UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

 

Form 10-K

 

 

Commission file number 000-51963

 

COLE CREDIT PROPERTY TRUST II, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ      No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this annual report on Form 10-K or any amendment to this annual report on Form 10-K.  þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o     No þ

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates as of June 29, 2007: approximately $596.1 million assuming a market value of $10.00 per share.

 

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2008 was 116,004,302.

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

 

The Registrant incorporates by reference portions of the Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc. Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (into Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III).

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc. other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We intend for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, as applicable by law. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, and prospects and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of our performance in future periods. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this report is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We make no representation or warranty (express or implied) about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K, and we do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. See the section captioned “Item 1A -Risk Factors” beginning on page 16 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Any forward-looking statements are subject to unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors and are based on a number of assumptions involving judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive, and market conditions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately. To the extent that our assumptions differ from actual results, our ability to meet such forward-looking statements, including our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations, provide distributions to stockholders, and maintain the value of our real estate properties, may be significantly hindered.

 

 

Formation

 

Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is a Maryland corporation formed on September 29, 2004, that has elected to be taxed, and currently qualifies, as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”). We were organized to acquire and operate commercial real estate primarily consisting of freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants located throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2007, we owned 333 properties located in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, comprising approximately 11.3 million rentable square feet. At December 31, 2007, these properties were approximately 99% leased. As of December 31, 2007, we also owned 69 mortgage notes receivable, aggregating approximately $87.1 million, secured by 43 restaurant properties and 26 single-tenant retail properties, each of which is subject to a net lease.

 

Substantially all of our business is conducted through our operating partnership, Cole Operating Partnership II, LP, a Delaware limited partnership organized in 2004 (“Cole OP II”). We own a 99.99% interest in Cole OP II as its general partner. The remaining 0.01% of Cole OP II is held as a limited partner’s interest by Cole REIT Advisors II, LLC (“Cole Advisors II”), which is our affiliated advisor.

 

Cole Advisors II, pursuant to a contractual arrangement, is responsible for managing our affairs on a day-to-day basis and for identifying and making acquisitions and investments on our behalf. The agreement with Cole Advisors II is for a one-year term and is reconsidered on an annual basis by our board of directors.

 

On June 27, 2005, we commenced a public offering on a “best efforts” basis of up to 45,000,000 shares of common stock offered at a price of $10.00 per share, subject to certain volume and other discounts, pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-11 filed with the SEC under the Securities Act (the “Initial Offering”). The Registration Statement also covered up to 5,000,000 shares available pursuant to a distribution reinvestment plan (the “DRIP”) under which our stockholders may elect to have their distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock at the greater of $9.50 per share or 95% of the estimated value of a share of common stock. On November 13, 2006, we filed a registration statement with the SEC under Rule 462(b) to add securities to the Initial Offering. The registration statement registered an additional 4,390,000 shares of common stock for sale in the primary offering and an additional 952,000 shares of common stock for sale pursuant to our DRIP.

 

We commenced our principal operations on September 23, 2005, when we issued the initial 486,000 shares of our common stock in the Initial Offering. Prior to such date, we were considered a development stage company. We terminated the Initial Offering on May 22, 2007. As of the close of business on May 22, 2007, we had issued a total of 54,838,315 shares in the Initial Offering, including 53,909,877 shares sold in the primary offering and 928,438 shares sold pursuant to the DRIP, resulting in gross offering proceeds of approximately $547.4 million. At the completion of the Initial Offering, a total of 503,685 shares of common stock remained unsold, including 230,123 shares that remained unsold in the primary offering and 273,562 shares of common stock that remained unsold pursuant to the DRIP. All unsold shares in the Initial Offering were deregistered.

 

On May 23, 2007, we commenced our follow-on public offering of up to 150,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Follow-on Offering”). The Follow-on Offering includes up to 125,000,000 shares to be offered for sale at $10.00 per share in the primary offering and up to 25,000,000 shares to be offered for sale pursuant to our DRIP. As of December 31, 2007, we had accepted subscriptions for 38,989,723 shares of our common stock in the Follow-on Offering, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $389.1 million. Combined with the gross proceeds from the Initial Offering, we raised aggregate gross proceeds from our offerings of approximately $936.5 million as of December 31, 2007, before offering costs, selling commissions, and dealer management fees of approximately $87.3 million. As of December 31, 2007, we were authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, but had none issued or outstanding.

As of March 31, 2008, the Company had received approximately $1.2 billion in gross offering proceeds through the issuance of approximately 116.5 million shares of its common stock in its offerings. As of March 31, 2008, approximately $659.3 million in shares (65.9 million shares) remained available for sale to the public, exclusive of shares available under the DRIP.

 

We admit new stockholders pursuant to the Follow-on Offering at least monthly, although we typically do so on a weekly basis. All subscription proceeds are held in a separate account until the subscribing investors are admitted as stockholders. Upon admission of new stockholders, subscription proceeds are released to us and may be utilized as consideration for investments and the payment or reimbursement of dealer manager fees, selling commissions, organization and offering expenses, and operating expenses. We also have used, and may continue to use, a portion of the net proceeds from the Follow-on Offering to fund all or part of our distributions to stockholders. Such distributions may constitute a return of capital and reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties. Until required for use, net offering proceeds are held in short-term, liquid investments.

 

Our stock is not currently listed on a national securities exchange. We may seek to list our stock for trading on a national securities exchange only if a majority of our independent directors believe listing would be in the best interest of our stockholders. We do not intend to list our shares at this time. We do not anticipate that there would be any market for our common stock until our shares are listed for trading. In the event we do not obtain listing prior to May 22, 2017, our charter requires that we either: (1) seek stockholder approval of an extension or amendment of this listing deadline; or (2) seek stockholder approval to adopt a plan of liquidation of the corporation.

 

Investment Objectives and Policies

 

Our objective is to invest primarily in freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. We may also invest in mortgage loans or other investments related to real property or entities or joint ventures that make similar investments. Our primary investment objectives are:

 

 

We also seek capital gains from our investments. We cannot assure investors that we will attain these objectives or that our capital will not decrease.

 

Decisions relating to the purchase or sale of our investments are made by our advisor, Cole Advisors II, subject to approval by our board of directors, including a majority of our independent directors. Our board of directors may revise our investment policies without the concurrence of our stockholders. Our independent directors will review our investment policies at least annually to determine that our policies are in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

Acquisition and Investment Policies

 

Primary Investments

 

We invest primarily in freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. Our investments may be direct investments in such properties or in other entities that own or invest in, directly or indirectly, interests in such properties. We seek to acquire a portfolio of real estate that is diversified by geographical location and by type and size of property. Currently, our portfolio consists primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties net leased for use as retail establishments. A portion of our portfolio also includes multi-tenant retail properties and single-tenant properties leased to office and industrial tenants. In addition, we have acquired and may continue to acquire mortgage loans secured by similar types of commercial properties in our portfolio. Although we expect our portfolio will continue to consist primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties, we expect to continue to invest in other property types, including office and industrial properties, leased to one or more tenants. In addition, we expect to

further diversify our portfolio by investing in multi-tenant properties that compliment our overall investment objectives and additional mortgage loans.

 

Many of our properties will be leased to single-tenants of large national retail chains or franchises, including “big box” retailers, which operate stores in the home improvement, drug, sporting goods, specialty, convenience, and restaurant industries. Other properties may be so-called “power centers,” which are comprised of big box retailers and smaller retail establishments, and other multi-tenant properties that compliment our overall investment objectives. Our advisor monitors industry trends and invests in properties on our behalf that serve to provide a favorable return balanced with risk. Our management primarily targets retail businesses with established track records. This industry is highly property dependent, therefore our advisor believes it offers highly competitive sale-leaseback investment opportunities.

 

We believe that our general focus on the acquisition of freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants presents lower investment risks and greater stability than other sectors of today’s commercial real estate market. Unlike funds that invest solely in multi-tenant properties, we plan to acquire a diversified portfolio comprised primarily of single-tenant properties and a smaller number of multi-tenant properties that compliment our overall investment objectives. By primarily acquiring single-tenant properties, we believe that lower than expected results of operations from one or a few investments will not necessarily preclude our ability to realize our investment objectives of cash flow and preservation of capital from our overall portfolio. In addition, we believe that freestanding retail properties, as compared to shopping centers, malls and other traditional retail complexes, offer a distinct investment advantage since these properties generally require less management and operating capital, have less recurring tenant turnover and generally offer superior locations that are less dependent on the financial stability of adjoining tenants. In addition, since we intend to acquire properties that are geographically diverse, we expect to minimize the potential adverse impact of economic downturns in local markets. Our management believes that a portfolio consisting primarily of freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to creditworthy tenants diversified geographically and by the industry and brand of tenants will enhance our liquidity opportunities for investors by making the sale of individual properties, multiple properties or our investment portfolio as a whole attractive to institutional investors and by making a possible listing of our shares attractive to the public investment community.

 

To the extent feasible, we seek to achieve a well-balanced portfolio diversified by geographic location, age of the property and lease maturity. We pursue properties with tenants that represent a variety of industries so as to avoid concentration in any one industry. We expect these industries to include all types of retail establishments, such as “big box” retailers, convenience stores, drug stores and restaurant properties. We expect that tenants of our properties will also be diversified between national, regional and local brands. We will generally target properties with lease terms in excess of ten years. We may acquire properties with shorter terms if the property is in an attractive location, if the property is difficult to replace, or if the property has other significant favorable attributes. We expect that these investments will provide long-term value by virtue of their size, location, quality and condition and lease characteristics. We currently expect all of our acquisitions will be in the United States, including United States protectorates.

 

Many retail companies today are entering into sale-leaseback arrangements as a strategy for applying more capital that would otherwise be applied to their real estate holdings to their core operating businesses. We believe that our investment strategy will enable us to take advantage of the increased emphasis on retailers’ core business operations in today’s competitive corporate environment as retailers attempt to divest from real estate assets.

 

There is no limitation on the number, size or type of properties that we may acquire or on the percentage of net proceeds of the Follow-on Offering that may be invested in a single property. The number and mix of properties will depend upon real estate market conditions and other circumstances existing at the time of acquisition of properties and the amount of proceeds raised in our Follow-on Offering. For a further description, see the section titled “— Other Possible Investments” below.

 

We intend to incur debt to acquire properties where our board determines that incurring such debt is in our best interest. In addition, from time to time, we may acquire some properties without financing and later

incur mortgage debt secured by one or more of such properties if favorable financing terms are available. We will use the proceeds from such loans to acquire additional properties. See “— Borrowing Policies” under this section for a more detailed explanation of our borrowing intentions and limitations.

 

Investment Grade and Other Creditworthy Tenants

 

In evaluating potential property and mortgage loan acquisitions consistent with our investment objectives, we apply credit underwriting criteria to the tenants of existing properties. Similarly, we will apply credit underwriting criteria to possible new tenants when we are re-leasing properties in our portfolio. Tenants of our properties frequently are national or super-regional retail chains that are investment grade or otherwise creditworthy entities having high net worth and operating income. Generally, these tenants must be experienced multi-unit operators with a proven track record in order to meet the credit tests applied by our advisor.

 

A tenant will be considered “investment grade” when the tenant has a debt rating by Moody’s of Baa3 or better or a credit rating by Standard & Poor’s of BBB- or better, or its payments are guaranteed by a company with such rating. Changes in tenant credit ratings, coupled with future acquisition and disposition activity, may increase or decrease our concentration of investment grade tenants in the future.

 

Moody’s ratings are opinions of future relative creditworthiness based on an evaluation of franchise value, financial statement analysis and management quality. The rating given to a debt obligation describes the level of risk associated with receiving full and timely payment of principal and interest on that specific debt obligation and how that risk compares with that of all other debt obligations. The rating, therefore, measures the ability of a company to generate cash in the future.

 

A Moody’s debt rating of Baa3, which is the lowest investment grade rating given by Moody’s, is assigned to companies with adequate financial security. However, certain protective elements may be lacking or may be unreliable over any given period of time. A Moody’s debt rating of Aaa, which is the highest investment grade rating given by Moody’s, is assigned to companies with exceptional financial security. Thus, investment grade tenants will be judged by Moody’s to have at least adequate financial security, and will in some cases have exceptional financial security.

 

Standard & Poor’s assigns a credit rating to both companies as a whole and to each issuance or class of a company’s debt. A Standard & Poor’s credit rating of BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating given by Standard & Poor’s, is assigned to companies that exhibit adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the company to meet its financial commitments. A Standard & Poor’s credit rating of AAA+, which is the highest investment grade rating given by Standard & Poor’s, is assigned to companies or issuances with extremely strong capacities to meet their financial commitments. Thus, investment grade tenants will be judged by Standard & Poor’s to have at least adequate protection parameters, and will in some cases have extremely strong financial positions.

 

Other creditworthy tenants are tenants with financial profiles that our advisor believes meet our investment objectives. In evaluating the credit worthiness of a tenant or prospective tenant, our advisor does not use specific quantifiable standards, but does consider many factors, including the proposed terms of the acquisition. The factors our advisor considers include the financial condition of the tenant and/or guarantor, the operating history of the property with such tenant or tenants, the tenant’s or tenants’ market share and track record within its industry segment, the general health and outlook of the tenant’s or tenants’ industry segment, and the lease length and terms at the time of the acquisition.

 

Description of Leases

 

We typically purchase single-tenant properties with existing “net” leases, and when spaces become vacant or existing leases expire we anticipate entering into “net” leases. “Net” leases means leases that typically require that tenants pay all or a majority of the operating expenses, including real estate taxes, special assessments and sales and use taxes, utilities, insurance and building repairs related to the property, in addition

to the lease payments. There are various forms of net leases, typically classified as triple net or double net. Triple net leases typically require the tenant to pay all costs associated with a property in addition to the base rent and percentage rent, if any. Double net leases typically have the landlord responsible for the roof and structure, or other aspects of the property, while the tenant is responsible for all remaining expenses associated with the property. In the event that we acquire multi-tenant properties, we expect to have a variety of lease arrangements with the tenants of such properties. Since each lease is an individually negotiated contract between two or more parties, each contract will have different obligations of both the landlord and tenant. Many large national tenants have standard lease forms that generally do not vary from property to property, and we will have limited ability to revise the terms of leases to those tenants.

 

We anticipate that a majority of our acquisitions will have lease terms of ten years or more at the time of the acquisition. We may acquire properties under which the lease term has partially expired. We also may acquire properties with shorter lease terms if the property is in an attractive location, if the property is difficult to replace, or if the property has other significant favorable real estate attributes. Under most commercial leases, tenants are obligated to pay a predetermined annual base rent. Some of the leases for our properties also will contain provisions that increase the amount of base rent payable at points during the lease term and/or percentage rent that can be calculated by a number of factors. Under triple net and double net leases, the tenants are generally required to pay the real estate taxes, insurance, utilities and common area maintenance charges associated with the properties. Generally, the leases require each tenant to procure, at its own expense, commercial general liability insurance, as well as property insurance covering the building for the full replacement value and naming the ownership entity and the lender, if applicable, as the additional insured on the policy. As a precautionary measure, our advisor may obtain, to the extent available, secondary liability insurance, as well as loss of rents insurance that covers one year of annual rent in the event of a rental loss. The secondary insurance coverage names the ownership entity as the named insured on the policy.

 

Some leases require that we procure insurance for both commercial general liability and property damage insurance; however, the premiums are fully reimbursable from the tenant. When we procure such insurance, the policy lists us as the named insured on the policy and the tenant as the additional insured. Tenants are required to provide proof of insurance by furnishing a certificate of insurance to our advisor on an annual basis. The insurance certificates are carefully tracked and reviewed for compliance by our advisor’s property management department. In general, leases may not be assigned or subleased without our prior written consent. If we do consent to an assignment or sublease, the original tenant generally will remain fully liable under the lease unless we release the tenant from its obligations under the lease.

 

Other Possible Investments

 

Although we expect that most of our additional property acquisitions will be of the type described above, we may make other investments. For example, we are not limited to investments in single-tenant, freestanding retail properties or properties leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants and complimentary multi-tenant properties. We may invest in other commercial properties such as business and industrial parks, manufacturing facilities, office buildings and warehouse and distribution facilities, or in other entities that make such investments or own such properties, in order to reduce overall portfolio risks or enhance overall portfolio returns if our advisor and board of directors determine that it would be advantageous to do so. Further, to the extent that our advisor and board of directors determine it is in our best interest, due to the state of the real estate market, in order to diversify our investment portfolio or otherwise, we will make or invest in mortgage loans secured by the same types of commercial properties that we intend to acquire.

 

Our criterion for investing in mortgage loans is substantially the same as those involved in our investment in properties. We do not intend to make loans to other persons (other than mortgage loans), to underwrite securities of other issuers or to engage in the purchase and sale of any types of investments other than interests in real estate.

Investment Decisions

 

Cole Advisors II has substantial discretion with respect to the selection of specific investments and the purchase and sale of our properties, subject to the approval of our board of directors. In pursuing our investment objectives and making investment decisions for us, Cole Advisors II evaluates the proposed terms of the purchase against all aspects of the transaction, including the condition and financial performance of the property, the terms of existing leases and the creditworthiness of the tenant, and property and location characteristics. Because the factors considered, including the specific weight we place on each factor, will vary for each potential investment, we do not, and are not able to, assign a specific weight or level of importance to any particular factor.

