Maryland property dispositions	9 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2023
Maryland Property Dispositions [Abstract]
Maryland property dispositions	Note 7 – Maryland property dispositions: On November 22, 2021, certain affiliates (the “Maryland Sellers”) of FREIT entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Maryland Purchase and Sale Agreement”) with MCB Acquisition Company, LLC (the “Maryland Purchaser”), a third party, pursuant to which the Maryland Sellers agreed to sell three properties to the Maryland Purchaser. The properties consisted of retail and office space and a residential apartment community owned by Grande Rotunda, LLC (the “Rotunda Property”), a shopping center owned by Damascus Centre, LLC (the “Damascus Property”), and a shopping center owned by WestFREIT Corp. (the “Westridge Square Property”). FREIT owns 100% of its subsidiary, WestFREIT Corp. (“WestFREIT”), a 60% interest in Grande Rotunda, LLC (“Grande Rotunda”), the joint venture that owned the Rotunda Property, and a 70% interest in Damascus Centre, LLC (“Damascus Centre”), the joint venture that owned the Damascus Property. The sale of the Maryland Properties having a total net book value of $172.3 million (as adjusted) was consummated by the Maryland Sellers and the Maryland Purchaser for a purchase price of $248,750,269, after giving effect to the $15,526,731 escrow deposit (the “Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment”). This sale resulted in net proceeds of approximately $58.2 million (inclusive of approximately $4.6 million in funds released during the nine months ended July 31, 2023 and $1.9 million in funds released in Fiscal 2022 from the Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment), after payment of related mortgage debt in the amount of $155.8 million and the corresponding swap breakage fees of approximately $213,000 related to the early termination of the interest rate swap contracts on the Damascus Property loan, payment of loans (including interest) to each of the equity owners in Grande Rotunda in the amount of approximately $31 million and certain transactional expenses and transfer taxes including brokerage fees due to Hekemian & Co. of approximately $6.4 million (see Note 8 for additional details). As of July 31, 2023, approximately $6,547,000 of the Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment has been released from escrow to the Maryland Sellers. The escrow and related gain on sale were reduced by approximately $1 million and $0.6 million for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2023, respectively, and $1.2 million and $0 for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2022, respectively, due to a change in estimate related to a change in the timing of anticipated rent commencement dates for certain tenants, which will reduce the escrowed funds available to be released to Grande Rotunda. Approximately $0.9 million and $6.3 million of remaining funds are held in a post-closing escrow for rents and are included in “Funds held in post-closing escrow” on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of July 31, 2023 and October 31, 2022, respectively. These funds held in post-closing escrow are anticipated to be released in Fiscal 2024. The sale of the Maryland Properties resulted in a net gain of approximately $67.8 million (as adjusted) (with a consolidated impact to FREIT of approximately $45 million) which includes approximately $7.4 million of proceeds released and anticipated to be released from funds held in escrow, a write-off of the straight-line rent receivable of approximately $2.9 million and a write-off of unamortized lease commissions of approximately $1.7 million. On August 4, 2022, FREIT’s Board declared a special, extraordinary, non-recurring cash distribution of approximately $51.5 million, or $7.50 per share, which was paid on August 30, 2022, to stockholders of record on August 16, 2022 (with an ex-dividend date of August 31, 2022). This distribution represented most of the net proceeds of FREIT’s sale of its portfolio of Maryland Properties. On July 12, 2023, FREIT’s Board declared an ordinary dividend of $0.05 per share and a special dividend of $0.25 per share to distribute funds released in Fiscal 2023 from a post-closing rent escrow established in connection with the sale its portfolio of Maryland Properties. The total dividend of $0.30 per share will be paid on September 15, 2023 to holders of record of said shares at the close of business on September 1, 2023. As the disposal of the Maryland Properties did not represent a strategic shift that would have a major impact on FREIT’s operations or financial results, the properties’ operations were not reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Maryland property dispositions

