to our stockholders.
Our policy is to obtain insurance coverage for each of our properties covering loss from liability, fire, and casualty in the amounts and under the terms we deem sufficient to insure our losses. Under tenant leases on our commercial properties, we require our tenants to obtain insurance to cover casualty losses and general liability in amounts and under terms customarily obtained for similar properties in the area. However, in certain areas, insurance to cover some losses, generally losses of a catastrophic nature such as earthquakes, floods, wind, hail, terrorism and wars, is either unavailable or cannot be obtained at a reasonable cost. Consequently, we may not have adequate coverage for such losses. If any of our properties incurs a casualty loss that is not fully insured, we could lose some or all of our investment in the property. In addition, other than any working capital reserve or other reserves we may establish, we likely would have no source of funding to repair or reconstruct any uninsured or underinsured property.
Since we are not required to maintain specific levels of cash reserves, we may have difficulty in the event of increased or unanticipated expenses.
We do not currently have, nor do we anticipate that we will establish in the future, a permanent reserve for maintenance and repairs, lease commissions, or tenant improvements of real estate properties. To the extent that existing expenses increase or unanticipated expenses arise and accumulated reserves are insufficient to meet such expenses, we would be required to obtain additional funds through borrowing or the sale of property. There can be no guarantee that such additional funds will be available on favorable terms, or at all.
We may have to extend credit to buyers of our properties and a default by such buyers could have a material adverse effect on our operations and our ability to pay dividends.
In order to sell a property, we may lend the buyer all or a portion of the purchase price. When we provide financing to a buyer, we bear the risk that the buyer may default or that we may not receive full payment for the property sold. Even in the absence of a buyer default, the distribution of the proceeds of the sale to our stockholders, or the reinvestment of the proceeds in other property, will be delayed until the promissory note or collateral we may accept upon a sale is actually paid, sold, refinanced or otherwise disposed.
We may acquire properties in joint ventures, partnerships or through limited liability companies, which could limit our ability to control or liquidate such holdings.
We may hold properties indirectly with others as co-owners (a co-tenancy interest) or indirectly through an intermediary entity such as a joint venture, partnership or limited liability company. Also, we may on occasion purchase an interest in a long-term leasehold estate or we may enter into a sale-leaseback financing transaction (see risk factor titled “In a sale-leaseback transaction, we are at risk that our seller/lessee will default, which could impair our operations and limit our ability to pay dividends.”). Such ownership structures allow us to hold a more valuable property with a smaller investment, but may reduce our ability to control such properties. In addition, if our co-owner in such arrangements experiences financial difficulties or is otherwise unable or unwilling to fulfill its obligations, we may be forced to find a new co-owner on less favorable terms or lose our interest in such property if no co-owner can be found.
As a general partner or member in DownREIT entities, we could be responsible for all liabilities of such entities.
We own three of our properties indirectly through limited liability companies and limited partnerships under a DownREIT structure. In a DownREIT structure, as well as some joint ventures or other investments we may make, we may utilize a limited liability company or a limited partnership as the holder of our real estate investment. We currently own a portion of these interests as a member, general partner and/or limited partner and in the future may acquire all or a greater interest in such entity. As a sole member or general partner, we are or would be potentially liable for all of the liabilities of the entities, even if we do not have rights of management or control over its operations. Therefore, our liability could far exceed the amount or value of investment we initially made, or then had, in such entities.
Our ability to operate a property may be limited by contract, which could prevent us from obtaining the maximum value from such properties.
Some of our properties will likely be contiguous to other parcels of real property, for example, comprising part of the same shopping center development. In some cases, there could exist significant covenants, conditions and restrictions, known as CC&Rs, relating to such property and any improvements or easements related to that property. The CC&Rs would restrict our operation of that property and could adversely affect the value of such property, either of which could adversely affect our operating costs and reduce the amount of funds that we have available to pay dividends.
We may acquire properties “as is,” which increases the risk that we will have to remedy defects or costs without recourse to the seller.
We may acquire real estate properties “as is,” with only limited representations and warranties from the seller regarding matters affecting the condition, use and ownership of the property. If defects in the property or other matters adversely affecting the property are discovered post-closing, we may not be able to pursue a claim for any or all damages against the seller. Therefore, we could lose some or all of our invested capital in the property as well as rental income. Such a situation could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In a sale-leaseback transaction, we are at risk that our seller/lessee will default, which could impair our operations and limit our ability to pay dividends.
In our model homes business we frequently lease model home properties back to the seller or homebuilder for a certain period of time. Our ability to meet any mortgage payments is subject to the seller/lessee’s ability to pay its rent and other lease obligations, such as triple net expenses, on a timely basis. A default by the seller/lessee or other premature termination of its leaseback agreement with us and our subsequent inability to release the property could cause us to suffer losses and adversely affect our financial condition and ability to pay dividends.
Our model home business is substantially dependent on the supply and/or demand for single family homes.
Any significant decrease in the supply and/or demand for single family homes could have an adverse effect on our business. Reductions in the number of model home properties built by homebuilders due to fewer planned unit developments, rising construction costs or other factors affecting supply could reduce the number of acquisition opportunities available to us. The level of demand for single family homes may be impacted by a variety of factors including changes in population density, the health of local, regional and national economies, mortgage rates, and the demand and use of model homes in newly developed communities by homebuilders and developers.
We may be unable to acquire and/or manage additional model homes at competitive prices or at all.
Model homes generally have a short life before becoming residential homes and there are a limited number of model homes at any given time. In addition, as each model home is unique, we need to expend resources to complete our due diligence and underwriting process on many individual model homes, thereby increasing our acquisition costs and possibly reducing the amount that we are able to pay for a particular property. Accordingly, our plan to grow our model home business by acquiring additional model homes to lease back to home builders may not succeed.
There are a limited number of model homes and competition to buy these properties may be significant.
We plan to acquire model homes to lease back to home builders when we identify attractive opportunities and have financing available to complete such acquisitions. We may face competition for acquisition opportunities from other investors. We may be unable to acquire a desired property because of competition from other well capitalized real estate investors, including private investment funds and others. Competition from other real estate investors may also significantly increase the purchase price we must pay to acquire properties. In addition, our initial public offering may generate additional competition from other REITs, real estate companies and other investors with more resources than we have that did not previously focus on model homes as an investment opportunity.
A significant percentage of our properties are concentrated in a small number of states, which exposes our business to the effects of certain regional events and occurrences.
Our commercial properties are currently located in Southern California, Colorado and North Dakota. Our model home portfolio consists of properties currently located in seven states, although a significant concentration of our model homes are located in two states. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 95% of our model homes were located in Texas and Florida with approximately 81% located in Texas. This concentration of properties in a limited number of markets may expose us to risks of adverse economic developments that are greater than if our portfolio were more geographically diverse. These economic developments include regional economic downturns and potentially higher local property, sales and income taxes in the geographic markets in which we are concentrated. In addition, our properties are subject to the effects of adverse acts of nature, such as winter storms, hurricanes, hailstorms, strong winds, earthquakes and tornadoes, which may cause damage, such as flooding, to our properties. Additionally, we cannot assure you that the amount of casualty insurance we maintain would entirely cover damages caused by any such event, or in the case of our model homes portfolio or commercial triple net leases, that the insurance maintained by our tenants would entirely cover damages caused by any such event.
As a result of our geographic concentration of properties, we will face a greater risk of a negative impact on our revenues in the event these areas are more severely impacted by adverse economic and competitive conditions and extreme weather than other areas in the United States.
We may be required under applicable accounting principles and standards to make impairment charges against one or more of our properties.
Under current accounting standards, requirements, and principles, we are required to periodically evaluate our real estate investments for impairment based on a number of indicators. Impairment indicators include real estate markets, leasing rates, occupancy levels, mortgage loan status, and other factors which affect the value of a particular property. For example, a tenant’s default under a lease, the upcoming termination of a long-term lease, the pending maturity of a mortgage loan secured by a property, and the unavailability of replacement financing are all impairment indicators. The presence of any of these indicators may require us to make a material impairment charge against the property so affected. If we determine an impairment has occurred, we are required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the property which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition for the period in which the impairment charge is recorded.
Discovery of toxic mold on our properties may adversely affect our results of operation.
Litigation and concern about indoor exposure to certain types of toxic molds have been increasing as the public becomes more aware that exposure to mold can cause a variety of health effects and symptoms, including allergic reactions. Toxic molds can be found almost anywhere; when excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture remains undiscovered or unaddressed. We attempt to acquire properties where there is no toxic mold or where there has not been any proceeding or litigation with respect to the presence of toxic mold. However, we cannot provide assurances that toxic mold will not exist on any of our properties or will not subsequently develop. The presence of toxic mold at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected property. In addition, the presence of toxic mold could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants, and others if property damage or health concerns arise.
Our long-term growth may depend on obtaining additional equity capital.
Historically, we relied on cash from the sale of our equity securities to fund the implementation of our business plan, including property acquisitions and building our staff and internal management and administrative capabilities. We terminated our Series A Common Stock private placement on December 31, 2011 and closed on a preferred stock financing in August 2014, which financing was repaid in September 2020. Our continued ability to fund real estate investments, our operations, and payment of dividends to our stockholders will likely be dependent upon our obtaining additional capital through the additional sales of our equity and/or debt securities. Without additional capital, we may not be able to grow our asset base to a size that is sufficient to support our planned growth, current operations, or to pay dividends to our stockholders at rates or at the levels required to maintain our REIT status (see risk factor titled “We may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis, to sell assets or to issue securities to meet the REIT minimum distribution or other requirements or for working capital purposes.”). There is no assurance as to when and under what terms we could successfully obtain additional funding through the sale of our equity and/or debt securities. Our access to additional equity or debt capital depends on a number of factors, including general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our expected future earnings, and our debt levels.
We currently are dependent on internal cash from our operations, financing and proceeds from property sales to fund future property acquisitions, meet our operational costs and pay dividends to our stockholders.
To the extent the cash we receive from our real estate investments and re-financing of existing properties is not sufficient to pay our costs of operations, our acquisition of additional properties, or our payment of dividends to our stockholders, we would be required to seek capital through additional measures. We may incur additional debt or issue additional preferred and common stock for various purposes, including, without limitation, to fund future acquisitions and operational needs. Other measures of generating or preserving capital could include decreasing our operational costs through reductions in personnel or facilities, reducing or suspending our acquisition of real estate, and reducing or suspending dividends to our stockholders.