 

In addition to procuring and reviewing an independent valuation estimate and property condition report, our advisor also, to the extent such information is available, considers the following:

 

 

Our advisor considers whether properties are leased by, or have leases guaranteed by, companies that maintain an investment grade rating by either Standard and Poor’s or Moody’s Investor Services. Our advisor also will consider non-rated and non-investment grade rated tenants that we consider creditworthy, as described in “— Investment Grade and Other Creditworthy Tenants” above.

 

Our advisor reviews the terms of each existing lease by considering various factors, including:

 

 

Conditions to Closing Our Acquisitions

 

Generally, we condition our obligation to close the purchase of any investment on the delivery and verification of certain documents from the seller or developer, including, where appropriate:

 

 

 

We generally will not purchase any property unless and until we also obtain what is generally referred to as a “Phase I” environmental site assessment and are generally satisfied with the environmental status of the property. However, we may purchase a property without obtaining such assessment if our advisor determines it is not warranted. A Phase I environmental site assessment basically consists of a visual survey of the building and the property in an attempt to identify areas of potential environmental concerns, visually observing neighboring properties to assess surface conditions or activities that may have an adverse environmental impact on the property, and contacting local governmental agency personnel who perform a regulatory agency file search in an attempt to determine any known environmental concerns in the immediate vicinity of the property. A Phase I environmental site assessment does not generally include any sampling or testing of soil, ground water or building materials from the property and may not reveal all environmental hazards on a property.

 

We may enter into purchase and sale arrangements with a seller or developer of a suitable property under development or construction. In such cases, we will be obligated to purchase the property at the completion of construction, provided that the construction conforms to definitive plans, specifications, and costs approved by us in advance. In such cases, prior to our acquiring the property, we generally would receive a certificate of an architect, engineer or other appropriate party, stating that the property complies with all plans and specifications. If renovation or remodeling is required prior to the purchase of a property, we expect to pay a negotiated maximum amount to the seller upon completion. We do not currently intend to construct or develop properties or to render any services in connection with such development or construction.

 

In determining whether to purchase a particular property, we may, in accordance with customary practices, obtain an option on such property. The amount paid for an option, if any, normally is surrendered if the property is not purchased and normally is credited against the purchase price if the property is purchased.

 

In purchasing, leasing and developing properties, we will be subject to risks generally incident to the ownership of real estate. See “Risk Factors — General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate.”

 

Ownership Structure

 

Our investment in real estate generally takes the form of holding fee title or a long-term leasehold estate. In addition, we invest in mortgages, acquired in the secondary market, secured by commercial properties. We acquire such interests either directly through our operating partnership, or indirectly through limited liability companies, limited partnerships, or through investments in joint ventures, partnerships, co-tenancies or other co-ownership arrangements with the developers of the properties, affiliates of Cole Advisors II or other persons. See the “— Joint Venture Investments” section below. In addition, we may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. While we will use our best efforts to structure any such sale-leaseback transaction so that the lease will be characterized as a “true lease” and so that we will be treated as the owner of the property for federal income tax purposes, the Internal Revenue Service could challenge this characterization. In the event that any sale-leaseback transaction is re-characterized as a financing transaction for federal income tax purposes, deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property would be disallowed.

 

Joint Venture Investments

 

As of December 31, 2007, we have not entered into any, however we may enter into, joint ventures, partnerships, co-tenancies and other co-ownership arrangements with third parties as well as affiliated entities, including other real estate programs sponsored by affiliates of our advisor for the acquisition, development or improvement of properties with affiliates of our advisor, including other real estate programs sponsored by

affiliates of our advisor. We may also enter into such arrangements with real estate developers, owners and other unaffiliated third parties for the purpose of developing, owning and operating real properties. In determining whether to invest in a particular joint venture, Cole Advisors II will evaluate the real property that such joint venture owns or is being formed to own under the same criteria described above in “— Investment Decisions” for the selection of our real estate property investments.

 

Our general policy is to invest in joint ventures only when we will have a right of first refusal to purchase the co-venturer’s interest in the joint venture if the co-venturer elects to sell such interest. In the event that the co-venturer elects to sell property held in any such joint venture, however, we may not have sufficient funds to exercise our right of first refusal to buy the other co-venturer’s interest in the property held by the joint venture. In the event that any joint venture with an affiliated entity holds interests in more than one property, the interest in each such property may be specially allocated based upon the respective proportion of funds invested by each co-venturer in each such property.

 

Cole Advisors II may have conflicts of interest in determining which Cole-sponsored program should enter into any particular joint venture agreement. The co-venturer may have economic or business interests or goals that are or may become inconsistent with our business interests or goals. In addition, if the joint venture is with an affiliate, Cole Advisors II may face a conflict in structuring the terms of the relationship between our interests and the interest of the affiliated co-venturer and in managing the joint venture. Since Cole Advisors II and its affiliates will control both the affiliated co-venturer and, to a certain extent, us, agreements and transactions between the co-venturers with respect to any such joint venture will not have the benefit of arm’s-length negotiation of the type normally conducted between unrelated co-venturers, which may result in the co-venturer receiving benefits greater than the benefits that we receive. In addition, we may have liabilities that exceed the percentage of our investment in the joint venture.

 

We may enter into joint ventures with other Cole real estate programs only if a majority of our directors not otherwise interested in the transaction and a majority of our independent directors approve the transaction as being fair and reasonable to us and on substantially the same terms and conditions as those received by other joint venturers.

 

Borrowing Policies

 

Our advisor believes that utilizing borrowing is consistent with our investment objective of maximizing the return to investors. By operating on a leveraged basis, we will have more funds available for investment in properties. This will allow us to make more investments than would otherwise be possible, resulting in a more diversified portfolio. There is no limitation on the amount we may borrow against any single improved property. However, under our charter, we are required to limit our borrowings to 60% of the greater of cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or fair market value of our gross assets, unless excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in the next quarterly report along with the justification for such excess borrowing. In the event that we issue preferred stock that is entitled to a preference over the common stock in respect of distributions or liquidation or is treated as debt under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), we will include it in the leverage restriction calculations, unless the issuance of the preferred stock is approved or ratified by our stockholders. We expect that during the period of our offering of common stock we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. However, we anticipate that our overall leverage following our offering stage will be within our charter limit.

 

Our advisor will use its best efforts to obtain financing on the most favorable terms available to us. All of our financing arrangements must be approved by a majority of our board members including a majority of our independent directors. Lenders may have recourse to assets not securing the repayment of the indebtedness. Our advisor may refinance properties during the term of a loan only in limited circumstances, such as when a decline in interest rates makes it beneficial to prepay an existing mortgage, when an existing mortgage matures or if an attractive investment becomes available and the proceeds from the refinancing can be used to purchase such investment. The benefits of the refinancing may include increased cash flow resulting from reduced debt

service requirements, an increase in dividend distributions from proceeds of the refinancing, if any, and an increase in property ownership if some refinancing proceeds are reinvested in real estate.

 

Our ability to increase our diversification through borrowing may be adversely impacted if banks and other lending institutions continue to reduce the amount of funds available for loans secured by real estate. When interest rates on mortgage loans are high or financing is otherwise unavailable on a timely basis, we may purchase properties for cash with the intention of obtaining a mortgage loan for a portion of the purchase price at a later time. To the extent that we do not obtain mortgage loans on our properties, our ability to acquire additional properties will be restricted and we may not be able to adequately diversify our portfolio.

 

We may not borrow money from any of our directors or from our advisor or its affiliates unless such loan is approved by a majority of the directors not otherwise interested in the transaction (including a majority of the independent directors) as fair, competitive and commercially reasonable and no less favorable to us than a comparable loan between unaffiliated parties. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we did not borrow any funds from our advisor’s affiliates. During the year ended December 31, 2006, we borrowed and subsequently repaid an aggregate of approximately $7.0 million from our advisor’s affiliates. Our board of directors, including a majority of our independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction approved each of these loans as being fair, competitive, and commercially reasonable to the Company and no less favorable to the Company than between unaffiliated parties under the same circumstances.

 

Acquisition of Properties from Affiliates

 

We may acquire properties or interests in properties from or in co-ownership arrangements with entities affiliated with our advisor, including properties acquired from affiliates of our advisor engaged in construction and development of commercial real properties. We will not acquire any property from an affiliate unless a majority of our directors not otherwise interested in the transaction and a majority of our independent directors determine that the transaction is fair and reasonable to us. The purchase price that we will pay for any property we acquire from affiliates of our advisor, including property developed by an affiliate as well as property held by an affiliate that has already been developed, will not exceed the current appraised value of the property. In addition, the price of the property we acquire from an affiliate may not exceed the cost of the property to the affiliate, unless a majority of our directors and a majority of our independent directors determine that substantial justification for the excess exists and the excess is reasonable. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we did not purchase any properties from our advisor’s affiliates. During the year ended December 31, 2006, we purchased 14 properties for approximately $60.6 million from our advisor’s affiliates. Our board of directors, including a majority of our independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction approved each of these purchases as being fair, competitive, and commercially reasonable to the Company and no less favorable to the Company than between unaffiliated parties under the same circumstances.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

We are subject to various conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with Cole Advisors II, our advisor, and its affiliates, including conflicts related to the arrangements pursuant to which Cole Advisors II and its affiliates will be compensated by us. The agreements and compensation arrangements between us and our advisor and its affiliates were not determined by arm’s-length negotiations. Some of the conflicts of interest in our transactions with our advisor and its affiliates, and the limitations on our advisor adopted to address these conflicts, are described below.

 

Our advisor and its affiliates try to balance our interests with their duties to other Cole-sponsored programs. However, to the extent that our advisor or its affiliates take actions that are more favorable to other entities than to us, these actions could have a negative impact on our financial performance and, consequently, on distributions to our stockholders and the value of our stock. In addition, our directors, officers and certain of our stockholders may engage for their own account in business activities of the types conducted or to be conducted by our subsidiaries and us.

Our independent directors have an obligation to function on our behalf in all situations in which a conflict of interest may arise, and all of our directors have a fiduciary obligation to act on behalf of our stockholders.

 

Interests in Other Real Estate Programs

 

An affiliate of our advisor acts as an advisor to, and our named executive officers and one of our directors act as officers and a director of, Cole Credit Property Trust, Inc., which is a real estate investment trust that has similar investment objectives to us. Affiliates of our officers and entities owned or managed by such affiliates also may acquire or develop real estate for their own accounts, and have done so in the past. Furthermore, affiliates of our officers and entities owned or managed by such affiliates intend to form additional real estate investment entities in the future, whether public or private, which can be expected to have the same investment objectives and policies as we do and which may be involved in the same geographic area, and such persons may be engaged in sponsoring one or more of such entities at approximately the same time as our shares of common stock are being offered. Our advisor, its affiliates and affiliates of our officers are not obligated to present to us any particular investment opportunity that comes to their attention, even if such opportunity is of a character that might be suitable for investment by us. Our advisor and its affiliates likely will experience conflicts of interest as they simultaneously perform services for us and other affiliated real estate programs.

 

Any affiliated entity, whether or not currently existing, could compete with us in the sale or operation of the properties. We will seek to achieve any operating efficiency or similar savings that may result from affiliated management of competitive properties. However, to the extent that affiliates own or acquire property that is adjacent, or in close proximity, to a property we own, our property may compete with the affiliate’s property for tenants or purchasers.

 

Every transaction that we enter into with our advisor or its affiliates is subject to an inherent conflict of interest. Our board of directors may encounter conflicts of interest in enforcing our rights against any affiliate in the event of a default by or disagreement with an affiliate or in invoking powers, rights or options pursuant to any agreement between us and our advisor or any of its affiliates.

 

Other Activities of Cole Advisors II and its Affiliates

 

We rely on Cole Advisors II for the day-to-day operation of our business pursuant to an advisory agreement. As a result of the interests of members of its management in other Cole-sponsored programs and the fact that they have also engaged and will continue to engage in other business activities, Cole Advisors II and its affiliates have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other Cole-sponsored programs and other activities in which they are involved. However, Cole Advisors II believes that it and its affiliates have sufficient personnel to discharge fully their responsibilities to all of the Cole-sponsored programs and other ventures in which they are involved.

 

In addition, most of our executive officers, including Christopher H. Cole, who also serves as the chairman of our board of directors, also serves as an officer of our advisor, our property manager, our dealer manager and/or other affiliated entities. As a result, these individuals owe fiduciary duties to these other entities which may conflict with the fiduciary duties that they owe to us and our stockholders.

 

We may purchase properties or interests in properties from affiliates of Cole Advisors II. The prices we pay to affiliates of our advisor for these properties will not be the subject of arm’s-length negotiations, which could mean that the acquisitions may be on terms less favorable to us than those negotiated with unaffiliated parties. However, our charter provides that the purchase price of any property we acquire from an affiliate may not exceed its fair market value as determined by a competent independent appraiser. In addition, the price must be approved by a majority of our directors who have no financial interest in the transaction, including a majority of our independent directors. If the price to us exceeds the cost paid by our affiliate, our board of directors must determine that there is substantial justification for the excess cost.

Competition in Acquiring, Leasing and Operating of Properties

 

Conflicts of interest will exist to the extent that we may acquire properties in the same geographic areas where properties owned by other Cole-sponsored programs are located. In such a case, a conflict could arise in the leasing of properties in the event that we and another Cole-sponsored program were to compete for the same tenants in negotiating leases, or a conflict could arise in connection with the resale of properties in the event that we and another Cole-sponsored program were to attempt to sell similar properties at the same time. Conflicts of interest may also exist at such time as we or our affiliates managing property on our behalf seek to employ developers, contractors or building managers, as well as under other circumstances. Cole Advisors II will seek to reduce conflicts relating to the employment of developers, contractors or building managers by making prospective employees aware of all such properties seeking to employ such persons. In addition, Cole Advisors II will seek to reduce conflicts that may arise with respect to properties available for sale or rent by making prospective purchasers or tenants aware of all such properties. However, these conflicts cannot be fully avoided in that there may be established differing compensation arrangements for employees at different properties or differing terms for resales or leasing of the various properties.

 

Affiliated Dealer Manager

 

Since Cole Capital Corporation (“Cole Capital”), our dealer manager, is an affiliate of Cole Advisors II, we did not have the benefit of an independent due diligence review and investigation of the type normally performed by an unaffiliated, independent underwriter in connection with our Initial Offering or the Follow-on Offering.

 

Affiliated Property Manager

 

Our properties are, and we anticipate that properties we acquire will be, managed and leased by our affiliated property manager, Cole Realty Advisors, Inc. (“Cole Realty Advisors”), pursuant to a property management and leasing agreement. Our agreement with Cole Realty Advisors has a one year term. We expect Cole Realty Advisors to also serve as property manager for properties owned by affiliated real estate programs, some of which may be in competition with our properties. Management fees to be paid to our property manager are based on a percentage of the rental income received by the managed properties.

 

Lack of Separate Representation

 

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP acts, and may in the future act, as counsel to us, Cole Advisors II, and certain of our respective affiliates. There is a possibility that in the future the interests of the various parties may become adverse, and under the Code of Professional Responsibility of the legal profession, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP may be precluded from representing any one or all of such parties. In the event that a dispute were to arise between us, Cole Advisors II, or any of our respective affiliates, separate counsel for such matters will be retained as and when appropriate.

 

Receipt of Fees and Other Compensation by Cole Advisors II and Its Affiliates

 

A transaction involving the purchase and sale of properties may result in the receipt of commissions, fees and other compensation by Cole Advisors II and its affiliates, including acquisition and advisory fees, the dealer manager fee, property management and leasing fees, asset management fees, real estate brokerage commissions and participation in nonliquidating net sale proceeds. However, the fees and compensation payable to Cole Advisors II and its affiliates relating to the net sale proceeds from the sale of properties will only be payable after the return to the stockholders of their capital contributions plus cumulative returns on such capital. Subject to oversight by our board of directors, Cole Advisors II will have considerable discretion with respect to all decisions relating to the terms and timing of all transactions. Therefore, Cole Advisors II may have conflicts of interest concerning certain actions taken on our behalf, particularly due to the fact that such fees will generally be payable to Cole Advisors II and its affiliates regardless of the quality of the properties acquired or the services provided to us.

Certain Conflict Resolution Procedures

 

Every transaction that we enter into with Cole Advisors II or its affiliates will be subject to an inherent conflict of interest. Our board of directors may encounter conflicts of interest in enforcing our rights against any affiliate in the event of a default by or disagreement with an affiliate or in invoking powers, rights or options pursuant to any agreement between us and Cole Advisors II or any of its affiliates.

 

In order to reduce or to eliminate certain potential conflicts of interest, our charter contains a number of restrictions relating to (1) transactions we enter into with Cole Advisors II and its affiliates, (2) certain future offerings, and (3) allocation of investment opportunities among affiliated entities. These restrictions include, among others, the following:

 

 

 

 

 

Employees

 

We have no direct employees. The employees of Cole Advisors II and other affiliates of our advisor provide services for us related to acquisition, property management, asset management, accounting, investor relations, and all other administrative services. The employees of Cole Capital, our affiliated dealer manager, provide wholesale brokerage services.

 

We are dependent on our advisor and its affiliates for services that are essential to us, including the sale of shares of our common stock, asset acquisition decisions, property management and other general administrative responsibilities. In the event that these companies were unable to provide these services to us, we would be required to obtain such services from other sources.

 

We reimburse Cole Advisors II and its affiliates for expenses incurred in connection with its provision of administrative services to us, including personnel costs, subject to certain limitations. During the year ended December 31, 2007, approximately $672,000 was reimbursed to Cole Advisors II or its affiliates for personnel costs and third-party costs allocated in connection with the issuance of shares pursuant to our Initial Offering or the Follow-on Offering. During the year ended December 31, 2006, no amounts were reimbursed to Cole Advisors II or its affiliates for personnel costs and third-party costs allocated in connection with the issuance of shares under the Initial Offering.

