Ernest M. Freedman
Analyst · RBC Capital Markets
Sure. With regards to capital improvements, we give guidance as well that we're spending some money on property upgrades, about roughly $40 million, $40 million to $45 million. Those are for projects like putting in similarly wood flooring, there projects like energy replacement projects, where we get more energy-efficient properties, just putting granite in the countertops and in our various properties. We've had a run rate over the last few years spending across entire portfolio about $40 million -- $30 million to $40 million a year. That's what those represent. And they get pretty good returns for us. They have long life, they help bring down expenses well as grow revenues and it's been a good way for us to create value for our shareholders. With regards to capital replacement spending and there's certainly a bunch of different numbers in our report. On our outlook page, we note that our capital replacement spending is going down from $75 million in 2013, down to $55 million in 2014. But as we talk about it in the release, a big chunk of that decrease is due to the fact that we've completed a significant amount of work at one of our properties, Park Towne Place in Center City, Philadelphia, where we have 4 towers, approximately 960 units, and it's a 50-year old plus building where we're going into the guts and replacing the plumbing, the electrical, the mechanical, almost everything in there. And we're able to complete 3 of those 4 towers in 2013, which is at 1 left to go. That makes up almost all of the decrease in capital replacement spending. About $2 million or $3 million of that capital replacement spending decreased which is the fact that we have less units. That's one of the reasons why would we measure AFFO, because that's real spending that has to happen each year. Short of it, is Michael, we've actually increased our capital replacement spending on our current portfolio for what we're keeping for about $900 in 2013 to $1,000 in 2014, that's the right thing to do. We want to continue to maintain our assets and put the money into it, that is needed. So that's kind of the moving pieces and the parts of what's happening with capital replacements.