9 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2023

Maryland Property Dispositions [Abstract]

Note 7 – Maryland property dispositions:

On November 22, 2021, certain affiliates (the “Maryland Sellers”) of FREIT entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “Maryland Purchase and Sale Agreement”) with MCB Acquisition Company, LLC (the “Maryland Purchaser”), a third party, pursuant to which the Maryland Sellers agreed to sell three properties to the Maryland Purchaser. The properties consisted of retail and office space and a residential apartment community owned by Grande Rotunda, LLC (the “Rotunda Property”), a shopping center owned by Damascus Centre, LLC (the “Damascus Property”), and a shopping center owned by WestFREIT Corp. (the “Westridge Square Property”). FREIT owns 100% of its subsidiary, WestFREIT Corp. (“WestFREIT”), a 60% interest in Grande Rotunda, LLC (“Grande Rotunda”), the joint venture that owned the Rotunda Property, and a 70% interest in Damascus Centre, LLC (“Damascus Centre”), the joint venture that owned the Damascus Property.

The sale of the Maryland Properties having a total net book value of $172.3 million (as adjusted) was consummated by the Maryland Sellers and the Maryland Purchaser for a purchase price of $248,750,269, after giving effect to the $15,526,731 escrow deposit (the “Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment”). This sale resulted in net proceeds of approximately $58.2 million (inclusive of approximately $4.6 million in funds released during the nine months ended July 31, 2023 and $1.9 million in funds released in Fiscal 2022 from the Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment), after payment of related mortgage debt in the amount of $155.8 million and the corresponding swap breakage fees of approximately $213,000 related to the early termination of the interest rate swap contracts on the Damascus Property loan, payment of loans (including interest) to each of the equity owners in Grande Rotunda in the amount of approximately $31 million and certain transactional expenses and transfer taxes including brokerage fees due to Hekemian & Co. of approximately $6.4 million (see Note 8 for additional details). As of July 31, 2023, approximately $6,547,000 of the Maryland Purchaser Escrow Payment has been released from escrow to the Maryland Sellers. The escrow and related gain on sale were reduced by approximately $1 million and $0.6 million for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2023, respectively, and $1.2 million and $0 for the nine and three months ended July 31, 2022, respectively, due to a change in estimate related to a change in the timing of anticipated rent commencement dates for certain tenants, which will reduce the escrowed funds available to be released to Grande Rotunda. Approximately $0.9 million and $6.3 million of remaining funds are held in a post-closing escrow for rents and are included in “Funds held in post-closing escrow” on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of July 31, 2023 and October 31, 2022, respectively. These funds held in post-closing escrow are anticipated to be released in Fiscal 2024. The sale of the Maryland Properties resulted in a net gain of approximately $67.8 million (as adjusted) (with a consolidated impact to FREIT of approximately $45 million) which includes approximately $7.4 million of proceeds released and anticipated to be released from funds held in escrow, a write-off of the straight-line rent receivable of approximately $2.9 million and a write-off of unamortized lease commissions of approximately $1.7 million.

On August 4, 2022, FREIT’s Board declared a special, extraordinary, non-recurring cash distribution of approximately $51.5 million, or $7.50 per share, which was paid on August 30, 2022, to stockholders of record on August 16, 2022 (with an ex-dividend date of August 31, 2022). This distribution represented most of the net proceeds of FREIT’s sale of its portfolio of Maryland Properties.

On July 12, 2023, FREIT’s Board declared an ordinary dividend of $0.05 per share and a special dividend of $0.25 per share to distribute funds released in Fiscal 2023 from a post-closing rent escrow established in connection with the sale its portfolio of Maryland Properties. The total dividend of $0.30 per share will be paid on September 15, 2023 to holders of record of said shares at the close of business on September 1, 2023.

As the disposal of the Maryland Properties did not represent a strategic shift that would have a major impact on FREIT’s operations or financial results, the properties’ operations were not reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.