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Note 17 - Fair Value of Financial Instruments
12 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2012
Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block]
17.  FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

FASB has issued guidance that defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.

The guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. It also establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
   
Level 2 Observable  inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in active markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; or
   
Level 3 Unobservable  inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

        The Trust has no financial assets or liabilities measured at fair value in the accompanying balance sheets at January 31, 2012 and 2011.  For footnote disclosure purposes, the fair value of notes payable and long-term debt was estimated based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Trust for bank loans with similar terms and maturities.

The following table presents the estimated fair values of the Trust’s debt instruments not recognized in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets at January 31,

   
2012
   
2011
 
   
CARRYING
AMOUNT
   
FAIR
VALUE
   
CARRYING
AMOUNT
   
FAIR
VALUE
 
Mortgage notes payable
  $ 21,271,256     $ 20,593,950     $ 22,080,716     $ 21,280,238  
                                 
Notes payable to banks
                       
                                 
Other notes payable
    550,652       542,824       480,553       483,356