 

Insurance

 

See “— Description of Leases” section above.

 

Reportable Segments

 

We operate on a consolidated basis in two operating segments: (i) commercial properties and (ii) mortgage notes receivable. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Competition

 

As we purchase properties to build our portfolio, we are in competition with other potential buyers for the same properties and may have to pay more to purchase the property than if there were no other potential acquirers or we may have to locate another property that meets our investment criteria. Although our properties are currently 99% leased and we intend to acquire properties subject to existing leases, the leasing of real estate is highly competitive in the current market, and we may experience competition for tenants from owners and managers of competing projects. As a result, we may have to provide free rent, incur charges for tenant improvements, or offer other inducements, or we might not be able to timely lease the space, all of which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations. At the time we elect to dispose of our properties, we will also be in competition with sellers of similar properties to locate suitable purchasers for its properties.

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

As of December 31, 2007, we had cash on deposit in three financial institutions, which was approximately $43.3 million, approximately $12.6 million and approximately $33,000, respectively, in excess of federally insured levels; however, we have not experienced any losses in such account. We limit investment of cash investments to financial institutions with high credit standing; therefore, we believe we are not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash.

 

No single tenant accounted for greater than 10% of our gross annualized base rental revenues as of December 31, 2007 and 2006. Tenants in the drugstore, specialty retail, and sporting goods industries comprised approximately 15%, approximately 14%, and approximately 11%, respectively, of our gross annualized base rental revenues as of December 31, 2007. Tenants in the drugstore, specialty retail and automotive supply industries comprised approximately 25%, approximately 12% and approximately 11%, respectively, of our gross annualized base rental revenues as of December 31, 2006. Additionally, we have certain geographic concentrations in our property holdings. In particular, as of December 31, 2007, 37 of our properties were located in Texas and 15 of our properties were located in Illinois, accounting for approximately 16% and approximately 13% of our 2007 gross annualized base rental revenues. As of December 31, 2006, nine of our properties were located in Texas and five of our properties were located in Kansas, accounting for approximately 11% and approximately 9% of our 2006 gross annualized base rental revenues, respectively.

 

Litigation

 

In the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to litigation or claims. There are no material pending legal proceedings or proceedings known to be contemplated against us.

 

Environmental Matters

 

In connection with the ownership and operation of real estate, we may be potentially liable for costs and damages related to environmental matters. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we acquired certain properties that are subject to environmental remediation. In each case, the seller, the tenant and/or another third party has been identified as the responsible party for environmental remediation costs related to the property. Additionally, in connection with the purchase of certain of the properties, the respective sellers and/or tenants have indemnified us against future remediation costs. We do not believe that the environmental matters identified at such properties will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, nor are we aware of any environmental matters at other properties which we believe will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations.

 

Available Information

 

We electronically file an annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports with the SEC. We have also filed registration statements, including amendments, and supplements to our prospectus in connection with our Initial Offering, and continue to do so for our Follow-on Offering, with the SEC. Copies of our filings with the SEC may be obtained from the SEC’s website, at http://www.sec.gov. Access to these filings is free of charge.

 

 

Set forth below are investment risks that we believe are material to our investors.

 

Risks Related to an Investment in Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.

 

You will not have the opportunity to evaluate our future investments before we make them, which makes an investment in us more speculative.

 

We will not provide you with information to evaluate our future investments prior to our acquisition of properties. We will seek to use our net offering proceeds, after the payment of fees and expenses, to continue to acquire a portfolio of commercial real estate comprised primarily of a large number of freestanding, single-

tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade or other creditworthy tenants and a smaller number of multi-tenant properties that compliment our overall investment objectives. We may also, in the discretion of our advisor, invest in other types of real estate or in entities that invest in real estate. In addition, our advisor may make or invest in mortgage loans or participations therein on our behalf if our board of directors determines, due to the state of the real estate market or in order to diversify our investment portfolio or otherwise, that such investments are advantageous to us. We established policies relating to the creditworthiness of tenants of our properties, but our board of directors has wide discretion in implementing these policies, and you will not have the opportunity to evaluate potential tenants.

 

There is no public trading market for our shares and there may never be one; therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares.

 

There currently is no public market for our shares and there may never be one. If you are able to find a buyer for your shares, you may not sell your shares unless the buyer meets applicable suitability and minimum purchase standards. Our charter also prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% of our stock by a single investor, unless exempted by our board of directors, which may inhibit large investors from desiring to purchase your shares. Moreover, our share redemption program includes numerous restrictions that would limit your ability to sell your shares to us. Our board of directors may reject any request for redemption of shares, or amend, suspend or terminate our share redemption program upon 30 days’ notice. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares promptly or at all. If you are able to sell your shares, you will likely have to sell them at a substantial discount to the price you paid for the shares. It also is likely that your shares would not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan. You should purchase the shares only as a long-term investment because of the illiquid nature of the shares.

 

We may suffer from delays in locating suitable additional investments, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.

 

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions is dependent upon the performance of Cole REIT Advisors II, our advisor, in the acquisition of our investments, the selection of our tenants and the determination of any financing arrangements. You must rely entirely on the management ability of Cole Advisors II and the oversight of our board of directors. We could suffer from delays in locating suitable additional investments, particularly as a result of our reliance on our advisor at times when management of our advisor is simultaneously seeking to locate suitable investments for other affiliated programs. Delays we encounter in the selection, acquisition and, in the event we develop properties, development of income-producing properties, likely would adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your overall returns. In such event, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of our offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of your capital. Distributions from the proceeds of our offering or from borrowings also could reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties. This, in turn, would reduce the value of your investment. In particular, if we acquire properties prior to the start of construction or during the early stages of construction, it will typically take several months to complete construction and rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the receipt of cash distributions attributable to those particular properties. If Cole Advisors II is unable to obtain suitable investments, we will hold our offering proceeds in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments. If we cannot invest our offering proceeds within a reasonable amount of time, or if our board of directors determines it is in the best interests of our stockholders, we will return uninvested offering proceeds to investors.

 

If our advisor loses or is unable to obtain key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.

 

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain of our executive officers and other key personnel of our advisor, including Christopher H. Cole, Christopher P. Robertson, Daniel E. Weber, John M. Pons, D. Kirk McAllaster, Jr., Mike W. Mathies, and Marc T. Nemer, each of whom would be

difficult to replace. Our advisor does not have an employment agreement with any of these key personnel and we cannot guarantee that all, or any particular one, will remain affiliated with us and/or advisor. If any of our key personnel were to cease their affiliation with our advisor, our operating results could suffer. Further, we do not intend to separately maintain key person life insurance on Mr. Cole or any other person. We believe that our future success depends, in large part, upon our advisor’s ability to hire and retain highly skilled managerial, operational and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we cannot assure you that our advisor will be successful in attracting and retaining such skilled personnel. If our advisor loses or is unable to obtain the services of key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, and the value of your investment may decline.

 

Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to recover claims against our officers, directors and our advisor are limited, which could reduce your and our recovery against them if they cause us to incur losses.

 

Maryland law provides that a director has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the corporation’s best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Our charter, in the case of our directors, officers, employees and agents, and the advisory agreement, in the case of our advisor, require us to indemnify our directors, officers, employees and agents and our advisor and its affiliates for actions taken by them in good faith and without negligence or misconduct. Additionally, our charter limits the liability of our directors and officers for monetary damages to the fullest extent permitted under Maryland law, subject to the limitations required by the Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts published by the North American Securities Administrators Associations, also known as the NASAA REIT Guidelines. Although our charter does not allow us to exonerate and indemnify our directors and officers to a greater extent than permitted under Maryland law and the NASAA REIT Guidelines, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors, officers, employees and agents, and our advisor and its affiliates, than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce your and our recovery against them. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our directors, officers, employees and agents or our advisor in some cases which would decrease the cash otherwise available for distribution to our stockholders.

 

Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest

 

Cole Advisors II will face conflicts of interest relating to the purchase and leasing of properties, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, which could adversely affect our investment opportunities.

 

Affiliates of our advisor may sponsor other real estate investment programs in the future. We may buy properties at the same time as one or more of the other Cole-sponsored programs managed by officers and key personnel of Cole Advisors II. There is a risk that Cole Advisors II will choose a property that provides lower returns to us than a property purchased by another Cole-sponsored program. We cannot be sure that officers and key personnel acting on behalf of Cole Advisors II and on behalf of managers of other Cole-sponsored programs will act in our best interests when deciding whether to allocate any particular property to us. In addition, we may acquire properties in geographic areas where other Cole-sponsored programs own properties. Also, we may acquire properties from, or sell properties to, other Cole-sponsored programs. If one of the other Cole-sponsored programs attracts a tenant that we are competing for, we could suffer a loss of revenue due to delays in locating another suitable tenant. You will not have the opportunity to evaluate the manner in which these conflicts of interest are resolved as a stockholder. Similar conflicts of interest may apply if our advisor determines to make or purchase mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans on our behalf, since other Cole-sponsored programs may be competing with us for these investments.

 

Cole Advisors II faces conflicts of interest relating to joint ventures, which could result in a disproportionate benefit to the other venture partners at our expense.

 

We may enter into joint ventures with other Cole-sponsored programs for the acquisition, development or improvement of properties. Cole Advisors II may have conflicts of interest in determining which Cole-

sponsored program should enter into any particular joint venture agreement. The co-venturer may have economic or business interests or goals that are or may become inconsistent with our business interests or goals. In addition, Cole Advisors II may face a conflict in structuring the terms of the relationship between our interests and the interest of the affiliated co-venturer and in managing the joint venture. Since Cole Advisors II and its affiliates will control both the affiliated co-venturer and, to a certain extent, us, agreements and transactions between the co-venturers with respect to any such joint venture will not have the benefit of arm’s-length negotiation of the type normally conducted between unrelated co-venturers, which may result in the co-venturer receiving benefits greater than the benefits that we receive. In addition, we may assume liabilities related to the joint venture that exceed the percentage of our investment in the joint venture.

 

We may participate in 1031 exchange programs with affiliates of our advisor that will not be the result of arm’s-length negotiations and will result in conflicts of interest.

 

Cole Capital Partners, LLC (“Cole Capital Partners”), an affiliate of our advisor, has developed programs to facilitate the acquisition of real estate properties in co-ownership arrangements with persons who are looking to invest proceeds from a sale of real estate in order to qualify for like-kind exchange treatment under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code (a “Section 1031 Program”). Section 1031 Programs are structured as co-ownership arrangements with other investors in the property (“Section 1031 Participants”) who are seeking to defer taxes under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. These programs are structured either as a tenant-in-common program or by use of a Delaware Statutory Trust. When Cole Capital Partners develops such a program, it generally organizes a new entity (a “Cole Exchange Entity”) to acquire all or part of a property. We may participate in the program by either co-investing in the property with the Cole Exchange Entity or purchasing a co-ownership interest from the Cole Exchange Entity, generally at the Cole Exchange Entity’s cost. In that event, as a co-owner of properties, we will be subject to the risks inherent in the co-ownership arrangements with unrelated third parties. Our purchase of co-ownership interests will present conflicts of interest between us and affiliates of our advisor. The business interests of Cole Capital Partners and the Cole Exchange Entity may be adverse to, or to the detriment of, our interests. Further, any agreement that we enter into with a Cole Exchange Entity will not be negotiated in an arm’s-length transaction and, as a result of the affiliation between our advisor, Cole Capital Partners and the Cole Exchange Entity, our advisor may be reluctant to enforce the agreements against such entities.

 

Cole Advisors II and its officers and employees and certain of our key personnel face competing demands relating to their time, and this may cause our operating results to suffer.

 

Cole Advisors II and its officers and employees and certain of our key personnel and their respective affiliates are key personnel, general partners and sponsors of other real estate programs having investment objectives and legal and financial obligations similar to ours and may have other business interests as well. Because these persons have competing demands on their time and resources, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between our business and these other activities. During times of intense activity in other programs and ventures, they may devote less time and fewer resources to our business than is necessary or appropriate. If this occurs, the returns on our investments may suffer.

 

Our officers face conflicts of interest related to the positions they hold with affiliated entities, which could hinder our ability to successfully implement our business strategy and to generate returns to our stockholders.

 

Each of our executive officers, including Christopher H. Cole, who also serves as the chairman of our board of directors, also are officers of our advisor, our property manager, our dealer manager and other affiliated entities. As a result, these individuals owe fiduciary duties to these other entities and their stockholders and limited partners, which fiduciary duties may conflict with the duties that they owe to us and our stockholders. Their loyalties to these other entities could result in actions or inactions that are detrimental to our business, which could harm the implementation of our business strategy and our investment and leasing opportunities. Conflicts with our business and interests are most likely to arise from involvement in activities related to (i) allocation of new investments and management time and services between us and the other

entities, (ii) our purchase of properties from, or sale of properties, to affiliated entities, (iii) the timing and terms of the investment in or sale of an asset, (iv) development of our properties by affiliates, (v) investments with affiliates of our advisor, (vi) compensation to our advisor, and (vii) our relationship with our dealer manager and property manager. If we do not successfully implement our business strategy, we may be unable to generate cash needed to make distributions to our stockholders and to maintain or increase the value of our assets.

 

Cole Advisors II faces conflicts of interest relating to the incentive fee structure under our advisory agreement, which could result in actions that are not necessarily in the long-term best interests of our stockholders.

 

Under our advisory agreement, Cole Advisors II is entitled to fees that are structured in a manner intended to provide incentives to our advisor to perform in our best interests and in the best interests of our stockholders. However, because our advisor does not maintain a significant equity interest in us and is entitled to receive substantial minimum compensation regardless of performance, our advisor’s interests are not wholly aligned with those of our stockholders. In that regard, our advisor could be motivated to recommend riskier or more speculative investments in order for us to generate the specified levels of performance or sales proceeds that would entitle our advisor to fees. In addition, our advisor’s entitlement to fees upon the sale of our assets and to participate in sale proceeds could result in our advisor recommending sales of our investments at the earliest possible time at which sales of investments would produce the level of return that would entitle the advisor to compensation relating to such sales, even if continued ownership of those investments might be in our best long-term interest. Our advisory agreement requires us to pay a performance-based termination fee to our advisor in the event that we terminate the advisor prior to the listing of our shares for trading on an exchange or, absent such listing, in respect of its participation in net sales proceeds. To avoid paying this fee, our independent directors may decide against terminating the advisory agreement prior to our listing of our shares or disposition of our investments even if, but for the termination fee, termination of the advisory agreement would be in our best interest. In addition, the requirement to pay the fee to the advisor at termination could cause us to make different investment or disposition decisions than we would otherwise make, in order to satisfy our obligation to pay the fee to the terminated advisor. Moreover, our advisor has the right to terminate the advisory agreement upon a change of control of our company and thereby trigger the payment of the performance fee, which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing the change of control.

 

There is no separate counsel for us and our affiliates, which could result in conflicts of interest.

 

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP acts as legal counsel to us and also represents our advisor and some of its affiliates. There is a possibility in the future that the interests of the various parties may become adverse and, under the Code of Professional Responsibility of the legal profession, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP may be precluded from representing any one or all of such parties. If any situation arises in which our interests appear to be in conflict with those of our advisor or its affiliates, additional counsel may be retained by one or more of the parties to assure that their interests are adequately protected. Moreover, should a conflict of interest not be readily apparent, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP may inadvertently act in derogation of the interest of the parties which could affect our ability to meet our investment objectives.

 

Risks Related to Our Offering and Our Corporate Structure

 

The limit on the number of shares a person may own may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.

 

Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Unless exempted by our board of directors, no person may own more than 9.8% in value of our outstanding stock and more than 9.8% in value or number, whichever is more restrictive, of any class of our outstanding stock. This restriction may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger,

tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

 

Our charter permits our board of directors to issue stock with terms that may subordinate the rights of common stockholders or discourage a third party from acquiring us in a manner that might result in a premium price to our stockholders.

 

Our charter permits our board of directors to issue up to 250,000,000 shares of stock. In addition, our board of directors, without any action by our stockholders, may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series of stock that we have authority to issue. Our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued common stock or preferred stock and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption of any such stock. Thus, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have a priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

 

Maryland law prohibits certain business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us to be acquired and may limit your ability to exit the investment.

 

Under Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:

 

 

A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.

 

After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

 

 

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. The business combination statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Pursuant to the statute, our board of directors has exempted any business combination involving Cole Advisors II or any affiliate of Cole Advisors II. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the super-majority vote requirements

will not apply to business combinations between us and Cole Advisors II or any affiliate of Cole Advisors II. As a result, Cole Advisors II and any affiliate of Cole Advisors II may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

 

Maryland law also limits the ability of a third-party to buy a large stake in us and exercise voting power in electing directors.

 

Maryland law provides a second anti-takeover statute, its Control Share Acquisition Act, which provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by the corporation’s disinterested stockholders by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares of stock owned by interested stockholders, that is, by the acquirer, by officers or by directors who are employees of the corporation, are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock that would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within specified ranges of voting power. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of control shares. The control share acquisition statute does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition act any and all acquisitions of our common stock by Cole Advisors II or any affiliate of Cole Advisors II. This statute could have the effect of discouraging offers from third parties to acquire us and increasing the difficulty of successfully completing this type of offer by anyone other than our affiliates or any of their affiliates.

 

If we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we could not continue our business, which may significantly reduce the value of your investment.