Reducing or suspending our property acquisition program would prevent us from fully implementing our business plan and reaching our investment objectives. Reducing or suspending the payment of dividends to our stockholders would decrease our stockholders’ return on their investment and possibly prevent us from satisfying the minimum distribution or other requirements of the REIT provisions (see risk factor titled “We may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis, to sell assets or to issue securities to meet the REIT minimum distribution requirement or for working capital purposes.”). Any of these measures would likely have a substantial adverse effect on our financial condition, the value of our common stock, and our ability to raise additional capital.
There can be no assurance that distributions will be paid, maintained or increased over time.
There are many factors that can affect the availability and timing of cash distributions to our stockholders. Distributions are expected to be based upon our FFO, MFFO, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity, debt service requirements and capital or other expenditure requirements for our properties, and any distributions will be authorized at the sole discretion of our board of directors, and their form, timing and amount, if any, will be affected by many factors, such as our ability to acquire profitable real estate investments and successfully manage our real estate properties and our operating expenses. Other factors may be beyond our control. We can therefore provide no assurance that we will be able to pay or maintain distributions or that distributions will increase over time. For example, our distributions were suspended for the periods from the third quarter of 2017 through the third quarter of 2018 and for the final three quarters of 2019 through the date of this prospectus. If we do not have sufficient cash available for distributions, we may need to fund the shortage out of working capital or borrow to provide funds for such distributions, which would reduce the amount of proceeds available for real estate investments and increase our future interest costs. Our inability to pay distributions, or to pay distributions at expected levels, could result in a decrease in the per share trading price of our Series A Common Stock.
If we are unable to find suitable investments, we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or continue to pay distributions.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions on a regular basis is dependent upon our acquisition of suitable property investments and obtaining satisfactory financing arrangements. We cannot be sure that our management will be successful in finding suitable properties on financially attractive terms. If our management is unable to find such investments, we will hold the proceeds available for investment in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments. Holding such short-term investments will prevent us from making the long-term investments necessary to generate operating income to pay distributions. As a result, we will need to raise additional capital to continue to pay distributions until such time as suitable property investments become available (see risk factor titled “We may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis, to sell assets or to issue securities to meet the REIT minimum distribution or other requirements or for working capital purposes.”). In the event that we are unable to do so, our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected.
We depend on key personnel, and the loss of such persons could impair our ability to achieve our business objectives.
Our success substantially depends upon the continued contributions of certain key personnel in evaluating and securing investments, selecting tenants and arranging financing. Our key personnel include Jack K. Heilbron and Larry G. Dubose, each of whom would be difficult to replace. If either of these individuals or any of the other members of our management team were to leave, the implementation of our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, and our operating results could suffer.
We also believe that our future success depends, in large part, upon our ability to hire and retain skilled and experienced managerial and operational personnel. Competition for skilled and experienced professionals has intensified as current unemployment levels are at or near historic lows, and we cannot assure our stockholders that we will be successful in attracting and retaining such personnel.
We rely on third-party property managers to manage our properties and brokers or agents to lease our properties.
We rely on various third-party property managers to manage most of our properties and local brokers or agents to lease vacant space. These third-party property managers have significant decision-making authority with respect to the management of our properties. Although we are significantly engaged with our third-party property managers, our ability to direct and control how our properties are managed on a day-to-day basis may be limited. Major issues encountered by our property managers, broker or leasing agents could adversely impact the operation and profitability of our properties and, consequently, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, cash available for distributions and our ability to service our debt obligations.
We may change our investment and business policies without stockholder consent, and such changes could increase our exposure to operational risks.
Our Board of Directors may change our investment and business policies, including our policies with respect to investments, acquisitions, growth, operations, indebtedness, capitalization and distributions, at any time without the consent of our stockholders. Although our independent directors review our investment policies at least annually to determine that the policies we are following are in the best interests of our company and stockholders, a change in such policies could result in our making investments different from, and possibly riskier than, investments made in the past. A change in our investment policies may, among other things, increase our exposure to interest rate risk, default risk and real estate market fluctuations, all of which could materially affect our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
If we failed to comply with applicable exemption requirements in connection with our private placement offerings, we may be liable for damages to certain of our stockholders.
Prior to 2011 and in more recent years, we or one of our affiliated entities conducted private placement offerings in reliance upon the private placement exemptions from registration under Section 4(a)(2) and Rule 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and various exemptions from registration under applicable state securities laws. Many requirements and conditions of these exemptions are subject to factual circumstances and subjective interpretation. There is no assurance that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), any state securities law administrator, or a trier of fact in a court or arbitration proceeding would not determine that we failed to meet one or more of these requirements. In the event that we are found to have sold our securities without an applicable exemption from registration, we could be liable to the purchasers of our securities in that offering for rescission and possibly monetary damages. If a number of investors were successful in seeking one or more of these remedies, we could face severe financial demands that would adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Further, under applicable laws and regulations, our multiple offerings could be combined (or integrated) and treated as a single offering for federal and state securities law purposes. While we have structured each of our offerings individually so that if they are combined they would meet exemption requirements, the law related to integrated offerings remains somewhat unclear and has not been fully defined by the SEC or the courts. Thus, there is uncertainty as to our burden of proving that we have correctly relied on one or more of these private placement exemptions.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our stockholders’ investment return may be reduced.
We are not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“Investment Company Act”), based on exceptions we believe are available to us. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act that impose, among other things, limitations on 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 increase our operating expenses.
Provisions of Maryland law may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of us by requiring our Board of Directors or stockholders to approve proposals to acquire our company or effect a change in control.
Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”) may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change in control under circumstances that otherwise could provide our stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of their shares of common stock, including:
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“business combination” provisions that, subject to certain exceptions and limitations, prohibit certain business combinations between a Maryland corporation and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of ours who, at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of our then outstanding shares of stock) or an affiliate of any interested stockholder for five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, and thereafter imposes two super-majority stockholder voting requirements on these combinations, unless, among other conditions, our common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined in the MGCL, for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares of stock; and
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“control share” provisions that provide that, subject to certain exceptions, holders of “control shares” (defined as voting shares that, when aggregated with all other shares controlled by the stockholder, entitle the stockholder to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing directors) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of issued and outstanding “control shares”) have no voting rights except to the extent approved by our stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquirer, by our officers or by our employees who are also directors of our company.
By resolution, our Board of Directors has exempted business combinations between us and any other person, provided that the business combination is first approved by our Board of Directors (including a majority of our directors who are not affiliates or associates of such person). We cannot assure you that our Board of Directors will not amend or repeal this resolution in the future. In addition, pursuant to a provision in our bylaws we have opted out of the control share provisions of the MGCL.
In addition, the “unsolicited takeover” provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL permit our Board of Directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is provided in our charter or bylaws, to implement certain takeover defenses, including adopting a classified board or increasing the vote required to remove a director. Such takeover defenses may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us under the circumstances that otherwise could provide our common stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-current market price.
Our Board of Directors may approve the issuance of stock, including preferred stock, with terms that may discourage a third party from acquiring us.
Our charter permits our Board of Directors, without any action by our stockholders, to authorize the issuance of stock in one or more classes or series. Our Board of Directors may also classify or reclassify any unissued preferred stock and set or change the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of any such stock, which rights may be superior to those of our common stock. Thus, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of shares of a class or series of stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction in which holders of some or a majority of our outstanding common stock might receive a premium for their shares over the then current market price of our common stock.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.
Our charter eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law. Under current Maryland law and our charter, our directors and officers will not have any liability to us or our stockholders for money damages other than liability resulting from:
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actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services; or
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active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or officer that was established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action adjudicated.
Our charter authorizes us and our bylaws obligate us to indemnify each of our directors or officers who is or is threatened to be made a party to, or witness in, a proceeding by reason of his or her service in those or certain other capacities, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, from and against any claim or liability to which such person may become subject or which such person may incur by reason of his or her status as a present or former director or officer of us or serving in such other capacities. In addition, we may be obligated to pay or reimburse the expenses incurred by our present and former directors and officers without requiring a preliminary determination of their ultimate entitlement to indemnification. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights to recover money damages from our directors and officers than might otherwise exist absent these provisions in our charter and bylaws or that might exist with other companies, which could limit your recourse in the event of actions that are not in our or your best interests.
Our management faces certain conflicts of interest with respect to their other positions and/or interests outside of our company, which could hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and to generate returns to our stockholders.
We rely on our management, including Mr. Heilbron, for implementation of our investment policies and our day-to-day operations. Although the majority of his business time is spent working for our company, Mr. Heilbron engages in other investment and business activities in which we have no economic interest. His responsibilities to these other entities could result in action or inaction that is detrimental to our business, which could harm the implementation of our business strategy. He may face conflicts of interest in allocating his time among us and his other business ventures and in meeting his obligations to us and those other entities. His determinations in these situations may be more favorable to other entities than to us.
Possible future transactions with our management or their affiliates could create a conflict of interest, which could result in actions that are not in the long-term best interest of our stockholders.
Under prescribed circumstances, we may enter into transactions with affiliates of our management, including the borrowing and lending of funds, the purchase and sale of properties and joint investments. Currently, our policy is not to enter into any transaction involving sales or purchases of properties or joint investments with management or their affiliates, or to borrow from or lend money to such persons. However, our policies in each of these regards may change in the future.
We face system security risks as we depend on automated processes and the Internet.
We are increasingly dependent on automated information technology processes. While we attempt to mitigate this risk through offsite backup procedures and contracted data centers that include, in some cases, redundant operations, we could be severely impacted by a catastrophic occurrence, such as a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.
In addition, an increasing portion of our business operations are conducted over the Internet, putting us at risk from cybersecurity attacks, including attempts to make unauthorized transfers of funds, gain unauthorized access to our confidential data or information technology systems, viruses, ransomware, and other electronic security breaches. Such cyber-attacks may involve more sophisticated security threats that could impact day-to-day operations. While we employ a number of measures to prevent, detect and mitigate these threats, there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful at preventing a cyber-attack. Cybersecurity incidents could compromise confidential information of our tenants, employees and vendors and cause system failures and disruptions of operations.
Risks Related to our Indebtedness
We have significant outstanding indebtedness, which requires that we generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy the payment and other obligations under the terms of our debt and exposes us to the risk of default under the terms of our debt.
Our total gross indebtedness as of December 31, 2020 was approximately $127.5 million. We may incur additional debt for various purposes, including, without limitation, to fund future acquisitions and operational needs.
