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Organization and Basis of Presentation
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Organization and Basis of Presentation [Abstract]  
Organization and Basis of Presentation
(1)  Organization and Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements present the accounts of Essex Property Trust, Inc. (the “Company”), which include the accounts of the Company and Essex Portfolio, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership,” which holds the operating assets of the Company) and are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented have been included and are normal and recurring in nature, except as otherwise noted.  These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 include the accounts of the Company and the Operating Partnership.  The Company is the sole general partner in the Operating Partnership, with a 93.6% general partnership interest as of June 30, 2011.  Total Operating Partnership units outstanding were 2,228,730 and 2,200,907 as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, and the redemption value of the units, based on the closing price of the Company's common stock totaled $301.5 million and $251.4 million, as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.

As of June 30, 2011, the Company owned or had ownership interests in 149 apartment communities, aggregating 30,557 units, excluding the Company's ownership in preferred interest co-investments,  (collectively, the “Communities”, and individually, a “Community”), six commercial buildings and six active development projects (collectively, the “Portfolio”).  The Communities are located in Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Ventura counties), Northern California (the San Francisco Bay Area) and the Seattle metropolitan area.

Fund Activities
 
Essex Apartment Value Fund II, L.P. (“Fund II”) is an investment fund formed by the Company to add value through rental growth and asset appreciation, utilizing the Company's development, redevelopment and asset management capabilities.  Fund II has eight institutional investors, and the Company, with combined partner equity contributions of $265.9 million.  The Company contributed $75.0 million to Fund II, which represents a 28.2% interest as general partner and limited partner.  Fund II utilized leverage equal to approximately 55% upon the initial acquisition of the underlying real estate.  Fund II invested in apartment communities in the Company's targeted West Coast markets and, as of June 30, 2011, owned 14 apartment communities.  The Company records revenue for its asset management, property management, development and redevelopment services when earned, and promote income when realized if Fund II exceeds certain financial return benchmarks.

In 2011, the Company entered into a 50/50 programmatic joint venture, Wesco I, LLC (“Wesco”), with an institutional partner for a total equity commitment of $200 million.  Each partner's equity commitment is $100 million, and Wesco will utilize leverage equal to approximately 50% to 60%.  Investments must meet certain criteria to qualify for inclusion in the joint venture and both partners must approve any new acquisitions. The joint venture has an investment period of up to two years.  The Company will receive asset and property management fees, and may earn a promoted interest.  The Company accounts for this joint venture on the equity method.  As discussed below under “Co-investments”, Wesco purchased apartment communities in May and July 2011.

Marketable Securities

The Company reports its available for sale securities at fair value, based on quoted market prices (Level 2 for the unsecured bonds and Level 1 for the common stock and investment funds, as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) standard entitled “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”), and any unrealized gain or loss is recorded as other comprehensive income (loss).  There were no impairment charges for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  Realized gains and losses and interest income are included in interest and other income on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.  Amortization of purchase discounts are included in interest income.
 
As of June 30, 2011, marketable securities consisted primarily of common stock and investments in mortgage backed securities and investment funds that invest in U.S. treasury or agency securities.  As of June 30, 2011, the Company classified its investments in mortgage backed securities, which mature in November 2019 and September 2020, as held to maturity, and accordingly, these securities are stated at their amortized cost of $44.3 million.  The estimated fair values of the mortgage backed securities (Level 2 securities) are approximately equal to the carrying values.

As of June 30, 2011 the Company classified the following marketable securities as available for sale (dollars in thousands):
 
   
June 30, 2011
 
   
Amortized
Cost
  
Gross
 Unrealized
Gain/(Loss)
  
Fair
Value
 
Investment-grade unsecured bonds
 $3,608  $427  $4,035 
Investment funds - US treasuries
  10,549   164   10,713 
Common stock
  14,513   2,096   16,609 
Total
 $28,670  $2,687  $31,357 
              
   
December 31, 2010
 
   
Amortized
Cost
  
Gross
 Unrealized
 Gain/(Loss)
  
Fair
Value
 
Investment-grade unsecured bonds
 $22,243  $4,403  $26,646 
Investment funds - US treasuries
  14,345   582   14,927 
Common stock
  8,638   112   8,750 
Total
 $45,226  $5,097  $50,323 
 
The Company uses the specific identification method to determine the cost basis of a security sold and to reclassify amounts from accumulated other comprehensive income for securities sold.  For the three months ended June 30, 2010, the proceeds from sales of available for sale securities totaled $22.5 million, and for the six months ended June 30, 2011and 2010, the proceeds from sales of available for sale securities totaled $26.8 million and $64.7 million, respectively.  These sales all resulted in gains, which totaled $4.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, and $4.5 million and $9.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Variable Interest Entities