 

We are not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (Investment Company Act), pursuant to an exemption in Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act and certain No-Action Letters from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pursuant to this exemption, (1) at least 55% of our assets must consist of real estate fee interests or loans secured exclusively by real estate or both, (2) at least 25% of our assets must consist of loans secured primarily by real estate (this percentage will be reduced by the amount by which the percentage in (1) above is increased); and (3) up to 20% of our assets may consist of miscellaneous investments. We intend to monitor compliance with these requirements on an ongoing basis. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act imposing, among other things:

 

 

In order to maintain our exemption from regulation under the Investment Company Act, we must engage primarily in the business of buying real estate, and these investments must be made within a year after our offering ends. If we are unable to invest a significant portion of our offering proceeds in properties within one year of the termination of our offering, we may avoid being required to register as an investment company by temporarily investing any unused proceeds in government securities with low returns. This would reduce the cash available for distribution to investors and possibly lower your returns.

 

To maintain compliance with the Investment Company Act exemption, we may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition,

we may have to acquire additional income or loss generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire interests in companies that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our investment strategy. If we were required to register as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court were to require enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business.

 

If you do not agree with the decisions of our board of directors, you only have limited control over changes in our policies and operations and may not be able to change such policies and operations.

 

Our board of directors determines our major policies, including our policies regarding investments, financing, growth, debt capitalization, REIT qualification and distributions. Our board of directors may amend or revise these and other policies without a vote of the stockholders. Under the Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter, our stockholders have a right to vote only on the following:

 

 

All other matters are subject to the discretion of our board of directors.

 

Our board of directors may change our investment policies without stockholder approval, which could alter the nature of your investments.

 

Our charter requires that our independent directors review our investment policies at least annually to determine that the policies we are following are in the best interest of the stockholders. These policies may change over time. The methods of implementing our investment policies may also vary, as new real estate development trends emerge and new investment techniques are developed. Our investment policies, the methods for their implementation, and our other objectives, policies and procedures may be altered by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders. As a result, the nature of your investment could change without your consent.

 

You are limited in your ability to sell your shares pursuant to our share redemption program and may have to hold your shares for an indefinite period of time.

 

Our board of directors may amend the terms of our share redemption program without stockholder approval. Our board also is free to suspend or terminate the program upon 30 days notice or to reject any request for redemption. In addition, the share redemption program includes numerous restrictions that would limit your ability to sell your shares. Generally, you must have held your shares for at least one year in order to participate in our share redemption program. Subject to funds being available, we will limit the number of shares redeemed pursuant to our share redemption program as follows: (1) during any calendar year, we will not redeem in excess of 3% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the prior calendar year; and (2) funding for the redemption of shares will be limited to the net proceeds we receive from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan. These limits might prevent us from accommodating all redemption requests made in any year.

We established the share price in our offering on an arbitrary basis; as a result, the actual value of your investment may be substantially less than what you pay.

 

Our board of directors has arbitrarily determined the selling price of the shares in our offering, and such price bears no relationship to our book or asset values, or to any other established criteria for valuing issued or outstanding shares. Because the offering price is not based upon any independent valuation, the offering price is not indicative of the proceeds that you would receive upon liquidation.

 

Because the dealer manager is one of our affiliates, investors will not have the benefit of an independent review of our prospectus as is customarily performed in underwritten offerings.

 

The dealer manager, Cole Capital, in our offering, is one of our affiliates and will not make an independent review of us or the offering. Accordingly, you will have to rely on your own broker-dealer to make an independent review of the terms of our offering. If your broker-dealer does not conduct such a review, you will not have the benefit of an independent review of the terms of our offering. Further, the due diligence investigation of us by the dealer manager cannot be considered to be an independent review and, therefore, may not be as meaningful as a review conducted by an unaffiliated broker-dealer or investment banker.

 

Your interest in Cole REIT II will be diluted if we issue additional shares.

 

Existing stockholders and potential investors in our offering do not have preemptive rights to any shares issued by us in the future. Our charter currently has authorized 250,000,000 shares of stock, of which 240,000,000 shares are designated as common stock and 10,000,000 are designated as preferred stock. Subject to any limitations set forth under Maryland law, our board of directors may increase the number of authorized shares of stock, increase or decrease the number of shares of any class or series of stock designated, or reclassify any unissued shares without the necessity of obtaining stockholder approval. All of such shares may be issued in the discretion of our board of directors. Existing stockholders and investors purchasing shares in our offering likely will suffer dilution of their equity investment in us, in the event that we (1) sell shares in our offering or sell additional shares in the future, including those issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, (2) sell securities that are convertible into shares of our common stock, (3) issue shares of our common stock in a private offering of securities to institutional investors, (4) issue shares of our common stock upon the exercise of the options granted to our independent directors, (5) issue shares to our advisor, its successors or assigns, in payment of an outstanding fee obligation as set forth under our advisory agreement, or (6) issue shares of our common stock to sellers of properties acquired by us in connection with an exchange of limited partnership interests of Cole OP II, existing stockholders and investors purchasing shares in our offering will likely experience dilution of their equity investment in us. In addition, the partnership agreement for Cole OP II contains provisions that would allow, under certain circumstances, other entities, including other Cole-sponsored programs, to merge into or cause the exchange or conversion of their interest for interests of Cole OP II. Because the limited partnership interests of Cole OP II may, in the discretion of our board of directors, be exchanged for shares of our common stock, any merger, exchange or conversion between Cole OP II and another entity ultimately could result in the issuance of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, thereby diluting the percentage ownership interest of other stockholders. Because of these and other reasons described in this “Risk Factors” section, you should not expect to be able to own a significant percentage of our shares.

 

Payment of fees to Cole Advisors II and its affiliates reduces cash available for investment and distribution.

 

Cole Advisors II and its affiliates perform services for us in connection with our offer and sale of our shares, the selection and acquisition of our investments, and the management and leasing of our properties, the servicing of our mortgage loans, if any, and the administration of our other investments. They are paid substantial fees for these services, which reduces the amount of cash available for investment in properties or distribution to stockholders.

We may be unable to pay or maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time.

 

There are many factors that can affect the availability and timing of cash distributions to stockholders. Distributions will be based principally on cash available from our operations. The amount of cash available for distributions is affected by many factors, such as our ability to buy properties as offering proceeds become available, rental income from such properties, and our operating expense levels, as well as many other variables. Actual cash available for distributions may vary substantially from estimates. We may not be able to pay or maintain our current level of distributions or increase distributions over time. Rents from the properties may not increase, the securities we buy may not increase in value or provide constant or increased distributions over time, and future acquisitions of real properties, mortgage loans and any investments in securities may not increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. Our actual results may differ significantly from the assumptions used by our board of directors in establishing the distribution rate to stockholders. We may not have sufficient cash from operations to make a distribution required to maintain our REIT status. We may increase borrowing or use proceeds from our offering to make distributions, each of which could be deemed to be a return of your capital.

 

General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate

 

Our operating results will be affected by economic and regulatory changes that have an adverse impact on the real estate market in general, and we may not be profitable and may not realize growth in the value of our real estate properties.

 

Our operating results are subject to risks generally incident to the ownership of real estate, including:

 

 

These and other reasons may prevent us from being profitable or from realizing growth or maintaining the value of our real estate properties.

 

Many of our retail properties will depend upon a single tenant for all or a majority of their rental income, and our financial condition and ability to make distributions may be adversely affected by the bankruptcy or insolvency, a downturn in the business, or a lease termination of a single tenant.

 

Almost all of our properties are, and we expect that many of our future properties will be, occupied by only one tenant or will derive a majority of their rental income from one tenant and, therefore, the success of those properties will be materially dependent on the financial stability of such tenants. Lease payment defaults by tenants could cause us to reduce the amount of distributions we pay. A default of a tenant on its lease payments to us would cause us to lose the revenue from the property and force us to find an alternative source of revenue to meet any mortgage payment and prevent a foreclosure if the property is subject to a mortgage. In the event of a default, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-letting the property. If a lease is terminated, there is no assurance that we will be able to lease the property for the rent previously received or sell the property without incurring a loss. A default by a tenant, the failure of a guarantor to fulfill its obligations or other premature termination of a lease, or a tenant’s election not to extend a lease upon its expiration, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to pay distributions.

If a tenant declares bankruptcy, we may be unable to collect balances due under relevant leases.

 

Any of our tenants, or any guarantor of a tenant’s lease obligations, could be subject to a bankruptcy proceeding pursuant to Title 11 of the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such a bankruptcy filing would bar all efforts by us to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from these entities or their properties, unless we receive an enabling order from the bankruptcy court. Post-bankruptcy debts would be paid currently. If a lease is assumed, all pre-bankruptcy balances owing under it must be paid in full. If a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have a general unsecured claim for damages. If a lease is rejected, it is unlikely we would receive any payments from the tenant because our claim is capped at the rent reserved under the lease, without acceleration, for the greater of one year or 15% of the remaining term of the lease, but not greater than three years, plus rent already due but unpaid. This claim could be paid only in the event funds were available, and then only in the same percentage as that realized on other unsecured claims.

 

A tenant or lease guarantor bankruptcy could delay efforts to collect past due balances under the relevant leases, and could ultimately preclude full collection of these sums. Such an event could cause a decrease or cessation of rental payments that would mean a reduction in our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders. In the event of a bankruptcy, we cannot assure you that the tenant or its trustee will assume our lease. If a given lease, or guaranty of a lease, is not assumed, our cash flow and the amounts available for distributions to our stockholders may be adversely affected.

 

A high concentration of our properties in a particular geographic area, or that have tenants in a similar industry, would magnify the effects of downturns in that geographic area or industry.

 

We expect that our properties will be diverse according to geographic area and industry of our tenants. However, in the event that we have a concentration of properties in any particular geographic area, any adverse situation that disproportionately effects that geographic area would have a magnified adverse effect on our portfolio. Similarly, if our tenants are concentrated in a certain industry or industries, any adverse effect to that industry generally would have a disproportionately adverse effect on our portfolio.

 

If a sale-leaseback transaction is re-characterized in a tenant’s bankruptcy proceeding, our financial condition could be adversely affected.

 

We may enter into sale-leaseback transactions, whereby we would purchase a property and then lease the same property back to the person from whom we purchased it. In the event of the bankruptcy of a tenant, a transaction structured as a sale-leaseback may be re-characterized as either a financing or a joint venture, either of which outcomes could adversely affect our business. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a financing, we might not be considered the owner of the property, and as a result would have the status of a creditor in relation to the tenant. In that event, we would no longer have the right to sell or encumber our ownership interest in the property. Instead, we would have a claim against the tenant for the amounts owed under the lease, with the claim arguably secured by the property. The tenant/debtor might have the ability to propose a plan restructuring the term, interest rate and amortization schedule of its outstanding balance. If confirmed by the bankruptcy court, we could be bound by the new terms, and prevented from foreclosing our lien on the property. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a joint venture, our lessee and we could be treated as co-venturers with regard to the property. As a result, we could be held liable, under some circumstances, for debts incurred by the lessee relating to the property. Either of these outcomes could adversely affect our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders.

 

Properties that have vacancies for a significant period of time could be difficult to sell, which could diminish the return to our stockholders.

 

A property may incur vacancies either by the continued default of tenants under their leases or the expiration of tenant leases. If vacancies continue for a long period of time, we may suffer reduced revenues resulting in less cash to be distributed to stockholders. In addition, because properties’ market values depend principally upon the value of the properties’ leases, the resale value of properties with prolonged vacancies could suffer, which could further reduce your return.

We may obtain only limited warranties when we purchase a property and would have only limited recourse in the event our due diligence did not identify any issues that lower the value of our property.

 

The seller of a property often sells such property in its “as is” condition on a “where is” basis and “with all faults,” without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. The purchase of properties with limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property as well as the loss of rental income from that property.

 

We may be unable to secure funds for future tenant improvements or capital needs, which could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

 

When tenants do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their space, it is usual that, in order to attract replacement tenants, we will be required to expend substantial funds for tenant improvements and tenant refurbishments to the vacated space. In addition, although we expect that our leases with tenants will require tenants to pay routine property maintenance costs, we will likely be responsible for any major structural repairs, such as repairs to the foundation, exterior walls and rooftops. We will use substantially all of our gross proceeds from our offering to buy real estate and pay various fees and expenses. We intend to reserve only 0.1% of the gross proceeds from our offering for future capital needs. Accordingly, if we need additional capital in the future to improve or maintain our properties or for any other reason, we will have to obtain financing from other sources, such as cash flow from operations, borrowings, property sales or future equity offerings. These sources of funding may not be available on attractive terms or at all. If we cannot procure additional funding for capital improvements, our investments may generate lower cash flows or decline in value, or both.

 

Our inability to sell a property when we desire to do so could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

 

The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand, that are beyond our control. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us, or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property.

 

We may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a property can be sold. We cannot assure you that we will have funds available to correct such defects or to make such improvements. Moreover, in acquiring a property, we may agree to restrictions that prohibit the sale of that property for a period of time or impose other restrictions, such as a limitation on the amount of debt that can be placed or repaid on that property. These provisions would restrict our ability to sell a property.

 

We may not be able to sell our properties at a price equal to, or greater than, the price for which we purchased such property, which may lead to a decrease in the value of our assets.

 

Many of our leases do not, and will not, contain rental increases over time. Therefore, the value of the property to a potential purchaser may not increase over time, which may restrict our ability to sell a property, or in the event we are able to sell such property, may lead to a sale price less than the price that we paid to purchase the property.

 

Certain of our properties are subject to lock-out provisions, and in the future we may acquire or finance additional properties with lock-out provisions, which may prohibit us from selling a property, or may require us to maintain specified debt levels for a period of years on some properties.

 

Lock-out provisions could materially restrict us from selling or otherwise disposing of or refinancing properties. These provisions affect our ability to turn our investments into cash and thus affect cash available for distributions to our stockholders. Lock out provisions may prohibit us from reducing the outstanding

indebtedness with respect to any properties, refinancing such indebtedness on a non-recourse basis at maturity, or increasing the amount of indebtedness with respect to such properties. Lock-out provisions could impair our ability to take other actions during the lock-out period that could be in the best interests of our stockholders and, therefore, may have an adverse impact on the value of the shares, relative to the value that would result if the lock-out provisions did not exist. In particular, lock-out provisions could preclude us from participating in major transactions that could result in a disposition of our assets or a change in control even though that disposition or change in control might be in the best interests of our stockholders.

 

Rising expenses could reduce cash flow and funds available for future acquisitions.

 

Our current properties are, and any properties that we buy in the future will be, subject to operating risks common to real estate in general, any or all of which may negatively affect us. If any property is not fully occupied or if rents are being paid in an amount that is insufficient to cover operating expenses, we could be required to expend funds with respect to that property for operating expenses. The properties will be subject to increases in tax rates, utility costs, operating expenses, insurance costs, repairs and maintenance and administrative expenses. While we expect that many of our properties will be leased on a triple-net-lease basis or will require the tenants to pay a portion of such expenses, renewals of leases or future leases may not be negotiated on that basis, in which event we may have to pay those costs. If we are unable to lease properties on a triple-net-lease basis or on a basis requiring the tenants to pay all or some of such expenses, or if tenants fail to pay required tax, utility and other impositions, we could be required to pay those costs which could adversely affect funds available for future acquisitions or cash available for distributions.

 

Adverse economic conditions will negatively affect our returns and profitability.

 

Our operating results may be affected by the following market and economic challenges, which may result from a continued or exacerbated general economic slow down experienced by the nation as a whole or by the local economics where our properties may be located:

 

 

The length and severity of any economic downturn cannot be predicted. Our operations could be negatively affected to the extent that an economic downturn is prolonged or becomes more severe.

 

If we suffer losses that are not covered by insurance or that are in excess of insurance coverage, we could lose invested capital and anticipated profits.

 

Generally, each of our tenants is responsible for insuring its goods and premises and, in some circumstances, may be required to reimburse us for a share of the cost of acquiring comprehensive insurance for the property, including casualty, liability, fire and extended coverage customarily obtained for similar properties in amounts that our advisor determines are sufficient to cover reasonably foreseeable losses. Tenants of single-user properties leased on a triple-net-lease basis typically are required to pay all insurance costs associated with those properties. Material losses may occur in excess of insurance proceeds with respect to any property, as insurance may not be sufficient to fund the losses. However, there are types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as losses due to wars, acts of terrorism, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, pollution or environmental matters, which are either uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. Insurance risks associated with potential terrorism acts could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. Additionally, mortgage lenders in some cases have begun to insist that commercial property owners purchase specific coverage against terrorism as a condition for providing mortgage loans. It is uncertain

whether such insurance policies will be available, or available at reasonable cost, which could inhibit our ability to finance or refinance our potential properties. In these instances, we may be required to provide other financial support, either through financial assurances or self-insurance, to cover potential losses. We cannot assure you that will have adequate coverage for such losses. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 is designed for a sharing of terrorism losses between insurance companies and the federal government. We cannot be certain how this act will impact us or what additional cost to us, if any, could result. If such an event damaged or destroyed one or more of our properties, we could lose both our invested capital and anticipated profits from such property.

 

Real estate related taxes may increase and if these increases are not passed on to tenants, our income will be reduced.

 

Some local real property tax assessors may seek to reassess some of our properties as a result of our acquisition of the property. Generally, from time to time our property taxes increase as property values or assessment rates change or for other reasons deemed relevant by the assessors. An increase in the assessed valuation of a property for real estate tax purposes will result in an increase in the related real estate taxes on that property. Although some tenant leases may permit us to pass through such tax increases to the tenants for payment, there is no assurance that renewal leases or future leases will be negotiated on the same basis. Increases not passed through to tenants will adversely affect our income, cash available for distributions, and the amount of distributions to our stockholders.