The terms of our outstanding indebtedness provide for significant principal and interest payments. Our ability to meet these and other ongoing payment obligations of our debt depends on our ability to generate significant cash flow in the future. Our ability to generate cash flow, to some extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors, as well as other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations, or that capital will be available to us, in amounts sufficient to enable us to meet our payment obligations under our loan agreements and to fund our other liquidity needs. If we are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service these obligations, we may need to refinance or restructure our debt, sell unencumbered assets subject to defeasance or yield maintenance costs (which we may be limited in doing in light of the relatively illiquid nature of our properties), reduce or delay capital investments, or seek to raise additional capital. If we are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, we may not be able to meet these payment obligations, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity. Our outstanding indebtedness, and the limitations imposed on us by the agreements that govern our outstanding indebtedness, could have significant adverse consequences, including the following:
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make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations;
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limit our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements, or to carry out other aspects of our business plan;
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limit our ability to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or impose refinancing terms that may be less favorable than the terms of the original indebtedness;
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require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on obligations under our outstanding indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of such cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements, or adversely affect our ability to meet REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code;
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cause us to violate restrictive covenants in the documents that govern our indebtedness, which would entitle our lenders to charge default rates of interest and/or accelerate our debt obligations;
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cause us to default on our obligations, causing lenders or mortgagees to foreclose on properties that secure our loans and receive an assignment of our rents and leases;
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force us to dispose of one or more of our properties, possibly on unfavorable terms or in violation of certain covenants to which we may be subject;
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limit our ability to make material acquisitions or take advantage of business opportunities that may arise and limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry, thereby limiting our ability to compete effectively or operate successfully; and
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cause us to not have sufficient cash flow to pay dividends to our stockholders or place restrictions on the payment of dividends to our stockholders.
If any one of these events was to occur, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially adversely affected.
Mortgage indebtedness and other borrowings increase our operational risks.
Loans obtained to fund property acquisitions will generally be secured by mortgages on our properties. The more we borrow, the higher our fixed debt payment obligations will be and the greater the risk that we will not be able to timely meet these payment obligations. At December 31, 2020, excluding our model home properties, we had a total of approximately $92.7 million of secured financing on our properties. If we are unable to make our debt payments as required, due to a decrease in rental or other revenues or an increase in our other costs, a lender could charge us a default rate of interest and/or foreclose on the property or properties securing its debt. This could cause an adverse effect on our results of operations and/or cause us to lose part or all of our investment, adversely affecting our financial condition by lowering the value of our real estate portfolio.
Lenders often require restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which adversely affects our flexibility and may affect our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
Some of our mortgage loans impose restrictions that affect our distribution and operating policies, our ability to incur additional debt and our ability to resell interests in properties. A number of loan documents contain covenants requiring us to maintain cash reserves or letters of credit under certain circumstances and limiting our ability to further mortgage the property, discontinue certain insurance coverage, replace the property manager, or terminate certain operating or lease agreements related to the property. Such restrictions may limit our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
Financing arrangements involving balloon payment obligations may adversely affect our ability to pay distributions.
Some of our mortgage loans, including the Polar Note, require us to make a lump-sum or “balloon” payment at maturity. We may finance more properties that we acquire in this manner. Our ability to make a balloon payment at maturity could be uncertain and may depend upon our ability to obtain additional financing, to refinance the debt or to sell the property. When the balloon payment is due, we may not be able to refinance debt on favorable terms or sell the property at a price that would cover the balloon payment. The effect of a refinancing or sale could affect the rate of return to stockholders and the value of our common stock.
In addition, making a balloon payment may leave us with insufficient cash to pay the distributions that are required to maintain our qualification as a REIT. At December 31, 2020, excluding our model homes business, we have three mortgages that require a balloon payment in 2021. The model homes division pays off the balance of its mortgages using proceeds from the sale of the underlying homes. Any deficiency in the sale proceeds would have to be paid from existing cash, reducing the amount available for distributions and operations.
Risks Related to our Status as a REIT and Related Federal Income Tax Matters
Failure to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect our operations and our ability to pay distributions.
We elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2000. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in a manner that has allowed us to qualify for taxation as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with such taxable year, and we expect to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. However, the federal income tax laws governing REITs are extremely complex, and interpretations of the federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT are limited. Qualifying as a REIT requires us to meet various tests regarding the nature of our assets and our income, the ownership of our outstanding stock, and the amount of our distributions on an ongoing basis. While we intend to continue to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, including the tax treatment of certain investments and dispositions, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given that we will qualify for any particular year. If we lose our REIT qualification, we would be subject to federal corporate income taxation on our taxable income, and we could also be subject to increased state and local taxes. Additionally, we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions paid to stockholders. Moreover, unless we are entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions, we could not elect to be taxed as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which we were disqualified. The income tax consequences could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for distribution to stockholders and investments in additional real estate. We could also be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be required to make distributions to our stockholders.
As a REIT, we may be subject to tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow.
Even if we continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to federal, state and local taxes on our income or property, including the following:
•
To continue to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains) to our stockholders. If we satisfy the distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including net capital gains), we will be subject to corporate income tax on the undistributed income.
•
We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which the distributions that we pay in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income, and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years.
•
If we have net income from the sale of foreclosure property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property, we must pay a tax on that income at the highest corporate income tax rate.
•
If we sell a property, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, our gain will be subject to the 100% “prohibited transaction” tax.
•
We may be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, either directly or indirectly because of the taxation of entities through which we indirectly own our assets.
•
Our subsidiaries that are “taxable REIT subsidiaries” will generally be required to pay federal corporate income tax on their earnings.
Our ownership of taxable REIT subsidiaries is subject to certain restrictions, and we will be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if our transactions with our taxable REIT subsidiaries are not conducted on arm’s length terms.
We own and may acquire direct or indirect interests in one or more entities that have elected or will elect, together with us, to be treated as our taxable REIT subsidiaries. A taxable REIT subsidiary is a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) other than a REIT in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds stock, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. If a taxable REIT subsidiary owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a taxable REIT subsidiary may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to U.S. federal income tax as a regular C corporation. In addition, a 100% excise tax will be imposed on certain transactions between a taxable REIT subsidiary and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis.
A REIT’s ownership of securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary is not subject to the 5% or 10% asset tests applicable to REITs. Not more than 25% of the value of our total assets could be represented by securities, including securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries, other than those securities includable in the 75% asset test. Further, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, not more than 20% of the value of our total assets may be represented by securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries. We anticipate that the aggregate value of the stock and other securities of any taxable REIT subsidiaries that we own will be less than 20% of the value of our total assets, and we will monitor the value of these investments to ensure compliance with applicable asset test limitations. In addition, we intend to structure our transactions with any taxable REIT subsidiaries that we own to ensure that they are entered into on arm’s length terms to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with these limitations or avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.
We may be forced to borrow funds on a short-term basis, to sell assets or to issue securities to meet the REIT minimum distribution or other requirements or for working capital purposes.
To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. In order to maintain our REIT status or avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis to meet the REIT distribution requirements, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. To qualify as a REIT, in general, we must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains) each year. We have and intend to continue to make distributions to our stockholders. However, our ability to make distributions may be adversely affected by the risk factors described elsewhere herein. In the event of a decline in our operating results and financial performance or in the value of our asset portfolio, we may not have cash sufficient for distribution. Therefore, to preserve our REIT status or avoid taxation, we may need to borrow funds, sell assets or issue additional securities, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable. Moreover, we may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments in order to satisfy the REIT asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. If we are compelled to liquidate our investments to meet any of these asset, income or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with one or more of the requirements applicable to REITs or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting gain if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.
In addition, we require a minimum amount of cash to fund our daily operations. Due to the REIT distribution requirements, we may be forced to make distributions when we otherwise would use the cash to fund our working capital needs. Therefore, we may be forced to borrow funds, to sell assets or to issue additional securities at certain times for our working capital needs.
The tax imposed on REITs engaging in “prohibited transactions” may limit our ability to engage in transactions that would be treated as sales for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business unless a sale or disposition qualifies under certain statutory safe harbors, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to make use of the available safe harbors.
Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on our investors or us.
The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could adversely affect our investors or us. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect our investors or us. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the federal income tax consequences of an investment in us. Also, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, could change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT.
The stock ownership limit imposed by the Code for REITs and our charter may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price for our stockholders.
In order for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding stock may be beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (including certain types of entities) at any time during the last half of each taxable year. To ensure that we do not fail to qualify as a REIT under this test, our charter restricts ownership by one person or entity to no more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our common stock or more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate outstanding shares of all classes and series of our capital stock. This restriction may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.
Dividends payable by REITs generally are taxed at the higher ordinary income rate, which could reduce the net cash received by stockholders and may be detrimental to our ability to raise additional funds through any future sale of our common stock.
Income from “qualified dividends” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates is generally subject to tax at reduced rates. However, dividends payable by REITs to its stockholders generally are not eligible for the reduced rates for qualified dividends and are taxed at ordinary income rates (but U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates generally may deduct 20% of ordinary dividends from a REIT for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026). Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, to the extent that the reduced rates continue to apply to regular corporate qualified dividends, investors that are individuals, trusts and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could materially and adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including the per share trading price of our common stock, and could be detrimental to our ability to raise additional funds through the future sale of our common stock.
Tax-exempt stockholders will be taxed on our distributions to the extent such distributions are unrelated business taxable income.
Generally, neither ordinary nor capital gain distributions should constitute unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to tax-exempt entities, such as employee pension benefit trusts and individual retirement accounts. Our payment of distributions to a tax-exempt stockholder will constitute UBTI, however, if the tax-exempt stockholder has incurred debt to acquire its shares. Therefore, tax-exempt stockholders are not assured all dividends received will be tax-free.
Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Requirements
Costs of complying with governmental laws and regulations may reduce our net income and the cash available for distributions to our stockholders.
Our properties are subject to various local, state and federal regulatory requirements, including those addressing zoning, environmental and land use, access for disabled persons, and air and water quality. These laws and regulations may impose restrictions on the manner in which our properties may be used or business may be operated, and compliance with these standards may require us to make unexpected expenditures, some of which could be substantial. Additionally, we could be subject to liability in the form of fines, penalties or damages for noncompliance, and any enforcement actions could reduce the value of a property. Any material expenditures, penalties, or decrease in property value would adversely affect our operating income and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
The costs of complying with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of defending against claims of environmental liability could adversely affect our operating results.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner or operator of real property is responsible for the cost of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on its property. Environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated.
For instance, federal regulations require us to identify and warn, via signs and labels, of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure to installed asbestos-containing materials (“ACMs”), and potential ACMs on our properties. Federal, state, and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling and disposal of ACMs and potential ACMs, when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation or demolition of a property. There are or may be ACMs at certain of our properties. As a result, we may face liability for a release of ACMs and may be subject to personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to ACMs at our properties. Additionally, the value of any of our properties containing ACMs and potential ACMs may be decreased.