The Company consolidates 19 DownREIT limited partnerships (comprising twelve communities) since the Company is the primary beneficiary of these variable interest entities (“VIEs”).  Total DownREIT units outstanding were 1,072,161 and 1,096,871 as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, and the redemption value of the units, based on the closing price of the Company's common stock totaled $145.1 million and $125.3 million, as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.  The consolidated total assets and liabilities related to these VIEs, net of intercompany eliminations, were approximately $214.6 million and $170.0 million, respectively, as of June 30, 2011 and $217.3 million and $168.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2010.  Interest holders in VIEs consolidated by the Company are allocated net income equal to the cash payments made to those interest holders or distributions from cash flow.  The remaining results of operations are generally allocated to the Company.  As of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company did not have any VIE's for which it was not deemed to be the primary beneficiary.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for share based compensation using the fair value method of accounting.  The estimated fair value of stock options granted by the Company is being amortized over the vesting period of the stock options.  The estimated grant date fair values of the long term incentive plan units (discussed in Note 13, “Stock Based Compensation Plans,” in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010) are being amortized over the expected service periods. Stock-based compensation expense for options and restricted stock totaled $0.4 million and $0.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively and $0.7 million and $0.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The intrinsic value of the stock options exercised during the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 totaled $2.0 million and $0.5 million and $3.0 million and $1.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  As of June 30, 2011, the intrinsic value of the stock options outstanding totaled $10.9 million.  As of June 30, 2011, total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested share-based compensation granted under the stock option and restricted stock plans totaled $4.1 million.  The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1 to 6 years for the stock option plans and is expected to be recognized straight-line over 7 years for the restricted stock awards.
 
The Company has adopted an incentive program involving the issuance of Series Z and Series Z-1 Incentive Units (collectively referred to as “Z Units”) of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership.  Stock-based compensation expense for Z Units totaled $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and $0.5 million and $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  On January 1, 2011, 131,409 Series Z Units were converted into common units of the Operating Partnership.

Stock-based compensation for Z units capitalized totaled $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011, and 2010, respectively, and $0.2 million and $0.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  As of June 30, 2011, the intrinsic value of the Z-1 Units subject to future vesting totaled $17.6 million.  As of June 30, 2011, total unrecognized compensation cost related to Z-1 Units subject to future vesting totaled $6.5 million.  The unamortized cost is expected to be recognized over the next year to fourteen years subject to the achievement of the stated performance criteria.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company values its financial instruments based on the fair value hierarchy of valuation techniques described in the FASB statement entitled “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”.  Level 1 inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices in active
markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date.  Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets and inputs other than quoted prices observable for the asset or liability.   Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.  The Company uses Level 1 inputs for the fair values of its cash equivalents and its marketable securities except for unsecured bonds and mortgage backed securities.  The Company uses Level 2 inputs for its investments in unsecured bonds, mortgage backed securities, notes receivable, notes payable, and derivative liabilities.  These inputs include interest rates for similar financial instruments.  The Company's valuation methodology for the swap related to the multifamily refunding bond for the 101 San Fernando apartment community, is described in more detail in Note 8.  The Company does not use Level 3 inputs to estimate fair values of any of its financial instruments.  The Company's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.

Management believes that the carrying amounts of its amounts outstanding under lines of credit, notes receivable and notes and other receivables approximate fair value as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, because interest rates, yields and other terms for these instruments are consistent with yields and other terms currently available for similar instruments.  Management has estimated that the fair value of the Company's $1.79 billion of fixed rate debt, including unsecured bonds, at June 30, 2011 is approximately $1.83 billion and the fair value of the Company's $256.8 million of variable rate debt, excluding borrowings under the lines of credit, at June 30, 2011 is $234.5 million based on the terms of existing mortgage notes payable, unsecured bonds and variable rate demand notes compared to those available in the marketplace.  Management believes that the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, construction payables, other liabilities and dividends payable approximate fair value as of June 30, 2011 due to the short-term maturity of these instruments. The fair values of the Company's investments in mortgage backed securities are approximately equal to amortized cost carrying value of these securities.  Marketable securities, and both the note payable and the swap related to multifamily refunding bond for the 101 San Fernando apartment community, are carried at fair value as of June 30, 2011, as discussed above and in Note 8.

Accounting Estimates and Reclassifications
 
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to acquiring, developing and assessing the carrying values of its real estate properties, its investments in and advances to joint ventures and affiliates, its notes receivables and its qualification as a Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”). The Company bases its estimates on historical experience, current market conditions, and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may vary from those estimates and those estimates could be different under different assumptions or conditions.  
 
Reclassifications for discontinued operations have been made to prior year statements of operations balances in order to conform to current year presentation.  Such reclassifications have no impact on reported earnings, cash flows, total assets or total liabilities.