 

Revenue from our properties depends on the amount of our tenants’ retail revenue, making us vulnerable to general economic downturns and other conditions affecting the retail industry.

 

Some of our leases may also include a percentage rent clause for additional rent above the base amount based upon a specified percentage of the sales our tenants generate. Under those leases that contain percentage rent clauses, our revenue from tenants may decrease as the sales of our tenants decrease. Generally, retailers face declining revenues during downturns in the economy. As a result, the portion of our revenue that we derive from percentage rent leases could decline upon a general economic downturn.

 

CC&Rs may restrict our ability to operate a property.

 

Some of our properties will most likely be contiguous to other parcels of real property, comprising part of the same retail center. In connection with such properties, there will likely exist significant covenants, conditions and restrictions, known as “CC&Rs,” restricting the operation of such properties and any improvements on such properties, and related to granting easements on such properties. Moreover, the operation and management of the contiguous properties may impact such properties. Compliance with CC&Rs may adversely affect our operating costs and reduce the amount of funds that we have available to pay distributions.

 

Our operating results may be negatively affected by potential development and construction delays and resultant increased costs and risks.

 

While we do not currently intend to do so, we may use proceeds to acquire and develop properties upon which we will construct improvements. We will be subject to uncertainties associated with re-zoning for development, environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups, and our builder’s ability to build in conformity with plans, specifications, budgeted costs, and timetables. If a builder fails to perform, we may resort to legal action to rescind the purchase or the construction contract or to compel performance. A builder’s performance may also be affected or delayed by conditions beyond the builder’s control. Delays in completion of construction could also give tenants the right to terminate preconstruction leases. We may incur additional risks when we make periodic progress payments or other advances to builders before they complete construction. These and other such factors can result in increased costs of a project or loss of our investment. In addition, we will be subject to normal lease-up risks relating to newly constructed projects. We also must rely on rental income and expense projections and estimates of the fair market value of property upon completion of construction when agreeing upon a price at the time we acquire the property. If our projections are inaccurate, we may pay too much for a property, and our return on our investment could suffer.

While we do not currently intend to do so, we may invest in unimproved real property. Returns from development of unimproved properties are also subject to risks associated with re-zoning the land for development and environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups. Although we intend to limit any investment in unimproved property to property we intend to develop, your investment nevertheless is subject to the risks associated with investments in unimproved real property.

 

If we contract with an affiliated development company for newly developed property, we cannot guarantee that our earnest money deposit made to the development company will be fully refunded.

 

While we currently do not have an affiliated development company, our sponsor and/or its affiliates may form a development company. In such an event, we may enter into one or more contracts, either directly or indirectly through joint ventures with affiliates or others, to acquire real property from an affiliate of Cole Advisors II that is engaged in construction and development of commercial real properties. Properties acquired from an affiliated development company may be either existing income-producing properties, properties to be developed or properties under development. We anticipate that we will be obligated to pay a substantial earnest money deposit at the time of contracting to acquire such properties. In the case of properties to be developed by an affiliated development company, we anticipate that we will be required to close the purchase of the property upon completion of the development of the property by our affiliate. At the time of contracting and the payment of the earnest money deposit by us, our development company affiliate typically will not have acquired title to any real property. Typically, our development company affiliate will only have a contract to acquire land, a development agreement to develop a building on the land and an agreement with one or more tenants to lease all or part of the property upon its completion. We may enter into such a contract with our development company affiliate even if at the time of contracting we have not yet raised sufficient proceeds in our offering to enable us to close the purchase of such property. However, we will not be required to close a purchase from our development company affiliate, and will be entitled to a refund of our earnest money, in the following circumstances:

 

 

The obligation of our development company affiliate to refund our earnest money will be unsecured, and no assurance can be made that we would be able to obtain a refund of such earnest money deposit from it under these circumstances since our development company affiliate may be an entity without substantial assets or operations. However, our development company affiliate’s obligation to refund our earnest money deposit may be guaranteed by Cole Realty Advisors, our property manager, which will enter into contracts to provide property management and leasing services to various Cole-sponsored programs, including us, for substantial monthly fees. As of the time Cole Realty Advisors may be required to perform under any guaranty, we cannot assure that Cole Realty Advisors will have sufficient assets to refund all of our earnest money deposit in a lump sum payment. If we were forced to collect our earnest money deposit by enforcing the guaranty of Cole Realty Advisors, we will likely be required to accept installment payments over time payable out of the revenues of Cole Realty Advisors’ operations. We cannot assure you that we would be able to collect the entire amount of our earnest money deposit under such circumstances.

 

Competition with third parties in acquiring properties and other investments may reduce our profitability and the return on your investment.

 

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including individuals, corporations, bank and insurance company investment accounts, other REITs, real estate limited partnerships, and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, many of which have greater resources than we do. Larger REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investments may increase. Any such increase would result in increased demand for

these assets and therefore increased prices paid for them. If we pay higher prices for properties and other investments, our profitability will be reduced and you may experience a lower return on your investment.

 

Our properties face competition that may affect tenants’ ability to pay rent and the amount of rent paid to us may affect the cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions.

 

Our properties typically are, and we expect will be, located in developed areas. Therefore, there are and will be numerous other retail properties within the market area of each of our properties that will compete with us for tenants. The number of competitive properties could have a material effect on our ability to rent space at our properties and the amount of rents charged. We could be adversely affected if additional competitive properties are built in locations competitive with our properties, causing increased competition for customer traffic and creditworthy tenants. This could result in decreased cash flow from tenants and may require us to make capital improvements to properties that we would not have otherwise made, thus affecting cash available for distributions, and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders.

 

Costs of complying with governmental laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental matters, may adversely affect our income and the cash available for any distributions.

 

All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety. These laws and regulations generally govern wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and above-ground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous materials, and the remediation of contamination associated with disposals. Some of these laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on tenants, owners or operators for the costs to investigate or remediate contaminated properties, regardless of fault or whether the acts causing the contamination were legal. This liability could be substantial. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell, rent or pledge such property as collateral for future borrowings.

 

Some of these laws and regulations have been amended so as to require compliance with new or more stringent standards as of future dates. Compliance with new or more stringent laws or regulations or stricter interpretation of existing laws may require material expenditures by us. Future laws, ordinances or regulations may impose material environmental liability. Additionally, our tenants’ operations, the existing condition of land when we buy it, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties. In addition, there are various local, state and federal fire, health, life-safety and similar regulations with which we may be required to comply, and that may subject us to liability in the form of fines or damages for noncompliance. Any material expenditures, fines, or damages we must pay will reduce our ability to make distributions and may reduce the value of your investment.

 

We will not obtain an independent third-party environmental assessment for every property we acquire. In addition, any such assessment that we do obtain may not reveal all environmental liabilities or that a prior owner of a property did not create a material environmental condition not known to us. The cost of defending against claims of liability, of compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of paying personal injury claims would materially adversely affect our business, assets or results of operations and, consequently, amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.

 

If we sell properties by providing financing to purchasers, defaults by the purchasers would adversely affect our cash flows.

 

If we decide to sell any of our properties, we intend to use our best efforts to sell them for cash. However, in some instances we may sell our properties by providing financing to purchasers. When we provide financing to purchasers, we will bear the risk that the purchaser may default, which could negatively impact our cash distributions to stockholders. Even in the absence of a purchaser default, the distribution of the proceeds of sales to our stockholders, or their reinvestment in other assets, will be delayed until the

promissory notes or other property we may accept upon the sale are actually paid, sold, refinanced or otherwise disposed of. In some cases, we may receive initial down payments in cash and other property in the year of sale in an amount less than the selling price and subsequent payments will be spread over a number of years. If any purchaser defaults under a financing arrangement with us, it could negatively impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

 

Our recovery of an investment in a mortgage that has defaulted may be limited.

 

There is no guarantee that the mortgage, loan or deed of trust securing an investment will, following a default, permit us to recover the original investment and interest that would have been received absent a default. The security provided by a mortgage, deed of trust or loan is directly related to the difference between the amount owed and the appraised market value of the property. Although we intend to rely on a current real estate appraisal when we make the investment, the value of the property is affected by factors outside our control, including general fluctuations in the real estate market, rezoning, neighborhood changes, highway relocations and failure by the borrower to maintain the property.

 

Our costs associated with complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act may affect cash available for distributions.

 

Our properties will be subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Disabilities Act). Under the Disabilities Act, all places of public accommodation are required to comply with federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The Disabilities Act has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities” that generally requires that buildings and services, including restaurants and retail stores, be made accessible and available to people with disabilities. The Disabilities Act’s requirements could require removal of access barriers and could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, monetary penalties, or, in some cases, an award of damages. We will attempt to acquire properties that comply with the Disabilities Act or place the burden on the seller or other third party, such as a tenant, to ensure compliance with the Disabilities Act. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to acquire properties or allocate responsibilities in this manner. If we cannot, our funds used for Disabilities Act compliance may affect cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions to our stockholders.

 

Risks Associated with Debt Financing

 

We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, mortgage indebtedness and other borrowings, which may increase our business risks.

 

We expect to incur additional indebtedness even if we raise significant proceeds in our offering. We expect that in most instances, we will acquire real properties by using either existing financing or borrowing new funds. In addition, we may incur mortgage debt and pledge all or some of our real properties as security for that debt to obtain funds to acquire additional real properties. We may borrow if we need funds to satisfy the REIT tax qualification requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to our stockholders. We may also borrow if we otherwise deem it necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes.

 

Our advisor believes that utilizing borrowing is consistent with our investment objective of maximizing the return to investors. There is no limitation on the amount we may borrow against any single improved property. However, under our charter, we are required to limit our borrowings to 60% of the greater of cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or fair market value of our gross assets, unless excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors. This level of borrowing is less than, and our borrowings will not exceed, 300% of our net assets, as set forth in the NASAA REIT Guidelines. We expect that during the period of our offering we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. As a result, we expect that our debt levels will be higher until we have invested most of our capital.

 

If there is a shortfall between the cash flow from a property and the cash flow needed to service mortgage debt on a property, then the amount available for distributions to stockholders may be reduced. In addition,

incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In that case, we could lose the property securing the loan that is in default, thus reducing the value of your investment. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds. In such event, we may be unable to pay the amount of distributions required in order to maintain our REIT status. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders of mortgage debt to the entities that own our properties. When we provide a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one of our properties, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, a default on a single property could affect multiple properties. If any of our properties are foreclosed upon due to a default, our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected, which could result in our losing our REIT status and would result in a decrease in the value of our stockholders investment.

 

High mortgage rates may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance properties, which could reduce the number of properties we can acquire and the amount of cash distributions we can make.

 

If we place mortgage debt on properties, we run the risk of being unable to refinance the properties when the loans come due, or of being unable to refinance on favorable terms. If interest rates are higher when the properties are refinanced, we may not be able to finance the properties and our income could be reduced. If any of these events occur, our cash flow would be reduced. This, in turn, would reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and may hinder our ability to raise more capital by issuing more stock or by borrowing more money.

 

Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

 

In connection with providing us financing, a lender could impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional debt. Loan documents we enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further mortgage the property, discontinue insurance coverage or replace Cole Advisors II as our advisor. These or other limitations may adversely affect our flexibility and our ability to achieve our investment and operating objectives.

 

Increases in interest rates could increase the amount of our debt payments and adversely affect our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.

 

We expect that we will incur variable-rate indebtedness in the future. To the extent that we incur variable rate debt, increases in interest rates would increase our interest costs, which could reduce our cash flows and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. In addition, if we need to repay existing debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to liquidate one or more of our investments in properties at times that may not permit realization of the maximum return on such investments.

 

We have broad authority to incur debt, and high debt levels could hinder our ability to make distributions and could decrease the value of your investment.

 

Our charter generally limits us to incurring debt no greater than 60% of the greater of cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or fair market value of all of our assets, unless any excess borrowing is approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in our next quarterly report, along with a justification for such excess borrowing. We expect that during the period of our offering we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. As a result, we expect that our debt levels will be higher until we have invested most of our capital. High debt levels would cause us to incur higher interest charges, would result in higher debt service payments, and could be accompanied by

restrictive covenants. These factors could limit the amount of cash we have available to distribute and could result in a decline in the value of your investment.

 

Risks Associated with Co-Ownership Transactions

 

Our participation in a co-ownership arrangement would subject us to risk that otherwise may not be present in other real estate investments.

 

We may enter in co-ownership arrangements with respect to a portion of the properties we acquire. Co-ownership arrangements involve risks generally not otherwise present with an investment in real estate such as the following:

 

 

Any of the above might subject a property to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and thus reduce the amount available for distribution to our stockholders.

 

In the event that our interests become adverse to those of the other co-owners, we will not have the contractual right to purchase the co-ownership interests from the other co-owners. Even if we are given the opportunity to purchase such co-ownership interests in the future, we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient funds available at the time to purchase co-ownership interests from the co-owners.

 

We might want to sell our co-ownership interests in a given property at a time when the other co-owners in such property do not desire to sell their interests. Therefore, because we anticipate that it will be much more difficult to find a willing buyer for our co-ownership interests in a property than it would be to find a buyer for a property we owned outright, we may not be able to sell our interest in a property at the time we would like to sell.

 

Federal Income Tax Risks

 

Failure to qualify as a REIT would adversely affect our operations and our ability to make distributions.

 

We elected to be taxed as a REIT beginning with the tax year ended December 31, 2005. In order for us to continue to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy certain requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code

and Treasury Regulations and various factual matters and circumstances that are not entirely within our control. We intend to structure our activities in a manner designed to satisfy all of these requirements. However, if certain of our operations were to be recharacterized by the Internal Revenue Service, such recharacterization could jeopardize our ability to satisfy all of the requirements for qualification as a REIT. Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, our legal counsel, rendered its opinion that we will qualify as a REIT, based upon our representations as to the manner in which we are and will be owned, invest in assets and operate, among other things. However, our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet, through investments, actual operating results, distributions and satisfaction of specific rules, the various tests imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP will not review these operating results or compliance with the qualification standards on an ongoing basis. This means that we may fail to satisfy the REIT requirements at any time after the date of this opinion. Also, this opinion represents Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP’s legal judgment based on the law in effect as of the date of the opinion. Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP’s opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts and we will not apply for a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding our status as a REIT. Future legislative, judicial or administrative changes to the federal income tax laws could be applied retroactively, which could result in our disqualification as a REIT.

 

If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends paid deduction, and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.

 

Re-characterization of the Section 1031 programs may result in a 100% tax on income from a prohibited transaction, which would diminish our cash distributions to our stockholders.

 

The Internal Revenue Service could re-characterize transactions under the Section 1031 program such that Cole OP II, rather than the co-owner in the program (Section 1031 Participant), is treated as the bona fide owner, for tax purposes, of properties acquired and resold by a Section 1031 Participant in connection with the Section 1031 program. Such characterization could result in the fees paid to Cole OP II by a Section 1031 Participant as being deemed income from a prohibited transaction, in which event the fee income paid to us in connection with the Section 1031 programs would be subject to a 100% penalty tax. If this occurs, our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected. We expect to obtain a legal opinion in connection with each co-ownership program to the effect that the program will qualify as a like-kind exchange under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. However, the Internal Revenue Service may take a position contrary to such an opinion.

 

Re-characterization of sale-leaseback transactions may cause us to lose our REIT status.

 

We may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. While we will use our best efforts to structure any such sale-leaseback transaction so that the lease will be characterized as a “true lease,” thereby allowing us to be treated as the owner of the property for federal income tax purposes, the IRS could challenge such characterization. In the event that any sale-leaseback transaction is challenged and re-characterized as a financing transaction or loan for federal income tax purposes, deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property would be disallowed. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so recharacterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT qualification “asset tests” or the “income tests” and, consequently, lose our REIT status effective with the year of recharacterization. Alternatively, the amount of our REIT taxable income could be recalculated which might also cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement for a taxable year.

You may have tax liability on distributions you elect to reinvest in our common stock.

 

If you participate in our distribution reinvestment plan, you will be deemed to have received, and for income tax purposes will be taxed on, the amount reinvested in common stock to the extent the amount reinvested was not a tax-free return of capital. As a result, unless you are a tax-exempt entity, you may have to use funds from other sources to pay your tax liability on the value of the common stock received.

 

In certain circumstances, we may be subject to federal and state income taxes as a REIT, which would reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

 

Even if we qualify and maintain our status as a REIT, we may be subject to federal income taxes or state taxes. For example, net income from the sale of properties that are “dealer” properties sold by a REIT (a “prohibited transaction” under the Internal Revenue Code) will be subject to a 100% tax. We may not be able to make sufficient distributions to avoid excise taxes applicable to REITs. We may also decide to retain income we earn from the sale or other disposition of our property and pay income tax directly on such income. In that event, our stockholders would be treated as if they earned that income and paid the tax on it directly. However, stockholders that are tax-exempt, such as charities or qualified pension plans, would have no benefit from their deemed payment of such tax liability. We may also be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, either directly or at the level of Cole OP II or at the level of the other companies through which we indirectly own our assets. Any federal or state taxes we pay will reduce our cash available for distribution to stockholders.

 

Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.

 

Because our operations are governed to a significant extent by the federal tax laws, new legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.

 

You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our common stock. You should also note that our counsel’s tax opinion assumes that no legislation will be enacted after the date of the opinion that will be applicable to an investment in our shares.

 

Foreign holders of our common stock may be subject to FIRPTA tax upon the sale of their shares.