Although we have not been notified by any governmental authority and are not otherwise aware of any material noncompliance, liability or claim relating to hazardous substances in connection with our properties, we may be found noncompliant in the future. Environmental laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of any hazardous substances. Therefore, we may be liable for the costs of removing or remediating contamination of which we had no knowledge. Additionally, future laws or regulations could impose an unanticipated material environmental liability on any of the properties that we purchase.
The presence of contamination, or our failure to properly remediate contamination of our properties, may adversely affect the ability of our tenants to operate the contaminated property, may subject us to liability to third parties, and may inhibit our ability to sell or rent such property or borrow money using such property as collateral. Any of these occurrences would adversely affect our operating income.
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act may require us to make unintended expenditures that could adversely impact our results of operations.
Our properties are generally required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or the ADA. The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance with ADA requirements could require removal of access barriers and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants. The parties to whom we lease properties are obligated by law to comply with the ADA provisions, and we believe that these parties may be obligated to cover costs associated with compliance. If required changes to our properties involve greater expenditures than anticipated, or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, our tenants may to be able to cover the costs and we could be required to expend our own funds to comply with the provisions of the ADA. Any funds used for ADA compliance will reduce our net income and the amount of cash available for distributions to our stockholders.
Our property taxes could increase due to property tax rate changes, reassessments or changes in property tax laws, which would adversely impact our cash flows.
We are required to pay property taxes for our properties, which could increase as property tax rates increase or as our properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. In California, under current law, reassessment occurs primarily as a result of a “change in ownership”. A potential reassessment may take a considerable amount of time, during which the property taxing authorities make a determination of the occurrence of a “change of ownership”, as well as the actual reassessed value. In addition, from time to time, there have been proposals to base property taxes on commercial properties on their current market value, without any limit based on purchase price. If any similar proposal were adopted, the property taxes we pay could increase substantially. In California, pursuant to an existing state law commonly referred to as Proposition 13, properties are reassessed to market value only at the time of change in ownership or completion of construction, and thereafter, annual property reassessments are limited to 2% of previously assessed values. As a result, Proposition 13 generally results in significant below-market assessed values over time. From time to time, including recently, lawmakers and political coalitions have initiated efforts to repeal or amend Proposition 13 to eliminate its application to commercial and industrial properties. If successful, a repeal of Proposition 13 could substantially increase the assessed values and property taxes for our properties in California.
Our ability to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors may be impacted due to new state laws, including recently enacted quotas related to gender and underrepresented communities.
In September 2019, California enacted SB 826 requiring public companies headquartered in California with outstanding shares listed on a major United States stock exchange to maintain minimum female representation on their boards of directors as follows: by the end of 2019, at least one woman on its board; by the end of 2021, public company boards with five members will be required to have at least two female directors, and public company boards with six or more members will be required to have at least three female directors. In September 2020, California enacted AB 979, which will require every public company with securities listed on a major U.S. stock exchange and that has its principal executive office in California, as listed on its form 10-K to have at least one director from an underrepresented community on its board of directors by the end of the 2021 calendar year and upwards of three directors from an underrepresented community on its board of directors by the end of the 2022 calendar year. Failure to achieve designated minimum levels in a timely manner exposes such companies to costly financial penalties and reputational harm. We cannot assure that we will be able to recruit, attract and/or retain qualified members of the board and meet quotas related to gender and underrepresented communities as a result of the California legislations (should they not be repealed before the compliance deadlines), which may cause certain investors to divest their holdings in our stock and expose us to penalties and/or reputational harm.
The costs of complying with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of defending against claims of environmental liability could adversely affect our operating results.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner or operator of real property is responsible for the cost of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on its property. Environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which property may be used or businesses may be operated.
For instance, federal regulations require us to identify and warn, via signs and labels, of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure to installed asbestos-containing materials (“ACMs”), and potential ACMs on our properties. Federal, state, and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling and disposal of ACMs and potential ACMs, when such materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation or demolition of a property. There are or may be ACMs at certain of our properties. As a result, we may face liability for a release of ACMs and may be subject to personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to ACMs at our properties. Additionally, the value of any of our properties containing ACMs and potential ACMs may be decreased.
Although we have not been notified by any governmental authority and are not otherwise aware of any material noncompliance, liability or claim relating to hazardous substances in connection with our properties, we may be found noncompliant in the future. Environmental laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of any hazardous substances. Therefore, we may be liable for the costs of removing or remediating contamination of which we had no knowledge. Additionally, future laws or regulations could impose an unanticipated material environmental liability on any of the properties that we purchase.
The presence of contamination, or our failure to properly remediate contamination of our properties, may adversely affect the ability of our tenants to operate the contaminated property, may subject us to liability to third parties, and may inhibit our ability to sell or rent such property or borrow money using such property as collateral. Any of these occurrences would adversely affect our operating income.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
We have no unresolved staff comments regarding our periodic or current reports.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
General Information
We invest in a diverse multi-tenant portfolio of real estate assets primarily consisting of office/industrial, retail, and model home properties located in the western United States. As of December 31, 2020, we owned or had an equity interest in 11 office/industrial buildings totaling approximately 982,796 rentable square feet and four retail centers totaling approximately 131,722 rentable square feet. In addition, through our Model Home subsidiary and our investments in six limited partnerships and one corporation, we own a total of 118 Model Home properties located in 6 states. We directly manage the operations and leasing of our properties. Substantially all of our revenues consist of base rents received under leases that generally have terms that range from one to five years. We estimate that approximately 69% of our existing leases as of December 31, 2020 contain contractual rent increases that provide for increases in the base rental payments. Our tenants consist of local, regional and national businesses. Our properties generally attract a mix of diversified tenants creating lower risk in periods of economic fluctuations. Our largest tenant represented less than 7% of total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Geographic Diversification Table
The following table shows a list of properties we owned as of December 31, 2020, grouped by the state where each of our investments is located.
Office/Industrial and Retail Properties:
State
No. of Properties
Aggregate Square Feet
Approximate % of Square Feet
Current Base Annual Rent
Approximate % of Aggregate Annual Rent
California
134,787
12.1 %
$ 1,771,681
12.3 %
Colorado
582,692
52.3 %
9,160,664
63.4 %
North Dakota
397,039
35.6 %
3,513,042
24.3 %
Total
1,114,518
%
$ 14,445,387
%
Model Home Properties:
Region
No. of Properties
Aggregate Square Feet
Approximate % of Square Feet
Current Base Annual Rent
Approximate % of Aggregate Annual Rent
Southwest
290,702
84.7 %
$ 2,822,928
81.1 %
Southeast
37,374
10.9 %
447,192
12.8 %
Midwest
6,602
1.9 %
99,276
2.9 %
East
2,395
0.7 %
30,636
0.9 %
Northeast
6,153
1.8 %
80,844
2.3 %
Total
343,226
%
$ 3,480,876
%
The following table summarizes information relating to our properties (excluding model homes) at December 31, 2020:
Property Summary
($ in000's) Property Location
Sq., Ft.
Date Acquired
Year Property Constructed
Purchase Price (1)
Occupancy
Percent Ownership
Mortgage On property
Estimated Renovation or Improvement Cost (2)
Office/Industrial Properties:
Garden Gateway, Colorado Springs, CO (5) (7)
115,052
03/07
1982/2006
$ 15,126
76.4 %
100.0 %
$ 5,862
$ -
Executive Office Park, Colorado Springs, CO (5)
49,864
07/08
10,126
97.7 %
100.0 %
2,986
Genesis Plaza, San Diego, CA (3)
57,807
08/10
10,000
74.7 %
76.4 %
6,276
Dakota Center, Fargo, ND
119,434
05/11
9,575
86.0 %
100.0 %
9,900
Grand Pacific Center, Bismarck, ND
93,058
03/14
5,350
74.2 %
100.0 %
3,738
Arapahoe Center, Colorado Springs, CO
79,023
12/14
11,850
100.0 %
100.0 %
7,932
West Fargo Industrial, West Fargo, ND
150,030
08/15
1998/2005
7,900
82.0 %
100.0 %
4,263
300 N.P., West Fargo, ND
34,517
08/15
3,850
72.8 %
100.0 %
2,274
Highland Court, Centennial CO (4)
93,536
08/15
13,050
64.5 %
84.5 %
6,275
One Park Centre, Westminster CO
69,174
08/15
9,150
84.8 %
100.0 %
6,385
Shea Center II, Highlands Ranch, CO
121,301
12/15
25,325
91.2 %
100.0 %
17,728
Total Office/Industrial Properties
982,796
$ 121,302
82.2 %
$ 73,619
$ 5,240
Retail Properties:
World Plaza, San Bernardino, CA (5)
55,810
09/07
7,650
100.0 %
100.0 %
5,803
-
Waterman Plaza, San Bernardino, CA (5) (6)
21,170
08/08
7,164
85.9 %
100.0 %
3,207
Union Town Center, Colorado Springs, CO
44,042
12/14
11,212
100.0 %
100.0 %
8,316
Research Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO
10,700
08/15
2,850
100.0 %
100.0 %
1,760
Total Retail Properties
131,722
$ 28,876
96.5 %
$ 19,086
$
(1)
Prior to January 1, 2009, “Purchase Price” includes our acquisition related costs and expenses for the purchase of the property. After January 1, 2009, acquisition related costs and expenses were expensed when incurred.
(2)
Expected capital expenditures over the next 12 months.
(3)
Genesis Plaza is owned by two tenants-in-common, each of which 57% and 43%, respectively, and we beneficially own an aggregate of 76.4%.
(4)
Highland Court is owned by two tenants-in-common, each of which 60% and 40%, respectively, and we beneficially own an aggregate of 84.5%.
(5)
Property held for sale as of December 31, 2020.
(6)
Waterman Plaza sold on January 28, 2021 for approximately $3.5 million.
(7) Garden Gateway sold on February 19, 2021 for approximately $11.2 million.
Top Ten Tenants Physical Occupancy Table
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to our top 10 tenants at our Office/Industrial and Retail Properties.
As of December 31, 2020 Tenant
Number of Leases
Annualized Base Rent
% of Total Annualized Base Rent
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
899,316
6.2 %
Finastra USA Corporation
630,576
4.4 %
The College for Financial Planning, Inc. (1)
471,787
3.3 %
Restaurant Technology Services
412,824
2.9 %
MasTec North America, Inc.
361,190
2.5 %
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
334,026
2.3 %
Cobham Colorado Springs (2)
315,296
2.2 %
MGA Home Healthcare Colorado, Inc. (2)
260,832
1.8 %
Merrill Lynch
251,409
1.7 %
Fredrikson & Byron P.A.
