Discontinued operations

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2014

Discontinued operations [Abstract]

Discontinued operations

Note 2 – Discontinued operations:

On December 20, 2013, FREIT's South Brunswick property, which consisted of vacant land, was sold for $11 million resulting in a capital gain of approximately $8.7 million net of sales fees and commissions. FREIT structured this sale in a manner that qualifies it as a like-kind exchange of real estate pursuant to Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The 1031 Exchange transaction will result in a deferral for income tax purposes of the $8.7 million capital gain. The net proceeds from this sale, which were approximately $9.8 million, were held in escrow until a replacement property was purchased. A replacement property related to this like-kind exchange was acquired on June 18, 2014, and the sale proceeds held in escrow were applied to the purchase price of such property (see Note 3 for further details).

On April 26, 2013, FREIT sold its Palisades Manor Apartments in Palisades Park, New Jersey for $1.6 million and recognized a capital gain of approximately $1.4 million from the sale. On August 13, 2013, FREIT sold its Grandview Apartments in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey for $2.5 million and recognized a capital gain of approximately $2.2 million from the sale of this property.

On August 29, 2012, FREIT sold its Heights Manor Apartments in Spring Lake Heights, NJ. In connection with the Heights Manor sale, FREIT recognized a capital gain of approximately $9.5 million of which it distributed approximately $5 million to its shareholders during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2012. As FREIT did not intend to distribute to its shareholders the remaining $4.5 million of capital gain, FREIT paid approximately $1.5 million federal and $400,000 state income taxes on such undistributed gain, which were charged to discontinued operations during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2012. In the quarter ended January 31, 2013, FREIT elected, under Section 858 of the Internal Revenue Code, to treat the $1.4 million dividend paid during such period as a distribution of the prior year's capital gain and, accordingly, reversed $720,000 of the income tax liability, which has been credited to income from discontinued operations for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2013.

The gains from the sale of the properties as described above, as well as the related results of their operations for the other three properties described above, have been classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying statements of income for all periods presented. Revenue attributable to discontinued operations for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $1,000, $317,000 and $1,299,000, respectively.