 

A foreign person disposing of a U.S. real property interest, including shares of a U.S. corporation whose assets consist principally of U.S. real property interests, is generally subject to a tax, known as FIRPTA tax, on the gain recognized on the disposition. Such FIRPTA tax does not apply, however, to the disposition of stock in a REIT if the REIT is “domestically controlled.” A REIT is “domestically controlled” if less than 50% of the REIT’s stock, by value, has been owned directly or indirectly by persons who are not qualifying U.S. persons during a continuous five-year period ending on the date of disposition or, if shorter, during the entire period of the REIT’s existence. We cannot assure you that we will qualify as a “domestically controlled” REIT. If we were to fail to so qualify, gain realized by foreign investors on a sale of our shares would be subject to FIRPTA tax, unless our shares were traded on an established securities market and the foreign investor did not at any time during a specified testing period directly or indirectly own more than 5% of the value of our outstanding common stock.

 

 

None.

 

As of December 31, 2007, we owned, through separate wholly-owned limited partnerships or limited liability companies, a portfolio of 333 properties located in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands comprising approximately 11.3 million rentable square feet. As of December 31, 2007, 250 of the properties were freestanding, single-tenant retail properties, 69 of the properties were freestanding, single-tenant commercial properties and 14 of the properties were multi-tenant retail properties. Of the leases related to these properties, 13 were classified as direct financing leases, as discussed in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements. As of December 31, 2007, 169 of the properties in our portfolio and the related tenant leases were pledged as collateral securing mortgage debt of approximately $984.4 million. As of December 31, 2007, approximately 99% of our properties were leased, with an average remaining lease term of approximately 14.6 years.

 

Property Statistics

 

The following table shows the tenant diversification of our portfolio as of December 31, 2007:

 

 

The following table shows the tenant industry diversification of our portfolio as of December 31, 2007:

 

The following table shows the geographic diversification of our portfolio as of December 31, 2007:

 

 

Leases

 

Although there are variations in the specific terms of the leases of our properties, the following is a summary of the general structure of our leases. Generally, the leases of the properties owned provide for initial terms of 10 to 20 years. As of December 31, 2007, the weighted average remaining lease term was approximately 14.6 years. The properties are generally leased under net leases pursuant to which the tenant bears responsibility for substantially all property costs and expenses associated with ongoing maintenance and operation, including utilities, property taxes and insurance. Certain of the leases require us to maintain the roof and structure. The leases of the properties provide for annual base rental payments (payable in monthly installments) ranging from approximately $6,000 to approximately $8.1 million (average of approximately $303,000). Certain leases provide for limited increases in rent as a result of fixed increases, increases in the consumer price index, and/or increases in the tenant’s sales volume.

 

Generally, the property leases provide the tenant with one or more multi-year renewal options, subject to generally the same terms and conditions as the initial lease term. Certain leases also provide that in the event we wish to sell the property subject to that lease, we first must offer the lessee the right to purchase the property on the same terms and conditions as any offer which we intend to accept for the sale of the property.

 

The following table shows lease expirations of our portfolio as of December 31, 2007, during each of the next ten years and thereafter, assuming no exercise of renewal options or termination rights:

 

Mortgage Information

 

As of December 31, 2007, 169 of our properties were encumbered by a mortgage note obligation, with a total of approximately $940.9 million of fixed rate debt outstanding, approximately $71.3 of short-term variable rate debt and approximately $43.5 million outstanding on three revolving lines of credit. The fixed rate mortgage notes mature on various dates from July 2008 through October 2018. The weighted average interest rate relating to the fixed rate mortgage notes at December 31, 2007 and 2006 was approximately 5.85% and approximately 5.72%, respectively. The short-term variable rate debt bears interest at variable rates equal to the one-month LIBOR plus 200 to 275 basis points, matures in March 2008 and have been repaid. The revolving lines of credit bear interest at variable rates equal to the one-month LIBOR plus 150 to 200 basis points and mature on various dates from January 2008 to September 2008. As of December 31, 2007, no amounts were available under the revolving lines of credit. Each of the mortgage notes are secured by the respective property. The mortgage notes are generally non-recourse to the Company and Cole OP II, but both are liable for customary non-recourse carve-outs.

 

Generally, the mortgage notes may not be prepaid, in whole or in part, except under the following circumstances: (i) full prepayment may be made on any of the three monthly payment dates occurring immediately prior to the maturity date, and (ii) partial prepayments resulting from the application of insurance or condemnation proceeds to reduce the outstanding principal balance of the mortgage notes. Notwithstanding the prepayment limitations, we may sell the properties to a buyer that assumes the respective mortgage loan. The transfer would be subject to the conditions set forth in the individual property’s mortgage note document, including without limitation, the lender’s approval of the proposed buyer and the payment of the lender’s fees, costs and expenses associated with the sale of the property and the assumption of the loan.

 

Generally, in the event that a mortgage note is not paid off on the respective maturity date, most mortgage notes include hyper-amortization provisions. Under the hyper-amortization provisions, the individual mortgage note maturity date will be extended by 20 years. During such period, the lender will apply 100% of the rents collected to the following items in the order indicated: (i) payment of accrued interest at the original fixed interest rate, (ii) all payments for escrow or reserve accounts, (iii) any operating expenses of the property pursuant to an approved annual budget, (iv) any extraordinary expenses and (v) the balance of the rents collected will be applied to the following in such order as the lender may determine: (1) any other amounts due in accordance with the loan documents, (2) the reduction of the principal balance of the mortgage note, and (3) capitalized interest at an interest rate equal to the greater of (A) the initial fixed interest rate as stated on the respective mortgage note agreement plus 2.0% per annum or (B) the then current Treasury Constant Maturity Yield Index plus 2.0% per annum.

 

 

In the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to litigation or claims. There are no material pending legal proceedings or proceedings known to be contemplated against us.

 

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of our stockholders during the fourth quarter of the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

 

Market Information

 

As of March 31, 2008, we had approximately 116.0 million shares of common stock outstanding, held by a total of 24,175 stockholders of record. The number of stockholders is based on the records of Phoenix American Financial Services, Inc., who serves as our registrar and transfer agent.

 

There is no established trading market for our common stock. Therefore, there is a risk that a stockholder may not be able to sell our stock at a time or price acceptable to the stockholder, or at all. Pursuant to the Follow-on Offering, we are selling shares of our common stock to the public at a price of $10.00 per share and at a price of $9.50 per share pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. Additionally, we provide discounts in our Follow-on Offering for certain categories of purchasers, including based on volume discounts. Pursuant to the terms of our charter, certain restrictions are imposed on the ownership and transfer of shares.

 

Unless and until our shares are listed on a national securities exchange, it is not expected that a public market for the shares will develop. To assist fiduciaries of tax-qualified pension, stock bonus or profit-sharing plans, employee benefit plans and annuities described in Section 403(a) or (b) of the Internal Revenue Code or an individual retirement account or annuity described in Section 408 of the Internal Revenue Code subject to the annual reporting requirements of ERISA and IRA trustees or custodians in preparation of reports relating to an investment in the shares, we intend to provide reports of the quarterly and annual determinations of the current value of the net assets per outstanding share to those fiduciaries who request such reports. In addition, in order for FINRA members and their associated persons to participate in the offering and sale of our shares of common stock, we are required pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 2710(f)(2)(m) to disclose in each annual report distributed to investors a per share estimated value of the shares, the method by which it was developed and the date of the data used to develop the estimated value. For these purposes, the deemed value of our common stock is $10.00 per share as of December 31, 2007. However, as set forth above, there is no public trading market for the shares at this time and stockholders may not receive $10.00 per share if a market did exist. Until the later of two full fiscal years after the termination of the Follow-on Offering or the termination of any subsequent offering of our shares, we intend to use the offering price of shares in the most recent offering as the per share net asset value. Beginning two full fiscal years after the completion of the last offering of shares, the value of the properties and other assets will be based on valuations of either our properties or us as a whole, whichever valuation method our board of directors determines to be appropriate, which may include independent valuations of our properties or of our enterprise as a whole.

 

Share Redemption Program

 

Our board of directors has adopted a share redemption program that enables our stockholders to sell their shares to us in limited circumstances. Our share redemption program permits stockholders to sell their shares back to us after they have held them for at least one year, subject to the significant conditions and limitations described below.

 

Our common stock is currently not listed on a national securities exchange, and we will not seek to list our stock until such time as our independent directors believe that the listing of our stock would be in the best interest of our stockholders. In order to provide stockholders with the benefit of interim liquidity, stockholders who have held their shares for at least one year may present all, or a portion consisting of at least 25%, of the holder’s shares to us for redemption at any time in accordance with the procedures outlined below. At that time, we may, subject to the conditions and limitations described below, redeem the shares presented for redemption for cash to the extent that we have sufficient funds available to us to fund such redemption. We will not pay to our board of directors, advisor or its affiliates any fees to complete any transactions under our share redemption program.

During the term of the Follow-on Offering the redemption price per share will depend on the length of time a redeeming stockholder held such shares as follows: after one year from the purchase date — 92.5% of the amount paid for each share; after two years from the purchase date — 95.0% of the amount paid for each share, after three years from the purchase date — 97.5% of the amount paid for each share; and after four years from the purchase date — 100.0% of the amount paid for each share (in each case, as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). At any time we are engaged in an offering of shares, the per share price for shares purchased under our redemption plan will always be equal to or lower than the applicable per share offering price. Thereafter the per share redemption price will be based on the then-current net asset value of the shares (as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). Our board of directors will announce any redemption price adjustment and the time period of its effectiveness as a part of its regular communications with our stockholders. At any time the redemption price is determined by any method other than the net asset value of the shares, if we have sold property and have made one or more special distributions to our stockholders of all or a portion of the net proceeds from such sales, the per share redemption price will be reduced by the net sale proceeds per share distributed to investors prior to the redemption date as a result of the sale of such property in the special distribution. Our board of directors will, in its sole discretion, determine which distributions, if any, constitute a special distribution. While our board of directors does not have specific criteria for determining a special distribution, we expect that a special distribution will only occur upon the sale of a property and the subsequent distribution of the net sale proceeds. Upon receipt of a request for redemption, we will conduct a Uniform Commercial Code search to ensure that no liens are held against the shares. We will charge an administrative fee to the stockholder for the search and other costs, which will be deducted from the proceeds of the redemption or, if a lien exists, will be charged to the stockholder. Subject to our waiver of the one-year holding period requirement, shares required to be redeemed in connection with the death of a stockholder may be repurchased without the one-year holding period requirement, at a purchase price equal to the price actually paid for the shares.

 

During any calendar year, we will not redeem in excess of 3.0% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the prior calendar year. The cash available for redemption will be limited to the proceeds from the sale of shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan.

 

We will redeem our shares on the last business day of the month following the end of each quarter. Requests for redemption would have to be received on or prior to the end of the quarter in order for us to repurchase the shares as of the end of the next month. Stockholders may withdraw their request to have their shares redeemed at any time prior to the last day of the applicable quarter.

 

If we could not purchase all shares presented for redemption in any quarter, based upon insufficient cash available and the limit on the number of shares we may redeem during any calendar year, we would attempt to honor redemption requests on a pro rata basis. We would treat the unsatisfied portion of the redemption request as a request for redemption the following quarter. At such time, stockholders may then (1) withdraw their request for redemption at any time prior to the last day of the new quarter or (2) ask that we honor their request at such time, if any, when sufficient funds become available. Such pending requests will generally be honored on a pro rata basis. We will determine whether we have sufficient funds available as soon as practicable after the end of each quarter, but in any event prior to the applicable payment date.

 

Our board of directors may choose to amend, suspend or terminate our share redemption program upon 30 days notice at any time. Additionally, we will be required to discontinue sales of shares under the distribution reinvestment plan on the earlier of May 11, 2009, which is two years from the effective date of the Follow-on Offering, unless the offering is extended, or the date we sell all of the shares registered for sale under the distribution reinvestment plan, unless we file a new registration statement with the SEC and applicable states. Because the redemption of shares will be funded with the net proceeds we receive from the sale of shares under the distribution reinvestment plan, the discontinuance or termination of the distribution reinvestment plan will adversely affect our ability to redeem shares under the share redemption program. We would notify stockholders of such developments (i) in the annual or quarterly reports mentioned above or (ii) by means of a separate mailing to stockholders, accompanied by disclosure in a current or periodic report under the Exchange Act. During the Follow-on Offering, we would also include this information in a

prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement, as then required under federal securities laws.

 

Our share redemption program is only intended to provide interim liquidity for stockholders until a liquidity event occurs, such as the listing of the shares on a national securities exchange, inclusion of the shares for quotation on a national market system, or our merger with a listed company. The share redemption program will be terminated if the shares become listed on a national securities exchange or included for quotation on a national market system. We cannot guarantee that a liquidity event will occur.

 

The shares we redeem under our share redemption program will be cancelled and return to the status of authorized and unissued shares. We do not intend to resell such shares to the public unless they are first registered with the SEC under the Securities Act and under appropriate state securities laws or otherwise sold in compliance with such laws.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2007, we redeemed approximately 227,000 shares under our share redemption program, at an average price of $9.60. During the year ended December 31, 2006, we did not redeem any shares under our share redemption program. As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company had issued approximately 2.1 million and approximately 371,000 shares of common stock under the DRIP, respectively, for proceeds of approximately $20.3 million and approximately $3.5 million, respectively, which was recorded as redeemable common stock on the consolidated balance sheets, net of redeemed shares.

 

During the three-month period ended December 31, 2007, we redeemed shares as follows:

 

 

 

 

Distributions

 

We qualified as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2005. As a REIT, we have made, and intend to make, distributions each taxable year (not including a return of capital for federal income tax purposes) equal to at least 90% of our taxable income. One of our primary goals is to pay regular (monthly) distributions to our stockholders.

 

For income tax purposes, distributions to common stockholders are characterized as ordinary dividends, capital gain dividends, or as nontaxable distributions. To the extent that we make a distribution in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be a non-taxable return of capital, reducing the tax basis in each U.S. stockholder’s shares, and the amount of each distribution in excess of a U.S. stockholder’s tax basis in its shares will be taxable as gain realized from the sale of its shares.

The following table shows the distributions we have declared during the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005:

 

 

Use of Public Offering Proceeds

 

We registered 50,000,000 shares of our common stock in our Initial Offering (SEC File no. 333-121094, effective June 27, 2005), of which we registered 45,000,000 shares at $10.00 per share to be offered to the public and 5,000,000 shares offered to our investors pursuant to our DRIP at $9.50 per share. In November 2006, we filed an additional registration statement to increase the aggregate number of shares available in our primary offering to 49,390,000 and the aggregate number of shares available in our DRIP to 5,952,000. We terminated the Initial Offering on May 22, 2007. We registered 150,000,000 shares of our common stock in our ongoing Follow-on Offering (SEC File no. 333-138444, effective May 11, 2007), of which we registered 125,000,000 shares at $10.00 per share to be offered to the public and 25,000,000 shares offered to our investors pursuant to our DRIP. As of December 31, 2007, we had issued an aggregate of approximately 93,828,038 shares of common stock in our Initial and Follow-on Offerings, raising gross offering proceeds of approximately $936.5 million. From this amount, we paid approximately $34.4 million in acquisition fees to Cole Realty Advisors, approximately $78.9 million in selling commissions and dealer manager fees to Cole Capital (of which approximately $67.4 million was reallowed to third-party broker dealers), approximately $10.1 million in finance coordination fees to Cole Advisors II and approximately $8.4 million in organization and offering costs to Cole Advisors II. With the net offering proceeds and indebtedness, we acquired approximately $1.8 billion in real estate and related assets and made the other payments reflected under “Cash Flows from Financing Activities” in our consolidated statements of cash flows. As of March 31, 2008, we had issued approximately 61.6 million shares in the Follow-on Offering at an aggregate gross offering price of approximately $615.5 million.

 

Unregistered Sale of Securities and Issuance of Stock Options

 

We issued 20,000 shares of our common stock to Cole Holdings Corporation (“Cole Holdings”) in connection with our inception in 2004 at $10.00 per share. On each of May 2, 2005, May 23, 2006 and August 15, 2007, we issued options to purchase 10,000 shares, respectively, of our common stock to our independent directors under our Independent Director Stock Option Plan. These shares and options were not registered under the Securities Act and were issued in reliance on Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.

 

The following table provides information regarding our equity compensation plan as of December 31, 2007:

 

 

The following data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto and “Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The selected financial data presented below has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the “Selected Financial Data” and our accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. See also “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” preceding Part I.

 

Overview

 

We were formed on September 29, 2004 to acquire and operate commercial real estate primarily consisting of freestanding, single-tenant, retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants located throughout the United States. We commenced our principal operations on September 23, 2005, when we issued the initial 486,000 shares of our common stock in the Offering. Prior to such date, we were considered a development stage company. We acquired our first real estate property on September 26, 2005. We have no paid employees and are externally advised and managed by Cole Advisors II, an affiliate of ours. We intend to qualify, and currently qualify, as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes.