234,999
1.6 %
$ 4,172,255
28.88 %
(1)
This tenant occupies space in the Highland Court, which was classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2020.
(2) This tenant occupies space in the Garden Gateway Plaza, which was classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2020.
Lease Expirations Tables
The following table sets forth lease expirations for our properties as of December 31, 2020, assuming that none of the tenants exercise their renewal options.
Office/Industrial and Retail Properties:
Expiration Year
Number of Leases Expiring
Square Footage
Annual Rental From Lease
Percent of Total
193,119
$ 3,259,261
22.6 %
230,130
3,406,500
23.6 %
157,916
2,564,601
17.8 %
68,291
1,211,331
8.4 %
83,826
1,526,142
10.6 %
Thereafter
179,669
2,477,552
17.2 %
Totals
912,951
$ 14,445,387
%
Model Home Properties:
Expiration Year (1)
Number of Leases Expiring
Square Footage
Annual Rental From Lease
Percent of Total
258,763
$ 2,784,108
80.0 %
84,463
696,768
20.0 %
343,226
$ 3,480,876
100.0 %
(1)
These leases are subject to extensions by the home builder depending on sales of the total development. All model homes are sold at the end of the lease period.
Physical Occupancy Table for Last 5 Years
The following table presents the percentage occupancy for each of our properties, excluding our Model Home Properties, as of December 31 for each of the last five years.
Date
Percentage Occupancy as of the Year Ended December 31,
Acquired
Office/ Industrial Properties:
Garden Gateway Plaza (1) (3)
03/07
71.6 %
64.8 %
68.1 %
76.4 %
76.4 %
Executive Office Park (1)
07/08
77.5 %
90.4 %
99.9 %
100.0 %
97.7 %
Genesis Plaza
08/10
87.0 %
92.3 %
58.3 %
78.5 %
74.7 %
Dakota Center
05/11
99.3 %
100.0 %
98.2 %
86.0 %
86.0 %
Grand Pacific Center
03/14
80.0 %
77.0 %
72.6 %
71.8 %
74.2 %
Arapahoe Center
12/14
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
West Fargo Industrial
08/15
90.4 %
87.1 %
75.9 %
77.1 %
82.0 %
300 N.P.
08/15
86.1 %
98.4 %
82.3 %
73.0 %
72.8 %
Highland Court (1)
08/15
89.5 %
89.3 %
78.5 %
70.1 %
64.5 %
One Park Centre
08/15
83.4 %
87.7 %
72.7 %
79.1 %
84.8 %
Shea Center II
12/15
96.0 %
92.8 %
88.2 %
90.9 %
91.2 %
Retail Properties:
World Plaza (1)
09/07
81.8 %
34.6 %
22.6 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
Waterman Plaza (1) (2)
08/08
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
90.7 %
85.9 %
Union Town Center
12/14
96.8 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
Research Parkway
08/15
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
100.0 %
(1)
Property held for sale as of December 31, 2020.
(2)
Waterman Plaza was sold on January 28, 2021.
(3) Garden Gateway was sold on February 19, 2021.
Annualized Base Rent Per Square Foot for Last 5 Years
The following table presents the average effective annual rent per square foot for each of our properties, excluding our Model Home Properties, as of December 31, 2020.
Annualized Base Rent per Square Foot (1) For the Years Ended December 31,
Annualized Base Rent (2)
Net Rentable Square Feet
Office/ Industrial Properties:
Garden Gateway Plaza (3)
$ 11.25
$ 12.66
$ 10.60
$ 12.62
$ 13.45
$ 1,181,359
115,052
Executive Office Park (3)
$ 12.41
$ 12.42
$ 12.34
$ 13.29
$ 13.65
$ 665,157
49,864
Genesis Plaza
$ 24.07
$ 27.43
$ 20.62
$ 28.15
$ 22.97
$ 991,675
57,807
Dakota Center
$ 11.38
$ 12.06
$ 14.21
$ 12.87
$ 13.24
$ 1,359,446
119,434
Grand Pacific Center
$ 13.39
$ 13.18
$ 14.29
$ 13.97
$ 13.71
$ 947,046
93,058
Arapahoe Center
$ 12.79
$ 13.20
$ 14.22
$ 14.69
$ 15.18
$ 1,199,886
79,023
West Fargo Industrial
$ 6.03
$ 6.65
$ 6.78
$ 6.65
$ 6.77
$ 833,121
150,030
300 N.P.
$ 11.49
$ 12.63
$ 16.51
$ 13.67
$ 14.86
$ 373,428
34,517
Highland Court (3)
$ 19.57
$ 21.14
$ 24.59
$ 19.33
$ 22.33
$ 1,347,278
93,536
One Park Centre
$ 22.40
$ 18.48
$ 20.27
$ 19.51
$ 21.85
$ 1,281,907
69,174
Shea Center II
$ 17.02
$ 15.34
$ 18.53
$ 18.47
$ 19.24
$ 2,128,507
121,301
Retail Properties:
World Plaza (3)
$ 20.24
$ 16.63
$ 4.64
$ 13.63
$ 9.93
$ 554,074
55,810
Waterman Plaza (3)
$ 24.70
$ 25.29
$ 18.88
$ 16.30
$ 12.42
$ 225,932
21,170
Union Town Center
$ 21.04
$ 20.36
$ 24.91
$ 25.63
$ 23.73
$ 1,045,321
44,042
Research Parkway
$ 21.12
$ 21.61
$ 22.07
$ 22.58
$ 29.09
$ 311,250
10,700
(1)
Annualized Base Rent (defined as cash rent including abatements) divided by the percentage occupied divided by rentable square feet.
(2)
Annualized Base Rent is based upon actual rents due as of December 31, 2020.
(3)
Property held for sale as of December 31, 2020.
(4)
Waterman Plaza was sold on January 28, 2021.
(5) Garden Gateway was sold on February 19, 2021.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. While the resolution of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes the final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operation or liquidity.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUERS PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol SQFT beginning on October 7, 2020.
Performance Graph
Not required.
Number of Holders of Each Class of Stock
As of March 30, 2021, there were approximately 4,600 holders of our Series A common stock.
Dividend Payments
We seek to pay cash dividends to our common stockholders. The following is a summary of dividends declared per share for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:
Cash Dividend
Cash Dividend
March 31
$ -
$ -
June 30
-
0.12
September 30
-
-
December 31
0.10
-
Total
$ 0.10
$ 0.12
Dividend Policy
We plan to pay at least 90% of our annual REIT Taxable Income to our stockholders in order to maintain our status as a REIT. We intend to continue to declare dividends, however, we cannot provide any assurance as to the amount or timing of future dividends. Our goal is to make cash dividend distributions out of our operating cash flow and proceeds from the sale of properties. During 2020, we paid dividends of approximately $1.0 million related to 2020. During 2019, dividends were declared in December 2019 and paid in January 2020 of approximately $1.1 million.
To the extent that we make dividends in excess of our earnings and profits, as computed for federal income tax purposes, these dividends will represent a return of capital, rather than a dividend, for federal income tax purposes. Dividends that are treated as a return of capital for federal income tax purposes generally will not be taxable as a dividend to a U.S. stockholder, but will reduce the stockholder’s basis in its shares (but not below zero) and therefore can result in the stockholder having a higher gain upon a subsequent sale of such shares. Return of capital dividends in excess of a stockholder’s basis generally will be treated as gain from the sale of such shares for federal income tax purposes.
We provide each of our stockholders a statement detailing dividends paid during the preceding year and their characterization as ordinary income, capital gain or return of capital annually. During the year ended December 31, 2020, all dividends were non-taxable as they were considered return of capital to the stockholders. During the year ended December 31, 2019, all dividends were taxable as they were considered capital gain to the stockholders.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
We established the 1999 Flexible Incentive Plan (“1999 Plan”) for the purpose of attracting and retaining employees, which was superseded by the 2017 Incentive Award Plan (“2017 Plan”). The 1999 Plan provided that the maximum number of shares to be issued under the 1999 Plan would be an amount equal to 10% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock at such time; the aggregate number of common stock that may be issued under the 2017 Plan is 1,100,000 shares. At December 31, 2020, approximately 651,000 restricted shares of common stock had been issued under the 1999 Plan and approximately 312,000 shares of Restricted Stock as defined in the 2017 Plan had been issued under such Plan. At December 31, 2020, the amount of shares of common stock available for future grants under the 2017 Plan was approximately 788,000 shares.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Not applicable.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Not required.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion relates to our financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report. Statements contained in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to materially differ from those projected. Some of the information presented is forward-looking in nature, including information concerning projected future occupancy rates, rental rate increases, project development timing and investment amounts. Although the information is based on our current expectations, actual results could vary from expectations stated in this report. Numerous factors will affect our actual results, some of which are beyond our control. These include the timing and strength of national and regional economic growth, the strength of commercial and residential markets, competitive market conditions, and fluctuations in availability and cost of construction materials and labor resulting from the effects of worldwide demand, future interest rate levels and capital market conditions. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this information, which speaks only as of the date of this report. We assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent we are required to do so in connection with our ongoing requirements under federal securities laws to disclose material information. For a discussion of important risks related to our business, and an investment in our securities, including risks that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from results and events referred to in the forward-looking information. See Item 1A for a discussion of material risks.
OVERVIEW
The Company operates as an internally managed diversified real estate investment trust, or REIT. The Company invests in a multi-tenant portfolio of commercial real estate assets comprised of office, industrial, and retail properties and model homes leased back to the homebuilder located primarily in the western United States. As of December 31, 2020, including properties held for sale, the Company owned or had an equity interest in:
•
Ten office buildings and one industrial buildings (“Office/Industrial Properties”) which total approximately 982,796 rentable square feet,
•
Four retail shopping centers (“Retail Properties”) which total approximately 131,722 rentable square feet and,
•
118 model homes owned by five affiliated limited partnerships and one corporation (“Model Home Properties”).
Presidio Property Trust’s office, industrial and retail properties are located primarily in North Dakota and Colorado, with three properties located in Southern California. Our Model Home Properties are located in 6 states. We acquire properties that are stabilized or that we anticipate will be stabilized within two or three years of acquisition. We consider a property to be stabilized once it has achieved an 80% occupancy rate for a full calendar year, or has been operating for three years. Our geographical clustering of assets enables us to reduce our operating costs through economies of scale by servicing a number of properties with less staff, but it also makes us more susceptible to changing market conditions in these discrete geographic areas.
