Bluerock Residential Growth REIT Acquires 204-Unit Class AA Whetstone Apartments in Durham, NC
NEW YORK, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BRG) ("BRG" or "the Company") announced today that it has acquired, through a joint venture, a 204-unit Class AA new construction apartment community known as Whetstone Apartments ("Whetstone") in Durham, North Carolina. The property is located within walking distance of Durham's top restaurants and is in close proximity to Research Triangle Park and the area's many universities.
BRG made a convertible preferred equity investment of $12.2 million to acquire an indirect interest in the joint venture, which acquired Whetstone for a purchase price of $35.6 million. Under BRG's current Invest-to-Own structure, the Company will be entitled to a current-pay preferred return on investment of 15% per year, and once the project is stabilized, will have the right to convert its preferred equity investment into a majority equity position in the property. BRG sourced this transaction through an existing operating partner who was able to negotiate a favorable purchase price in a direct off-market negotiation with the seller.
According to the Company's underwriting, the per-unit purchase price of approximately $175,000 per unit, which represents a nominal stabilized cap rate of approximately 6%, compares very favorably to sales of comparable assets in the market exceeding $200,000 per unit and cap rates of 4.75% - 5.0%. The property is projected to reach stabilization in or about the fourth quarter of 2015.
BRG's operating partner on the Whetstone investment is Atlanta-based TriBridge Residential. TriBridge is a full service, multifamily investment, management and development company and will, acting through one of its affiliates, also serve as property manager for Whetstone.
"We are very pleased with the Whetstone acquisition. We believe that this will be a productive asset from the outset and that it will add significant value to BRG's portfolio," said Ramin Kamfar, Chairman and CEO of Bluerock.
Whetstone is a new-construction, Class AA multifamily community featuring studio, one and two-bedroom unit layouts averaging 718 square feet with upscale amenities that include a resort style pool, a garden courtyard with grill and fireplace, state of the art fitness center and covered/controlled-access parking, as well as business and media centers. High-grade unit interiors include nine-foot ceilings, gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances, and upscale bathroom design and finishes.
The property is located in North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham MSA, home to an estimated two million residents, spanning Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill. In the last year, the MSA's Triangle region alone added more than 25,000 new jobs, while unemployment dropped to its pre-recession level of only 4.3%.
About Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.
Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BRG) is a real estate investment trust. BRG focuses on acquiring a diversified portfolio of Class A institutional-quality apartment properties in demographically attractive growth markets to appeal to the renter by choice category. BRG's objective is to generate value through off-market/relationship-based transactions and, at the asset level, through improvements to operations and properties. BRG generally invests with strategic regional partners, including some of the best-regarded private owner-operators in the United States, enabling it to operate as a local sharpshooter in each of its markets and to enhance its off-market sourcing capabilities. BRG has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For more information, please visit our website at: www.bluerockresidential.com.
About TriBridge Residential
TriBridge Residential is a full-service multifamily investment, management, and development company based in Atlanta, GA, with 12,000 units and $1.2 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2014. With 60 corporate professionals and 215 on-site staff, the firm focuses on markets in the Southeast and provides a vertically-integrated platform with a 20+ year track record through its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical, including statements regarding management's intentions, beliefs, expectations, representations, plans or predictions of the future, and are typically identified by such words as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "may," "will," "should" and "could." Because such statements include risks, uncertainties and contingencies, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward looking statements are based upon BRG's present expectations, but these statements are not guaranteed to occur, including the property's ability to perform as projected. Furthermore, BRG disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes. Investors should not place undue reliance upon forward looking statements. For further discussion of the factors that could affect outcomes, please refer to the risk factors set forth in Item 1A of BRG's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by BRG with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 4, 2015, and subsequent filings by BRG with the SEC. We claim the safe harbor protection for forward looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
SOURCE Bluerock Residential Growth REIT, Inc.
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