 

Our operating results and cash flows are primarily influenced by rental income from our commercial properties and interest expense on our property acquisition indebtedness. Rental income accounted for approximately 92% and approximately 94% of total revenue during the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively. As approximately 99% of our properties are under lease, with an average remaining lease term of approximately 14.6 years, we believe our exposure to changes in commercial rental rates on our portfolio is substantially mitigated. Our advisor regularly monitors the creditworthiness of our tenants by reviewing the tenant’s financial results, credit rating agency reports (if any) on the tenant or guarantor, the operating history of the property with such tenant, the tenant’s market share and track record within its industry segment, the general health and outlook of the tenant’s industry segment, and other information for changes and possible trends. If our advisor identifies significant changes or trends that may adversely affect the creditworthiness of a tenant, it will gather a more in-depth knowledge of the tenant’s financial condition and, if necessary, attempt to mitigate the tenant credit risk by evaluating the possible sale of the property, or identifying a possible replacement tenant should the current tenant fail to perform on the lease. As of December 31, 2007, the debt leverage ratio of our portfolio, which is the ratio of total gross real estate assets to mortgage notes payable, was approximately 52%, with approximately 11% of the debt, or approximately $114.8 million, subject to variable interest rates. As of March 31, 2008, we had repaid approximately $93.5 million of the debt subject to variable interest rates. The repayments of the debt subject to variable interest rates were made with proceeds from our Follow-on Offering. As we continue to raise capital under our Follow-on Offering and invest the proceeds in commercial real estate, we will be subject to changes in real estate prices and changes in interest rates on new indebtedness used to acquire the properties. We may manage our risk of changes in real estate prices on future property acquisitions by entering into purchase agreements and loan commitments simultaneously so that our operating yield is determinable, by contracting with developers for future delivery of properties, or by entering into sale-leaseback transactions. We expect to manage our interest rate risk by monitoring the interest rate environment in connection with our planned property acquisitions to determine the appropriate acquisition financing, which may include fixed rate loans, variable rate loans or interest rate hedges. If we are unable to acquire suitable properties or obtain suitable financing for future acquisitions, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

As of December 31, 2007, we owned 250 freestanding single-tenant retail properties, 69 freestanding single-tenant commercial properties, and 14 multi-tenant retail properties, which were approximately 99% leased. Of the leases related to these properties, 13 were classified as direct financing leases, as discussed in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements. During the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, we acquired 242 and 77 properties, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we also purchased two portfolios of mortgage notes receivable for an aggregate price of approximately $87.4 million, consisting of 69 mortgage notes receivable secured by 43 restaurant properties and 26 single-tenant retail properties, each of which is subject to a net lease. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements. Our results of operations are not indicative of those expected in future periods as we expect that rental income, operating

expenses, asset management fees, depreciation expense, interest expense, and net income will each increase in the future as we acquire additional properties and as our current properties are owned for an entire period.

 

The current mortgage lending and interest rate environment for real estate in general is uncertain. We may experience more stringent lending criteria, which may limit our ability to finance certain property acquisitions. Additionally, for properties in which we are able to obtain acquisition financing, the interest rates on such loans may not meet our underwriting criteria. We expect to manage the current mortgage lending environment by utilizing fixed rate loans if the terms are acceptable, utilizing short-term variable rate loans, assuming existing mortgage loans in connection with property acquisitions, entering into interest rate lock agreements, or any combination of those measures. We also may acquire a much larger percentage of our properties for cash without financing. If we are unable to obtain suitable financing for future acquisitions or we acquire a larger percentage of our properties for cash without financing, our results of operations may be adversely affected. Additionally, if we are unable to identify suitable properties at appropriate prices in the current credit environment, we may have a larger amount of uninvested cash, which may adversely affect our results of operations. We will continue to evaluate alternatives in the current market, including purchasing or originating debt backed by real estate, which could produce attractive yields in the current market environment. Our management is not aware of any material trends or uncertainties, other than national economic conditions affecting real estate generally that may reasonably be expected to have a material impact, favorable or unfavorable, on revenues or income from the acquisition and operations of real properties and mortgage loans, other than those discussed above or referred to in this annual report on Form 10-K.

 

With our objectives of providing current income to our stockholders and preserving their capital, we view our most significant challenges as:

 

 

Application of Critical Accounting Policies

 

Our accounting policies have been established to conform with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. These judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. If management’s judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions had been different, it is possible that different accounting policies would have been applied, thus, resulting in a different presentation of the financial statements. Additionally, other companies may utilize different estimates that may impact comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses.

 

The critical accounting policies outlined below have been discussed with members of the audit committee of the board of directors.

 

Investment in Real Estate Assets

 

We are required to make subjective assessments as to the useful lives of our depreciable assets. We consider the period of future benefit of the asset to determine the appropriate useful life of each asset. Real estate assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Amounts capitalized to real estate assets consist of the cost of acquisition or construction and any tenant improvements or major improvements and betterments that extend the useful life of the related asset. All repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

All assets are depreciated on a straight line basis. The estimated useful lives of our assets by class generally are as follows:

 

 

Impairment losses are recorded on long-lived assets used in operations, which includes the operating property, when indicators of impairment are present and the assets’ carrying amount is greater than the sum of the future undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest, estimated to be generated by those assets. We have identified one property with impairment indicators for which the undiscounted future cash flows expected from the use of the property and related intangible assets and their eventual disposition was less than the carrying value of the assets. As a result, we reduced the carrying value of the real estate and related intangible assets to their estimated fair value and recorded an impairment loss of $5.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2007. No impairment losses were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Projections of expected future cash flows require us to estimate future market rental income amounts subsequent to the expiration of current lease agreements, property operating expenses, discount rates, the number of months it takes to release the property and the number of years the property is held for investment. The use of inappropriate assumptions in the future cash flow analysis would result in an incorrect assessment of the property’s future cash flow and fair value and could result in the overstatement of the carrying value of our real estate and related intangible assets and net income.

 

When a real estate asset is identified by management as held for sale, we cease depreciation of the asset and estimate the sales price, net of selling costs. If, in management’s opinion, the net sales price of the asset is less than the net book value of the asset, an adjustment to the carrying value would be recorded to reflect the estimated fair value of the property.

 

Allocation of Purchase Price of Acquired Assets

 

Upon the acquisition of real properties, we allocate the purchase price of such properties to acquired tangible assets, consisting of land and building, and identified intangible assets and liabilities, consisting of the value of above-market and below-market leases and the value of in-place leases, based in each case on their fair values. We utilize independent appraisals to assist in the determination of the fair values of the tangible assets of an acquired property (which includes land and building).

 

The fair values of above-market and below-market in-place lease values are recorded based on the present value (using an interest rate which reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the in-place leases and (ii) an estimate of fair market lease rates for the corresponding in-place leases, which is generally obtained from independent appraisals, measured over a period equal to the non-cancelable term of the lease. The above-market and below-market lease values are capitalized as intangible lease assets or liabilities and amortized as an adjustment of rental income over the lesser of the useful life or the remaining terms of the respective leases.

 

The fair values of in-place leases include direct costs associated with obtaining a new tenant, opportunity costs associated with lost rentals which are avoided by acquiring an in-place lease. Direct costs associated with obtaining a new tenant include commissions, tenant improvements, and other direct costs and are estimated in part by utilizing information obtained from independent appraisals and management’s consideration of current market costs to execute a similar lease. These direct costs are included in intangible lease assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet and are amortized to expense over the lesser of the useful life or the remaining terms of the respective leases. The value of opportunity costs is calculated using the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the in-place leases over a market absorption period for a similar lease. These intangibles are included in intangible lease assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet and are amortized to expense over the lesser of the useful life or the remaining term of the respective leases.

 

The determination of the fair values of the assets and liabilities acquired requires the use of significant assumptions with regard to the current market rental rates, rental growth rates, discount rates and other

variables. The use of inappropriate estimates would result in an incorrect assessment of our purchase price allocations, which could impact the amount of our reported net income.

 

Investment in Direct Financing Leases

 

We evaluate the leases associated with our real estate properties in accordance with SFAS No. 13, “Accounting for Leases” (“SFAS 13”). For the real estate property leases classified as direct financing leases, we account for the building portion of the property leases as direct financing leases and the land portion of these leases as operating leases. For the direct financing leases, we record an asset (net investment) representing the aggregate future minimum lease payments, estimated residual value of the leased property and deferred incremental direct costs less unearned income. We recognize income over the life of the lease to approximate a level rate of return on the net investment. We value residual values, which are reviewed quarterly, as estimated amounts we expect to receive at lease termination from the disposition of leased property. Actual residual values realized could differ from these estimates. We recognize write-downs of estimated residual value as permanent impairments in the current period.

 

Investment in Mortgage Notes Receivable

 

Mortgage notes receivable consist of loans we acquired, which are secured by real estate properties. Mortgage notes receivable are recorded at stated principal amounts net of any discount or premium or deferred loan origination costs or fees. The related discounts or premiums on mortgage notes receivable purchased are amortized or accreted over the life of the related mortgage receivable. We defer certain loan origination and commitment fees, net of certain origination costs, and amortize them as an adjustment of the mortgage notes receivable’s yield over the term of the related mortgage receivable. We evaluate the collectibility of both interest and principal on each mortgage note receivable to determine whether it is impaired. A mortgage note receivable is considered to be impaired, when based upon current information and events, it is probable that we will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the existing contractual terms. When a mortgage note receivable is considered to be impaired, the amount of loss is calculated by comparing the recorded investment to the value determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at the mortgage note receivable’s effective interest rate or to the value of the underlying collateral if the mortgage note receivable is collateralized. Interest income on performing mortgage note receivable is accrued as earned. Interest income on impaired mortgage notes receivable is recognized on a cash basis. No impairment losses were recorded related to mortgage notes receivable for either of the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Upon the acquisition of real estate, certain properties have leases where minimum rent payments increase during the term of the lease. We record rental revenue for the full term of each lease on a straight-line basis. When we acquire a property, the term of existing leases is considered to commence as of the acquisition date for the purposes of this calculation. We defer the recognition of contingent rental income, such as percentage rents, until the specific target that triggers the contingent rental income is achieved. Reimbursements from tenants for recoverable real estate taxes and operating expenses are included in rental income in the period the related costs are incurred.

 

Income Taxes

 

We are taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code. We generally will not be subject to federal corporate income tax to the extent we distribute our REIT taxable income to our stockholders, and so long as we distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income. REITs are subject to a number of other organizational and operational requirements. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income and property, and federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.

Results of Operations

 

We commenced our principal operations on September 23, 2005, when we issued the initial 486,000 shares of our common stock in the Initial Offering. Prior to such date, we were considered a development stage company. We acquired our first real estate property on September 26, 2005.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2007 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2006

 

As of December 31, 2007, we owned 333 commercial properties, of which approximately 99% of the rentable space was leased, compared to 91 commercial properties at December 31, 2006. We also owned a portfolio of 69 mortgage notes receivable at December 31, 2007. We had no mortgage notes receivable at December 31, 2006. Accordingly, our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2007, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2006, reflect significant increases in all categories.

 

Revenue.  Revenue increased approximately $70.3 million, or approximately 360%, to approximately $89.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $19.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. Our revenue primarily consists of rental income from net leased commercial properties, which accounted for approximately 92% and 94% of total revenues during the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

 

Rental income increased approximately $64.1 million, or approximately 349%, to approximately $82.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of 242 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2007 and the ownership of the 77 properties acquired during the year ended December 31, 2006 for the full year in 2007. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we acquired 242 additional properties for which we pay certain operating expenses subject to reimbursement by the tenant, which resulted in approximately $5.2 million of tenant reimbursement income in 2007 compared to approximately $1.2 million in 2006.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2007, we acquired 13 properties that we accounted for as direct financing leases. We had no properties accounted for as direct financing leases at December 31, 2006. Earned income from direct financing leases was approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, with no earned income from direct financing leases recorded for year ended December 31, 2006. See Note 3 to our consolidated audited financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Interest income on mortgages receivable was approximately $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, with no mortgages receivable interest income recorded for the year ended December 31, 2006. We purchased approximately $87.4 million of mortgage notes receivable during the year ended December 31, 2007. We had no mortgage notes receivable at December 31, 2006. See Note 6 to our consolidated audited financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

General and Administrative Expenses.  General and administrative expenses increased approximately $1.0 million, or approximately 111%, to approximately $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $953,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to increases in state franchise and income taxes due to the increase in the number of properties owned from 91 properties at December 31, 2006 to 333 properties at December 31, 2007. The primary general and administrative expense items are legal and accounting fees, state franchise and income taxes, organizational costs, and other licenses and fees.

 

Property Operating Expenses.  Property operating expenses increased approximately $5.1 million, or approximately 356%, to approximately $6.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to the ownership of more properties during the year ended December 31, 2007 than in the year ended December 31, 2006, for which we initially pay certain operating expenses and are reimbursed by the tenant in accordance with the respective lease agreements, including 10 additional multi-tenant shopping centers. At December 31, 2007, we owned 14 multi-tenant shopping centers compared to four at December 31, 2006. The primary property operating expense items are repairs and maintenance, property taxes, bad debt expense and insurance.

Property and Asset Management Fees.  Pursuant to the advisory agreement with our advisor, we are required to pay to our advisor a monthly asset management fee equal to one-twelfth of 0.25% of the aggregate asset value of our properties determined in accordance with the advisory agreement as of the last day of the preceding month. Pursuant to the property management agreement with our affiliated property manager, during the year ended December 31, 2007, we paid to our property manager a property management and leasing fee in an amount equal to 2% of gross revenues. In accordance with the property management agreement, we may pay Cole Realty Advisors (i) up to 2% of gross revenues from our single-tenant properties and (ii) up to 4% of gross revenues from our multi-tenant properties, as determined pursuant to the agreement, less all payments to third-party management subcontractors.

 

Property and asset management fees increased approximately $3.2 million, or approximately 347%, to approximately $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $937,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. Property management fees increased approximately $1.2 million to approximately $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 from approximately $350,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in property management fees was primarily due to an increase in rental income to approximately $82.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, from approximately $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, due to the acquisition of 242 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2007. Asset management fees increased approximately $2.0 million to approximately $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2007 from approximately $587,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in asset management fees was primarily due to an increase in the average aggregate book value of properties owned to approximately $1.2 billion during the year ended December 31, 2007 from approximately $272.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in aggregate book value is due to the acquisition of 242 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses.  Depreciation and amortization expenses increased approximately $24.0 million, or approximately 371%, to approximately $30.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $6.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the average aggregate book value of properties owned to approximately $1.2 billion at December 31, 2007 from approximately $272.5 million at December 31, 2006. The increase in aggregate book value was primarily due to the acquisition of 242 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2007

 

Impairment of Real Estate Assets.  Impairment on real estate assets was approximately $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, with no impairment loss recorded for the year ended December 31, 2006. The impairment was due to impairment losses recorded on one property during the year ended December 31, 2007, as discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Interest and Other Income.  Interest and other income increased approximately $1.8 million, or approximately 349%, to approximately $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $503,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. Interest income increased approximately $1.3 million, or approximately 253%, to approximately $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $503,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to higher uninvested cash during the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to the year ended December 31, 2006 due to increased proceeds from the Initial Offering and Follow-on Offering. Cash and cash equivalents was approximately $43.5 million at December 31, 2007 compared to approximately $37.6 million at December 31, 2006. Other income consists of the net gain on disposal of rate locks of approximately $478,000 for the year ended December 31, 2007. On August 10, 2007, we elected to terminate our rate lock agreements, as discussed in Note 9 to our consolidated audited financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K. No other income was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Interest Expense.  Interest expense increased approximately $30.2 million, or approximately 339%, to approximately $39.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to approximately $8.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the average mortgage notes payable outstanding during the year ended December 31, 2007 to approximately $637.0 million from

approximately $142.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase in average mortgage notes payable was due to our acquisition of 105 new debt agreements during the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

Our property acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2007, were financed in part with short-term and long-term notes payable as discussed in Note 6 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We expect that our interest expense in future periods will vary based on our level of future borrowings, which will depend on the level of proceeds raised in the Follow-on Offering, the cost of our borrowings, and the opportunity to acquire real estate assets that meet our investment objectives.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2006 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2005

 

As of December 31, 2006, we owned 91 commercial properties compared to 14 commercial properties at December 31, 2005, all of which were 100% leased. Accordingly, our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2006 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2005 reflect significant increases in all categories.

 

Revenue.  Rental income increased approximately $17.6 million, or approximately 2,375%, to approximately $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $742,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to our acquisition of 77 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2006 and the recording of rental income for the 14 properties acquired during 2005 for 12 months during the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to three months, or less, during the year ended December 31, 2005. Our revenue primarily consists of rental income from net leased commercial properties, which accounted for approximately 94% and approximately 100% of total revenues during the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. During 2006, we acquired certain properties for which we pay certain operating expenses subject to reimbursement by the tenant, which resulted in approximately $1.2 million of tenant reimbursement income for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to no amounts for the year ended December 31, 2005.

 

General and Administrative Expenses.  General and administrative expenses increased approximately $797,000, or approximately 510%, to approximately $953,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to approximately $156,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to increases in legal and accounting fees, primarily due to our increase in assets and operations and a full year of Securities and Exchange Commission reporting obligations in the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to six months in the year ended December 31, 2005, and increases in state franchise and income taxes due to the increase in the number of properties owned from 14 properties at December 31, 2005 to 91 properties at December 31, 2006. The primary general and administrative expense items are legal and accounting fees, organizational costs, state franchise and income taxes, and other licenses and fees.

 

Property Operating Expenses.  Property operating expenses were approximately $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, with no property operating expenses recorded for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of certain properties subsequent to December 31, 2005, for which we initially paid certain operating expenses and are reimbursed by the tenant in accordance with the respective lease agreements. At December 31, 2005, our portfolio consisted solely of properties in which each tenant paid substantially all expenses directly. The primary property operating expense items are repairs and maintenance, property taxes, and insurance.