Most of our office and retail properties are leased to a variety of tenants ranging from small businesses to large public companies, many of which are not investment grade. We have in the past entered into, and intend in the future to enter into, purchase agreements for real estate having net leases that require the tenant to pay all of the operating expense (NNN Leases) or pay increases in operating expenses over specific base years. Most of our office leases are for terms of 3 to 5 years with annual rental increases. Our model homes are typically leased for 2 to 3 years to the homebuilder on a triple net lease. Under a triple net lease, the tenant is required to pay all operating, maintenance and insurance costs and real estate taxes with respect to the leased property.
We seek to diversify our portfolio by commercial real estate segments to reduce the adverse effect of a single under-performing segment, geographic market and/or tenant. We further supplement this at the tenant level through our credit review process, which varies by tenant class. For example, our commercial and industrial tenants tend to be corporations or individual owned businesses. In these cases, we typically obtain financial records, including financial statements and tax returns (depending on the circumstance), and run credit reports for any prospective tenant to support our decision to enter into a rental arrangement. We also typically obtain security deposits from these commercial tenants. Our Model Home business partners are substantial homebuilders with established credit histories. These tenants are subjected to financial review and analysis prior to us entering into a sales-leaseback transaction. Our ownership of the underlying property provides a further means to avoiding significant credit losses.
SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTIONS IN 2020 and 2019
Acquisitions
•
We acquired 28 Model Home Properties and leased them back to the homebuilders under triple net leases during the year ended December 31, 2020. The purchase price for the properties was approximately $10.2 million. The purchase price consisted of cash payments of $3.1 million and mortgage notes of $7.1 million.
•
We acquired 33 Model Home Properties and leased them back to the homebuilders under triple net leases during the year ended December 31, 2019. The purchase price for the properties was approximately $13.0 million. The purchase price consisted of cash payments of $3.9 million and mortgage notes of $9.1 million.
We review our portfolio of investment properties for value appreciation potential on an ongoing basis, and dispose of any properties that no longer satisfy our requirements in this regard, taking into account tax and other considerations. The proceeds from any such property sale, after repayment of any associated mortgage, are available for investing in properties that we believe will have a greater likelihood of future price appreciation.
During year ended December 31, 2020 we disposed of the following properties:
•
Centennial Tech Center, which was sold on February 5, 2020 for approximately $15.0 million and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $0.9 million.
•
Union Terrace, which was sold on March 13, 2020 for approximately $11.3 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $0.7 million.
•
One of four Executive Office Park buildings, which was sold on December 2, 2020 for approximately $2.3 million and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $75,000.
• During the year ended December 31, 2020, we disposed of 46 model homes for approximately $18.1 million and recognized a gain of approximately $1.6 million.
During year ended December 31, 2019 we disposed of the following properties:
•
Morena Office Center, which was sold on January 15, 2019 for approximately $5.6 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $0.7 million.
•
Nightingale land, which was sold on May 8, 2019 for approximately $875,000 and the Company recognized a loss of approximately $93,000.
•
On July 1, 2019, NetREIT Genesis, LLC sold a 43% tenants-in-common interest in Genesis Plaza (“TIC Interest”) for $5.6 million to a newly formed entity, NetREIT Genesis II, LLC, in which NetREIT Casa Grande LP is the sole member. NetREIT Casa Grande LP owned and sold Morena Office Center on January 15, 2019. The sale of the TIC Interest was structured as a 1031 exchange and included $2.9 million in cash and assumption of debt. The Company remains a guarantor of the debt and NetREIT Genesis, LLC and NetREIT Genesis II, LLC are jointly and severally liable for the debt securing Genesis Plaza, the financial terms and conditions of which remain materially unchanged.
•
The Presidio office building, which was sold on July 31, 2019 for approximately $12.3 million and the Company recognized a gain of approximately $4.5 million.
•
During the year ended December 31, 2019, we disposed of 41 model homes for approximately $14.6 million and recognized a gain of approximately $1.2 million.
ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, a pandemic, and on March 13, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency with respect to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic caused state and local governments within our areas of business operations to institute quarantines, “shelter-in-place” mandates, including rules and restrictions on travel and the types of businesses that may continue to operate. While certain areas have re-opened, others have seen an increase in the number of cases reported, prompting local government to enforce further restrictions. We continue to monitor our operations and government recommendations.
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law to provide widespread emergency relief for the economy and to provide aid to corporations. The CARES Act included several significant provisions related to taxes, refundable payroll tax credits and deferment of social security payments. On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 was signed into law to provide further relief for the economy and to provide aid to corporations. We continue to evaluate the relief options for us and our tenants available under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, as well as other emergency relief initiatives and stimulus packages instituted by the federal government. A number of the relief options contain restrictions on future business activities, including ability to repurchase shares and pay dividends, that require careful evaluation and consideration, or are limited to private companies. We will continue to assess these options, and any subsequent legislation or other relief packages, including the accompanying restrictions on our business, as the effects of the pandemic continue to evolve.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact our operating results during the fiscal 2020. We continue to monitor and communicate with our tenants to assess their needs and ability to pay rent. We have negotiated lease amendments with certain tenants who have demonstrated financial distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which have included or may include rent deferral, temporary rent abatement, or reduced rental rates and/or lease extension periods, however no new negotiations were initiated during the fourth quarter of 2020. While these amendments have affected our short-term cash flows, we do not believe they represent a change in the valuation of our assets for the properties affected and have not significantly affected our results of operations. Given the longevity of this pandemic, the COVID-19 outbreak may materially affect our financial condition and results of operations going forward, including, but not limited to, real estate rental revenues, credit losses, leasing activity, and potentially the valuation of our real estate assets. We expect that we may have additional rent deferrals, abatements and credit losses from our commercial tenants into 2021 which may have a material impact on our real estate rental revenue and cash collections. We also expect that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our ability to lease up available commercial space. Our business operations and activities in many regions may be subject to future quarantines, "shelter-in-place" rules, and various other restrictions for the foreseeable future. Due to the uncertainty of the future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent of the financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. For more information, see Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We have taken steps to best protect the health and safety of our employees globally. Our daily execution has evolved largely into a virtual model, but we believe we have been successful in maintaining our ability to effectively communicate with and service our tenants during the pandemic period.
It is impossible to project U.S. economic growth, but economic conditions could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
CREDIT MARKET ENVIRONMENT
According to Nareit, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, REITs have largely been resilient during the pandemic as overall leverage ratios were at or near the lowest on record. REITs also lengthened the maturities of their debts to reduce risks of having to refinance during adverse market conditions. REITs maintain high levels of liquidity, both on balance sheet through holdings of cash and securities and also through committed lines of credit. With REIT operating performance stabilizing during the third quarter of 2020, and interest rates remaining low, REITs with concentrations in non-social distancing sectors may be poised for faster recovery in 2021.
Our ability to execute our business strategies, and in particular to make new investments, is highly dependent upon our ability to procure external financing. Our principal sources of external financing include the issuance of our equity securities and mortgages secured by properties. The market for mortgages has remained strong, and interest rates remain relatively low compared to historical rates, decreasing approximately 1.5% during 2020 for refinanced mortgages. We continue to obtain mortgages from the commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) market, life insurance companies and regional banks. Although these lenders are currently optimistic about the outlook of the credit markets, the potential impact of new regulations and market volatility remain a concern. Even though we have been successful in procuring equity financing and secured mortgages financing, we cannot be assured that we will be successful at doing so in the future.
MANAGEMENT EVALUATION OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Our management team’s evaluation of operating results includes an assessment of our ability to generate cash flow necessary to pay operating expenses, general and administrative expenses, debt service, and to fund dividends to our stockholders. As a result, our management team’s assessment of operating results gives less emphasis to the effects of unrealized gains and losses and other non-cash charges, such as depreciation and amortization and impairment charges, which may cause fluctuations in net income for comparable periods but have no impact on cash flows. Our management team’s evaluation of our potential for generating cash flow includes on-going assessments of our existing portfolio of properties, our non-stabilized properties, long-term sustainability of our real estate portfolio, our future operating cash flow from anticipated acquisitions, and the proceeds from the sales of our real estate assets.
In addition, our management team evaluates our portfolio and individual properties’ results of operations with a primary focus on increasing and enhancing the value, quality and quantity of properties in our real estate holdings. Our management team focuses its efforts on improving underperforming assets through re-leasing efforts, including negotiation of lease renewals and rental rates. Properties that have reached goals in occupancy and rental rates are evaluated for potential added value appreciation and, if lacking such potential, are sold with the equity reinvested in properties that have better potential without foregoing cash flow. Our ability to increase assets under management is affected by our ability to raise borrowings and/or capital, coupled with our ability to identify appropriate investments.
Our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are not indicative of those expected in future periods, as we expect that rental income, interest expense, rental operating expense, general and administrative expense, and depreciation and amortization will significantly change in future periods as a result of the assets sold over the last two years, potential sale of real estate assets in 2021 in order to generate sufficient cash proceeds to pay down the Company’s obligation to the Polar Note, and the growth through future acquisitions of real estate related investments.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
As a company primarily involved in owning income generating real estate assets, management considers the following accounting policies critical as they reflect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements 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 as of 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.
Real Estate Assets and Lease Intangibles. Land, buildings and improvements are recorded at cost, including tenant improvements and lease acquisition costs (including leasing commissions, space planning fees, and legal fees). We capitalize any expenditure that replaces, improves, or otherwise extends the economic life of an asset, while ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. We allocate the purchase price of acquired properties between the acquired tangible assets and liabilities (consisting of land, building, tenant improvements, land purchase options, and long-term debt) and identified intangible assets and liabilities (including the value of above-market and below-market leases, the value of in-place leases, unamortized lease origination costs and tenant relationships), based in each case on their respective fair values.
We allocate the purchase price to tangible assets of an acquired property based on the estimated fair values of those tangible assets assuming the building was vacant. Estimates of fair value for land, building and building improvements are based on many factors including, but not limited to, comparisons to other properties sold in the same geographic area and independent third party valuations. We also consider information obtained about each property as a result of its pre-acquisition due diligence, marketing and leasing activities in estimating the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired.
The value allocated to acquired lease intangibles is based on management’s evaluation of the specific characteristics of each tenant’s lease. Characteristics considered by management in allocating these values include the nature and extent of the existing business relationships with the tenant, growth prospects for developing new business with the tenant, the remaining term of the lease and the tenant’s credit quality, among other factors.
The value allocable to the above-market or below-market market component of an acquired in-place lease is determined based upon the present value (using a market discount rate) of the difference between (i) the contractual rents to be paid pursuant to the lease over its remaining term, and (ii) management’s estimate of rents that would be paid using fair market rates over the remaining term of the lease.
The value of in-place leases and unamortized lease origination costs are amortized to expense over the remaining term of the respective leases, which range from less than a year to ten years. The amount allocated to acquire in-place leases is determined based on management’s assessment of lost revenue and costs incurred for the period required to lease the “assumed vacant” property to the occupancy level when purchased. The amount allocated to unamortized lease origination costs is determined by what we would have paid to a third party to secure a new tenant reduced by the expired term of the respective lease.
Real Estate Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations. Real estate sold during the current period is classified as “real estate held for sale” for all prior periods presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Mortgage notes payable related to the real estate sold during the current period is classified as “notes payable related to real estate held for sale” for all prior periods presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Additionally, we record the operating results related to real estate that has been disposed of as discontinued operations for all periods presented if the operations have been eliminated and represent a strategic shift and we will not have any significant continuing involvement in the operations of the property following the sale.
Impairment of Real Estate Assets. We review the carrying value of each property to determine if circumstances that indicate impairment in the carrying value of the investment exist or that depreciation periods should be modified. If circumstances support the possibility of impairment, we prepare a projection of the undiscounted future cash flows, without interest charges, of the specific property and determine if the investment in such property is recoverable. If impairment is indicated, the carrying value of the property is written down to its estimated fair value based on our best estimate of the property’s discounted future cash flows.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets. Intangible assets, including goodwill and lease intangibles, are comprised of finite-lived and indefinite-lived assets. Lease intangibles represents the allocation of a portion of the purchase price of a property acquisition representing the estimated value of in-place leases, unamortized lease origination costs, tenant relationships and land purchase options. Intangible assets that are not deemed to have an indefinite useful life are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Indefinite-lived assets are not amortized.
We test for impairment of goodwill and other definite and indefinite lived assets at least annually, and more frequently as circumstances warrant. Impairment is recognized only if the carrying amount of the intangible asset is considered to be unrecoverable from its undiscounted cash flows and is measured as the difference between the carrying amount and the estimated fair value of the asset.
Sales of Real Estate Assets. Generally, our sales of real estate would be considered a sale of a nonfinancial asset as defined by ASC 610-20. If we determine we do not have a controlling financial interest in the entity that holds the asset and the arrangement meets the criteria to be accounted for as a contract, we would derecognize the asset and recognize a gain or loss on the sale of the real estate when control of the underlying asset transfers to the buyer.
Revenue Recognition. We recognize minimum rent, including rental abatements, lease incentives and contractual fixed increases attributable to operating leases, on a straight-line basis over the term of the related leases when collectability is reasonably assured and record amounts expected to be received in later years as deferred rent receivable. If the lease provides for tenant improvements, we determine whether the tenant improvements, for accounting purposes, are owned by the tenant or by us. When we are the owner of the tenant improvements, the tenant is not considered to have taken physical possession or have control of the physical use of the leased asset until the tenant improvements are substantially completed. When the tenant is the owner of the tenant improvements, any tenant improvement allowance (including amounts that the tenant can take in the form of cash or a credit against its rent) that is funded is treated as a lease incentive and amortized as a reduction of revenue over the lease term. Tenant improvement ownership is determined based on various factors including, but not limited to:
•
whether the lease stipulates how a tenant improvement allowance may be spent;
•
whether the amount of a tenant improvement allowance is in excess of market rates;
•
whether the tenant or landlord retains legal title to the improvements at the end of the lease term;
•
whether the tenant improvements are unique to the tenant or general-purpose in nature; and
• whether the tenant improvements are expected to have any residual value at the end of the lease.
We record property operating expense reimbursements due from tenants for common area maintenance, real estate taxes, and other recoverable costs in the period the related expenses are incurred.
We make estimates of the collectability of our tenant receivables related to base rents, including deferred rent receivable, expense reimbursements and other revenue or income. We specifically analyze accounts receivable, deferred rent receivable, historical bad debts, customer creditworthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment terms when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, with respect to tenants in bankruptcy, management makes estimates of the expected recovery of pre-petition and post-petition claims in assessing the estimated collectability of the related receivable. In some cases, the ultimate resolution of these claims can exceed one year. When a tenant is in bankruptcy, we will record a bad debt reserve for the tenant’s receivable balance and generally will not recognize subsequent rental revenue until cash is received or until the tenant is no longer in bankruptcy and has the ability to make rental payments.
Sales of real estate are recognized generally upon the transfer of control, which usually occurs when the real estate is legally sold. The application of these criteria can be complex and required us to make assumptions. We believe the relevant criteria were met for all real estate sold during the periods presented.
Income Taxes. We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, for federal income tax purposes. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders and meet the various other requirements imposed by the Code relating to such matters as operating results, asset holdings, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership. Provided we maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT, we are generally not subject to corporate level income tax on the earnings distributed currently to our stockholders that we derive from our REIT qualifying activities. If we fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT in any taxable year, and are unable to avail ourselves of certain savings provisions set forth in the Code, all of our taxable income would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates, including any applicable alternative minimum tax. We are subject to certain state and local income taxes.
We, together with one of our entities, have elected to treat such subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (a “TRS”) for federal income tax purposes. Certain activities that we undertake must be conducted by a TRS, such as non-customary services for our tenants, and holding assets that we cannot hold directly. A TRS is subject to federal and state income taxes.
Fair Value Measurements. Certain assets and liabilities are required to be carried at fair value, or if long-lived assets are deemed to be impaired, to be adjusted to reflect this condition. The guidance requires disclosure of fair values calculated under each level of inputs within the following hierarchy:
Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted process that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3 - Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.
Fair value is defined as the price at which an asset or liability is exchanged between market participants in an orderly transaction at the reporting date. Our cash equivalents, mortgage notes receivable, accounts receivable and payables and accrued liabilities all approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. Management believes that the recorded and fair values of notes payable are approximately the same as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Depreciation and Amortization. The Company records depreciation and amortization expense using the straight-line method over the useful lives of the respective assets. The cost of buildings are depreciated over estimated useful lives of 39 years, the costs of improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the asset or term of the tenant lease (which range from 1 to 10 years), the costs associated with acquired tenant intangibles over the remaining lease term and the cost of furniture, fixtures and equipment are depreciated over 4 to 5 years.
RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED December 31, 2020 AND 2019
Our results from operations for 2020 and 2019 are not indicative of those expected in future periods as we expect that rental income, interest expense, rental operating expense, general and administrative expenses, and depreciation and amortization will significantly change in future periods as a result of the assets sold over the last two years, potential sale of real estate assets in 2021 in order to generate sufficient cash proceeds to pay down the Company’s obligation to the Polar Note, and the growth through future acquisitions of real estate related investments.
Revenues. Total revenue was $24.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $28.6 million for the same period in 2019, a decrease of $4.3 million or 15%. The decrease in rental income reported in 2020 compared to 2019 is directly related to the sale of two properties during the first quarter of 2020 and two properties in 2019. The decrease in rental income is also attributable to the decrease in occupancy to 84.1% as of December 31, 2020 compared to 84.5% for the same period in 2019.
Rental Operating Costs. Rental operating costs were $8.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $10.4 million for the same period in 2019, a decrease of $1.6 million or 15%. Rental operating costs as a percentage of total revenue was 36.2% and 36.3% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in rental operating costs as a percentage of total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020 compared to 2019 is due to the mix of properties held to include a higher percentage of model homes period over period, which have significantly lower operating costs.
General and Administrative. General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $5.3 million for the same period in 2019, representing an increase of approximately $0.5 million or 9%. As a percentage of total revenue, our general and administrative costs was 23.6% and 18.4% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase in G&A expense for the years ended December 31, 2020 compared to 2019 is due to the timing of vesting of non-cash stock compensation expense primarily for stock granted to new employees and officers, as well as due to the decrease in revenue related to early 2019 and early 2020 property sales.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expenses were $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $7.4 million for the same period in 2019, representing a decrease of $1.1 million or 15%. The decrease in depreciation costs is associated with the properties sold in 2020 and 2019.
Asset Impairments. We review the carrying value of each of our real estate properties annually to determine if circumstances indicate an impairment in the carrying value of these investments exists. During 2020, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $1.3 million on the Waterman Plaza property and $0.4 million on Highland Court. This impairment charges reflect management’s revised estimate of the fair market value based on sales comparable of like property in the same geographical area as well as an evaluation of future cash flows or an executed purchase sale agreement. There were no impairment charges during 2019.
Interest Expense-Series B Preferred Stock. The Series B preferred stock issued in August 2014 included a mandatory redemption and therefore, is treated as a liability for financial reporting purposes. The dividends paid and the amortization of the deferred offering costs are considered interest expense for reporting purposes under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Dividends paid totaled $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease is primarily due to the redemption of all the outstanding Series B preferred stock on September 17, 2019. The amortization of the deferred offering costs was approximately $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, and was included in interest expense-Series B preferred stock in the accompanying financial statements. The deferred offering costs were fully amortized and all of the outstanding Series B preferred stock was redeemed and no longer outstanding as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019. There was no such interest expense in 2020.
Interest Expense-mortgage notes. Interest expense related to the mortgage notes, including amortization of deferred finance charges, decreased by approximately $1.2 million, or 16%, to approximately $6.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $7.3 million for the same period in 2019. The decrease in interest expense relates to the decreased number of commercial properties owned in 2020 compared to 2019 and the related decrease in debt. The weighted average interest rate on our outstanding mortgage debt decreased to 3.9% at December 31, 2020 from 4.6% at December 31, 2019.
Interest Expense-note payable. On September 17, 2019 the Company executed a Promissory Note pursuant to which Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund ("Polar"), executed a loan in the principal amount of $14.0 million to the Company ("Polar Note"). The Polar Note bears interest at a fixed rate of 8% per annum and requires monthly interest-only payments. The final payment due at maturity, March 31, 2021 upon extension of the Polar Note in September 2020, includes payment of the outstanding principal and accrued and unpaid interest. The Company used the proceeds of the Polar Note to redeem all of the outstanding shares of the 14% Series B Preferred Stock. For the year ended December 31, 2020, interest expense related to the Polar Note was approximately $2.7 million, which includes accretion of original issue discount ("OID") of approximately $1.0 million and amortization of deferred financing cost of approximately $0.9 million. As of December 31, 2020, the Polar Note payable was $7.5 million, net of unamortized deferred financing cost of $0.2 million.
Gain on Sale of Real Estate Assets. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the decrease in gain on sale relates to the mix and type of properties sold. See Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Significant Transactions in 2020 and 2019 above for further detail.
Gain on Extinguishment of Government Debt. On April 30, 2020, the Company received a Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loan of $0.5 million from the Small Business Administration ("SBA") which provided additional economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPP loan, less $10,000 related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan ("EIDL") received on April 22, 2020, was forgiven by the SBA as of December 31, 2020 and was fully forgiven in January 2021 upon repeal of the EIDL holdback requirements. No similar government assistance was received in fiscal 2019.