 

Property and Asset Management Fees.  Pursuant to the advisory agreement with our advisor, we are required to pay to our advisor a monthly asset management fee equal to 1/12 of 0.25% of the aggregate asset value of our properties determined in accordance with the advisory agreement as of the last day of the preceding month. Pursuant to the property management agreement with our advisor, we are required to pay to our advisor a property management and leasing fee in an amount equal to 2.0% of gross revenues for determined pursuant to the agreement, less all payments to third-party management subcontractors.

 

Property and asset management fees increased approximately $898,000, or approximately 2,317% to approximately $937,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $39,000 for the

year ended December 31, 2005. Property management fees increased approximately $336,000 to approximately $350,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006 from approximately $14,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in property management fees was primarily due to an increase in rental income to approximately $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2006 from approximately $742,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. Asset management fees increased approximately $562,000 to approximately $587,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006 from approximately $25,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in asset management fees was primarily due to an increase in the aggregate book value of properties owned to approximately $272.5 million at December 31, 2006 from approximately $45.8 million at December 31, 2005.

 

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses.  Depreciation and amortization expenses increased approximately $6.3 million, or approximately 2,822%, to approximately $6.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $221,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the average aggregate book value of properties owned to approximately $272.5 million at December 31, 2006 from approximately $45.8 million at December 31, 2005 and the recording of depreciation and amortization for 12 months during the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to three months during the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in aggregate book value is due to the acquisition of 77 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2006 and the ownership of the 14 properties acquired during the year ended December 31, 2005 for a full year in the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Interest and Other Income.  Interest income increased approximately $475,000, or approximately 1,727%, to approximately $503,000 for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $28,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to having higher uninvested cash throughout the year due to proceeds from the Initial Offering. Cash and cash equivalents was approximately $37.6 million at December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $4.6 million at December 31, 2005.

 

Interest Expense.  Interest expense increased approximately $8.4 million, or approximately 1,804%, to approximately $8.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to approximately $467,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the average mortgage notes payable outstanding during 2006 to approximately $142.5 million from approximately $33.4 million during 2005 and the recording of interest expense for 12 months during the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to four months during the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in average mortgage notes payable was primarily due to the acquisition of 77 new properties during the year ended December 31, 2006 and the ownership of the 14 properties acquired during the year ended December 31, 2005 for a full year in the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Portfolio Information

 

Real Estate Portfolio

 

As of December 31, 2007, we owned 333 properties located in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the gross rentable space of which was approximately 99% leased with an average lease term remaining of approximately 14.6 years. Of the leases related to these properties, 13 were classified as direct financing leases, as discussed in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements accompanying this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As of December 31, 2007, our five highest geographic concentrations were as follows:

 

 

As of December 31, 2007, our five highest tenant industry concentrations were as follows:

 

 

As of December 31, 2007, our five highest tenant concentrations were as follows:

 

 

For more information on our portfolio diversification and statistics, see “Item 2 — Properties” above.

 

Mortgage Notes Receivable Portfolio

 

During the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company acquired two portfolios of mortgage notes receivable for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $87.4 million consisting of 69 mortgage notes receivable, secured by 23 restaurant properties leased to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, 20 restaurant properties leased to KFC, and 26 retail properties leased to O’Reilly Auto Parts.

 

Funds From Operations

 

We believe that funds from operations (“FFO”) is a beneficial indicator of the performance of a REIT. Because FFO calculations exclude such factors as depreciation and amortization of real estate assets and gains or losses from sales or impairment of operating real estate assets (which can vary among owners of identical assets in similar conditions based on historical cost accounting and useful-life estimates), they facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between other REITs. Our management believes that accounting for real estate assets in accordance with GAAP implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictability over time. Since real estate values have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, many

industry investors and analysts have considered the presentation of operating results for real estate companies that use historical cost accounting to be insufficient by themselves. As a result, we believe that the use of FFO, together with the required GAAP presentations, provide a more complete understanding of our performance relative to our competitors and a more informed and appropriate basis on which to make decisions involving operating, financing, and investing activities. Other REITs may not define FFO in accordance with the current National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) definition or may interpret the current NAREIT definition differently than we do.

 

FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure and does not represent net income as defined by GAAP. Net income as defined by GAAP is the most relevant measure in determining our operating performance because FFO includes adjustments that investors may deem subjective, such as adding back expenses such as depreciation and amortization. Accordingly, FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income as an indicator of our operating performance.

 

Our calculation of FFO is presented in the following table for the period ended as indicated:

 

 

Set forth below is additional information (often considered in conjunction with FFO) that may be helpful in assessing our operating results:

 

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We expect to continue to raise capital through the sale of our common stock and to utilize the net proceeds from the sale of our common stock and proceeds from secured or unsecured financings to complete future property acquisitions. As of December 31, 2007, we had received and accepted subscriptions for 93,828,038 shares of common stock in our Initial Offering and Follow-on Offering for gross proceeds of approximately $936.5 million.

 

Short-term Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We expect to meet our short-term liquidity requirements through net cash provided by property operations and proceeds from the Offering, as well as, secured or unsecured borrowings from banks and other lenders to finance our expected future acquisitions. In addition, we may obtain a secured or unsecured revolving line of credit. We expect our operating cash flows to increase as additional properties are added to our portfolio. We expect that approximately 88.6% of the gross proceeds from the sale of our common stock will be invested in

real estate, approximately 9.2% will be used to pay sales commissions, dealer manager fees and offering and organizational costs, with the remaining 2.2% used to pay acquisition and advisory fees and acquisition expenses. Our advisor pays the offering and organizational costs associated with the sale of our common stock, which we reimburse up to 1.5% of the capital raised by us in connection with our offering of shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2007, Cole Advisors II had paid approximately $8.4 million of offering and organization costs since the inception of the Initial Offering and we had reimbursed our advisor for all such costs, of which approximately $59,000 was expensed as organizational costs.

 

During the period from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2008, we completed the acquisition of 41 single-tenant properties and two multi-tenant properties in separate transactions for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $261.0 million, exclusive of closing costs. The acquisitions were funded with proceeds from the Initial Offering and Follow-on Offering and approximately $144.9 million in aggregate proceeds from six loans.

 

On January 8, 2008, our board of directors declared a daily distribution of $0.00191781 per share for stockholders of record as of the close of business on each day of the period commencing on January 1, 2008 and ending on March 31, 2008. The distributions for the period commencing on January 1, 2008 and ending on January 31, 2008 were paid in February 2008 and totaled approximately $5.8 million, of which approximately $3.2 million was reinvested in shares through our distribution reinvestment program. The distributions for the period commencing on February 1, 2008 and ending on February 29, 2008 were paid in March 2008 and totaled approximately $5.8 million, of which approximately $3.2 million was reinvested in shares through our distribution reinvestment program.

 

Long-term Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

We expect to meet our long-term liquidity requirements through proceeds from the sale of our common stock, proceeds from secured or unsecured financings from banks and other lenders, the selective and strategic sale of properties and net cash flows from operations. We expect that our primary uses of capital will be for property acquisitions, for the payment of tenant improvements, for the payment of offering-related costs, for the payment of operating expenses, including interest expense on any outstanding indebtedness, and for the payment of distributions to our stockholders.

 

We expect that substantially all net cash generated from operations will be used to pay distributions to our stockholders after certain capital expenditures, including tenant improvements and leasing commissions, are paid at the properties; however, we may use other sources to fund distributions as necessary. To the extent that cash flows from operations are lower due to fewer properties being acquired or lower returns on the properties, distributions paid to our stockholders may be lower. We expect that substantially all net cash resulting from equity or debt financing will be used to fund acquisitions, certain capital expenditures identified at acquisition, repayments of outstanding debt, or distributions to our stockholders.

 

As of December 31, 2007, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $43.5 million, which we expect to be used primarily to invest in additional real estate, pay operating expenses and pay stockholder distributions.

 

As of December 31, 2007, we had approximately $1.1 billion of debt outstanding, consisting of approximately $940.9 million in fixed rate, term mortgage loans, approximately $43.5 million in variable rate term mortgage loans, and approximately $71.3 million in variable rate loans secured by our mortgage notes receivable. The weighted average interest rate at December 31, 2007, under the fixed rate term mortgage loans was approximately 5.85%, the variable rate term mortgage interest rate is stated at LIBOR plus 1.5% to 2.0%, and the variable rate loans secured by mortgage notes receivable interest rate is stated at LIBOR plus 2.0% to 2.75%. Additionally the ratio of debt to total gross assets was approximately 52% and the weighted average years to maturity was approximately 7.34 years.

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2007 were as follows:

 

 

 

 

Our charter prohibits us from incurring debt that would cause our borrowings to exceed the greater of 60% of our gross assets, valued at the greater of the aggregate cost (before depreciation and other non-cash reserves) or fair market value of all assets owned by us, unless approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in our next quarterly report. During the quarter ended March 31, 2006, the independent directors approved borrowings that caused our leverage ratio at certain times to exceed the 60% limitation. The independent directors believed such borrowing levels were justified for the following reasons:

 

 

Cash Flow Analysis

 

Year ended December 31, 2007 Compared to the Year ended December 31, 2006

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash provided by operating activities increased approximately $35.5 million, or approximately 452%, to approximately $43.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of approximately $7.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net income of approximately $3.1 million, increases in depreciation and amortization expenses totaling approximately $24.5 million, an impairment of real estate assets of approximately $5.4 million and an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $4.0 million, offset by an increase in rents and tenant receivables of approximately $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. See “Results of Operations” for a more complete discussion of the factors impacting our operating performance.

 

Investing Activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities increased approximately $1.0 billion, or approximately 326%, to approximately $1.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to net cash used in investing

activities of approximately $320.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of 242 real estate properties during the year ended December 31, 2007 compared to the acquisition of 77 properties during the year ended December 31, 2006, and we acquired approximately $87.4 million of mortgage notes receivable using cash of approximately $51.1 million and mortgage notes payable obtained from the seller of approximately $36.3 million.

 

Financing Activities

 

Net cash provided by financing activities increased approximately $982.1 million, or approximately 284%, to approximately $1.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of approximately $345.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to an increase in aggregate net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in the Initial Offering and the Follow-on Offering of approximately $335.1 million, an increase in proceeds from the issuance of mortgage and affiliate notes of approximately $686.3 million, and a decrease in repayments of mortgage and affiliate notes payable of approximately $10.5 million, offset by an increase in distributions to investors of approximately $13.9 million, an increase in offering costs on issuance of common stock of approximately $31.4 million and an increase in deferred financing costs paid of approximately $15.6 million. The increase in proceeds from issuance of mortgage and affiliate notes payable was due to our issuance of 105 new mortgages during the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to 46 new mortgages during the year ended December 31, 2006. Also, we borrowed approximately $72.2 million from our revolving mortgage notes payable.

 

Year ended December 31, 2006 Compared to the Year ended December 31, 2005

 

Operating Activities

 

Net cash provided by operating activities increased approximately $7.5 million, or approximately 1,877%, to approximately $7.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of approximately $398,000 for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to net income for the period of approximately $1.3 million and depreciation and amortization expenses totaling approximately $7.0 million offset by increases in rents and tenant receivables of approximately $2.4 million. See “Results of Operations” for a more complete discussion of the factors impacting our operating performance.

 

Investing Activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities increased approximately $226.6 million, or approximately 242%, to approximately $320.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to net cash used in investing activities of approximately $93.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of 77 real estate properties during the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to the acquisition of 14 properties during the year ended December 31, 2005, and an approximately $2.2 million increase in restricted cash, due to an increase cash held in escrow pending the issuance of shares to investors.

 

Financing Activities

 

Net cash provided by financing activities increased approximately $247.7 million, or approximately 254%, to approximately $345.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, compared to net cash provided by financing activities of approximately $97.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in the Initial Offering of approximately $222.8 million and an increase in proceeds from the issuance of mortgage and affiliate notes of approximately $93.9 million, offset by an increase in repayments of mortgage and affiliate notes payable of approximately $63.5 million. The increase in proceeds from issuance of mortgage and affiliate notes payable was due to the issuance of 59 new mortgages during the year ended December 31, 2006 compared to nine new mortgages during the year ended December 31, 2005. The increase in repayments of mortgage and affiliate notes payable was due to the repayment of short-term variable rate debt at its maturity during the year ended

December 31, 2006 and the repayment of approximately $4.5 million of affiliate notes payable during the year ended December 31, 2006.

 

Election as a REIT

 

We are taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of our ordinary taxable income to stockholders. As a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will then be subject to federal income taxes on our taxable income for four years following the year during which qualification is lost, unless the Internal Revenue Service grants us relief under certain statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect our net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, we believe that we are organized and operate in such a manner as to qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. No provision for federal income taxes has been made in our accompanying consolidated financial statements. We are subject to certain state and local taxes related to the operations of properties in certain locations, which have been provided for in our accompanying financial statements.

 

Inflation

 

The real estate market has not been affected significantly by inflation in the past several years due to the relatively low inflation rate. However, in the event inflation does become a factor, the leases on the real estate we may acquire may not include provisions that would protect us from the impact of inflation.

 

Related-Party Transactions and Agreements

 

We have entered into agreements with Cole Advisors II and its affiliates, whereby we pay certain fees to, or reimburse certain expenses of, Cole Advisors II or its affiliates for acquisition and advisory fees and expenses, organization and offering costs, sales commissions, dealer manager fees, asset and property management fees and reimbursement of operating costs. See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the various related-party transactions, agreements and fees.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Affiliates of Cole Advisors II act as sponsor, general partner or advisor to various private real estate limited partnerships and a REIT that offered its shares pursuant to an exemption from registration. As such, there are conflicts of interest where Cole Advisors II or its affiliates, while serving in the capacity as sponsor, general partner or advisor for another Cole sponsored program, may be in competition with us in connection with property acquisitions, property dispositions, and property management. The compensation arrangements between affiliates of Cole Advisors II and these other Cole sponsored programs could influence its advice to us. See “Item 1. Business — Conflicts of Interest” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Subsequent Events

 

Certain events subsequent to December 31, 2007 through March 31, 2008, including the sale of shares of common stock, the acquisition of 43 properties and the attainment of additional mortgage financing are discussed in Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Impact of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

Reference is made to Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding the impact of recent accounting pronouncements.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

As of December 31, 2007 and 2006, we had no off balance sheet arrangements.

 

 

As a result of our use of debt, primarily to acquire properties, we are exposed to interest rate changes. Our interest rate risk management objectives are to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flow primarily through a moderate level of overall borrowings. We manage our ratio of fixed to floating rate debt with the objective of achieving a mix that we believe is appropriate. Our floating rate debt is based on variable interest rates in order to provide the necessary financing flexibility; however, we are closely monitoring interest rates and will continue to consider the sources and terms of our borrowing facilities to determine whether we have appropriately guarded ourselves against the risk of increasing interest rates in future periods.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2007, we entered into interest rate lock agreements with various lenders to lock interest rates ranging from 5.49% to 6.69% for up to approximately $647.8 million in borrowings. As of December 31, 2007, we had no available borrowings under the interest rate lock agreements and no rate lock deposits outstanding.

 

Our financial instruments consist of both fixed and variable rate debt. As of December 31, 2007, our consolidated debt consisted of the following, with scheduled maturities:

 

 

Approximately $940.9 million of our total debt outstanding as of December 31, 2007 was subject to fixed rates, with a weighted average interest rate of approximately 5.85% and expiration dates ranging from 2008 to 2018. A change in the market interest rate would impact the net financial instrument position of our fixed rate debt portfolio, but would have no impact on interest incurred or cash flows.

 

As of December 31, 2007, a 1% change in interest rates would result in a change in interest expense of approximately $1.1 million per year.

 

We do not have any foreign operations or assets. As a result, we are not exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency rates.

 

 

The financial statements and supplementary data filed as part of this report are set forth beginning on page F-1 of this report.

 

 

There were no changes in or disagreements with our independent registered public accountants during the year ended December 31, 2007.

 

 

In accordance with Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act we, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act)

as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures, as of December 31, 2007, were effective, in all material respects, to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the rules and forms promulgated under the Exchange Act, and is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

 

No change occurred in our internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d -15(f) of the Exchange Act) in connection with the foregoing evaluations that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2007 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

 

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

 

Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a — 15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Also, projections of any evaluation of internal control effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

Based on this evaluation, management has concluded that Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2007.

 

This annual report does not include an attestation report of the company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to temporary rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.

 

 

As of the quarter ended December 31, 2007, all items required to be disclosed under Form 8-K were reported as such.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to our 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to our 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to our 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to our 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC with respect to our 2008 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

 

 

(a) List of Documents Filed.

 

1. The list of the financial statements contained herein is set forth on page F-1 hereof.

 

2. Financial Statement Schedules —

 

Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts is set forth beginning on page S-1 hereof.

 

Schedule III — Real Estate Assets and Accumulated Depreciation is set forth beginning on page S-2 hereof.

 

Schedule IV — Mortgage Loans on Real Estate Assets is set forth beginning on page S-20 hereof.

 

All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the SEC are not required under the related instructions or are not applicable and therefore have been omitted.

 

3. The Exhibits filed in response to Item 601 of Regulation S-K are listed on the Exhibit Index attached hereto.

 

(b) See (a) 3 above.

 

(c) See (a) 2 above.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized this 31st day of March 2008.

 

Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.

 

Christopher H. Cole

Chief Executive Officer and President

 

Date: March 31, 2008

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following person on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacity as and on the date indicated.

 

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc.

Phoenix, Arizona

 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cole Credit Property Trust II, Inc. and subsidiaries (“the Company”) as of December 31, 2007 and 2006 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2007. Our audits also included the financial statement schedules listed in the index at Item 15. These financial statements and financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2007 and 2006 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2007, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such financial statement schedules, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

 

 

Phoenix, Arizona

March 31, 2008