Deferred Offering Costs. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded $0.5 million in legal, accounting and filing related expenses upon completion of our initial public offering. No such similar costs were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Income Tax Expense. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the income tax expense decreased by $0.2 million to $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decreased income tax expense in 2020 is primarily due federal and state taxes for capital gains from the sale of model homes held by the taxable REIT subsidiary, which has decreased from prior year.
Income allocated to non-controlling interests. Income allocated to non-controlling interests for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 totaled $1.4 million.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Overview
Our future sources of liquidity may include existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, new mortgages on our encumbered properties, refinancing of existing mortgages, additional borrowings of secured or unsecured indebtedness, real estate sales and the sale of additional equity/debt securities. Our cash and restricted cash at December 31, 2020 was $11.5 million, which included our available liquidity of cash and cash equivalents of $7.4 million.
Our future capital needs include paying down existing borrowings, maintaining our existing properties, funding tenant improvements, paying lease commissions (to the extent they are not covered by lender-held reserve deposits), and the payment of dividends to our stockholders. We also are actively seeking investments that are likely to produce income and achieve long term gains in order to pay dividends to our stockholders. To ensure that we can effectively execute these objectives, we routinely review our liquidity requirements and continually evaluate all potential sources of liquidity. We currently do not have a revolving line of credit but have been working to obtain such a line of credit.
Our short-term liquidity needs include paying down the Polar Note, paying our current operating costs, satisfying the debt service requirements of our existing mortgages, completing tenant improvements, paying leasing commissions, and funding dividends to stockholders. During March 2021, prior to maturity, the Polar note was paid in full, from available cash on hand. See Part 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules-Note 14. Subsequent Events for additional information. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the cash dividends paid to our common stockholders totaled $1.0 million and the net cash provided by operating activities totaled approximately $3.7 million. We believe that the cash flow from our existing portfolio, distributions from joint ventures in Model Home partnerships and property sales during 2020 will be sufficient to fund our near-term operating costs, capital expenditures and future dividends that may be paid to stockholders. If our cash flow from operating activities is not sufficient to fund our short-term liquidity needs, we will fund a portion of these needs from additional borrowings of secured or unsecured indebtedness, capital raises, from real estate sales, or we will reduce the rate of dividends to the stockholders.
As stated above, our short-term liquidity needs include satisfying the debt service requirements of our existing mortgages. If our cash flow from operating activities is not sufficient to fund our short-term liquidity needs, we will fund a portion of these needs from additional borrowings of secured or unsecured indebtedness, from real estate sales, from sales of equity or debt securities, or we will reduce the rate of dividends to the stockholders. For the year ending December 31, 2021, we have $10.2 million of mortgage notes payable maturing related to the Model Home Properties. Management expects that certain Model Home Properties will be sold and the underlying mortgage notes will be paid off with sales proceeds while other mortgage notes will be refinanced. For the year ending December 31, 2021, we have $16.4 million of mortgage notes payable maturing related to the commercial properties. We plan to sell properties or refinance a significant portion of the mortgage notes payable, in the event the commercial property securing the respective mortgage note is not sold on or before maturity.
Our long-term liquidity needs include proceeds necessary to grow and maintain our portfolio of investments. We believe that the potential financing capital available to us in the future is sufficient to fund our long-term liquidity needs. We are continually reviewing our existing portfolio to determine which properties have met our short- and long-term goals and reinvesting the proceeds in properties with better potential to increase performance. We expect to obtain additional cash in connection with refinancing of maturing mortgages and assumption of existing debt collateralized by some or all of our real property in the future to meet our long-term liquidity needs. If we are unable to arrange a line of credit, borrow on properties, privately place securities or sell securities to the public we may not be able to acquire additional properties to meet our long-term objectives.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
At December 31, 2020, we had approximately $11.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Our cash equivalents and restricted cash consist of invested cash and cash in our operating accounts and are held in bank accounts at third party institutions. During 2020 three of our lenders required cash reserves due to vacancy rates, as per our lending agreements, two of which will cease upon a $350,000 reserve while the other will cease when the debt coverage ratio meets or exceeds 1.25 for two quarters. Cash held in reserves under these arrangements was $0.6 million as of December 31, 2020. During 2019 we did not experience any loss or lack of access to our cash or cash equivalents. Approximately $3.5 million of our cash balance is restricted and intended for capital expenditures on existing properties (net of deposits held in reserve accounts by our lenders). We intend to use the remainder of our existing cash and cash equivalents for pay off of principal debt, acquisitions, general corporate purposes and distributions to our stockholders.
Secured Debt
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had two variable-rate mortgage notes payable with a principal amount of $3.2 million and $5.8 million, and fixed-rate mortgage notes payable in the aggregate principal amount of $83.7 million, collateralized by a total of 15 commercial properties with loan terms at issuance ranging from 1 to 17 years. The weighted-average interest rate on the mortgage notes payable as of December 31, 2020 was approximately 3.9%, and our debt to estimated market value ratio on these properties was approximately 60.6%.
As of December 31, 2020, NetREIT Dubose, and related entities, had 113 fixed-rate mortgage notes payable in the aggregate principal amount of $28.1 million, collateralized by 113 Model Home Properties. These loans generally have a term at issuance of three to five years. The average loan balance per home outstanding and the weighted-average interest rate on these mortgage loans are approximately $249,000 and 3.7%, respectively as of December 31, 2020. Our debt to estimated market value ratio on these properties is approximately 73.5%. The Company has guaranteed between 25%-100% of these mortgage notes payable.
Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019
Operating Activities: Net cash provided by operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 decreased by $0.1 million to approximately $3.7 million from $3.8 million. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities is primarily due to a decrease in working capital of $0.1 million year over year.
Investing Activities: Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $15.7 million to approximately $27.7 million compared to $12.0 million for the same period in 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company received gross proceeds from the sale of three office buildings for approximately $46.7 million, and sales of 46 Model Homes for approximately $18.1 million, which was offset by the purchase of 28 Model Homes for approximately $10.2 million. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company received gross proceeds from the sale of two office buildings for approximately $17.9 million, sale of land for $875,000 and sales of 41 Model Homes for approximately $14.6 million, which was offset by the purchase of 33 Model Homes for approximately $13.0 million and capital expenditures of approximately $6.4 million primarily related to tenant improvements for the new Chuze Fitness tenant at World Plaza.
We currently project that we could spend up to $1.8 million (net of deposits held in reserve accounts by lenders) on capital improvements, tenant improvements and leasing costs for properties within our portfolio on an annual basis. Capital expenditures may fluctuate in any given period subject to the nature, extent, and timing of improvements required to the properties. We may spend more on capital expenditures in the future due to rising construction costs and the anticipated increase in property acquisitions. Tenant improvements and leasing costs may also fluctuate in any given year depending upon factors such as the property, the term of the lease, the type of lease, the involvement of external leasing agents and overall market conditions.
Financing Activities: Net cash used in financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $30.2 million compared to $15.2 million for the same period in 2019. The increase of $15.0 million in net cash used in financing activities is primarily due to the following activities for the year ended December 31, 2020:
•
Increase in mortgage notes payable of $13.6 million;
•
Increased distributions to noncontrolling interests of $2.7 million;
•
Net increase in corporate debt repayments of $1.3 million; offset by
•
An increase in proceeds from the sale of common stock of $2.0 million; and
•
A decrease in dividend cash payments of $1.2 million.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2020, we do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements or obligations, including contingent obligations.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not required.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The financial statements required by this item are filed with this report as described under Item 15.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure based closely on the definition of “disclosure controls and procedures” in Rule 13a-14(c). In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, Management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and Management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Although we have modified our workplace practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in most of our employees working remotely, this has not materially affected our internal controls over financial reporting. We continue to monitor and assess the COVID-19 situation on our internal controls to minimize the impact on their design and operating effectiveness.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our Management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework). Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework, our Management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.
This annual report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding our internal control over financial reporting as such report is not required for the Company.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this item is set forth under the captions “Board of Directors” and “Executive Officers of the Company” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference. The Annual Meeting of Stockholders is presently scheduled to be held on May 20, 2021.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this item is set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information required by this item will be set forth under the caption “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this item is set forth under the caption “Related Party Transactions” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is set forth under the caption “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees and Services” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(1) Financial Statements - the following documents are filed as part of this report:
•
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
•
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019
•
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
•
Consolidated Statements of Equity for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
•
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019
•
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2) Financial Statement Schedules - the following documents are filed as part of this report:
•
Schedule III - Real Estate Assets and Accumulated Depreciation and Amortization as of December 31, 2020
All other financial statement schedules have been omitted for the reason that the required information is presented in the financial statements or notes thereto, the amounts involved are not significant or the schedules are not applicable.
(3) Exhibits - an index to the Exhibits as filed as part of this Form 10-K is set forth below.
Number
Description
3.1
Articles of Merger filed with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation and the California Secretary of State on August 4, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.03 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 10, 2010).
3.2
Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Articles of Incorporation, dated as of July 30, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.01 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 10, 2010).
3.3
Articles of Amendment effecting the Company’s name change, dated as of October 18, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 19, 2017).
3.4
Articles of Amendment effecting the reverse stock split (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 31, 2020).
3.5
Articles Supplementary classifying and designating the Series C Common Stock, dated July 29 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 31, 2020).
3.6
Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of Presidio Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 19, 2017).
4.1
Form of Series A Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10-12B filed on May 6, 2008).
4.2
Description of Securities.*
10.1+
1999 Flexible Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10-12B filed on May 6, 2008).
10.2+
Employment Agreement for Mr. Heilbron, effective as of October 18, 2017.*
10.3
Promissory Note, dated as of September 17, 2019, by and between Presidio Property Trust, Inc. and Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2019).
10.4
Agreement, dated as of September 17, 2019, by and between Presidio Property Trust, Inc. and Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2019).
10.6+
Form of Indemnification Agreement entered into between the Company and each of its directors and executive officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 filed on September 18, 2017).
10.7+
Form of Restricted Stock Agreement under 1999 Flexible Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 filed on September 18, 2017).
10.8+
Presidio Property Trust, Inc. 2017 Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 19, 2017).
10.9+
Form of Restricted Stock Agreement under 2017 Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 filed on January 17, 2019).
Code of Ethics *
21.1
Subsidiaries of the Registrant*
23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm *
31.1
Certificate of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
31.2
Certification of the Company’s Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
31.3
Certification of the Company’s Principal Accounting Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
32.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document (the Instance Document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
____________________________________________________
∗
Filed herewith
+
Denotes a compensatory plan or arrangement
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.