Wells REIT Buys 178,000-SF Eagle Rock IV

"This is a strong, well-leased building with a mix of creditworthy tenants," says Jeff Gilder, managing director of acquisitions for the Norcross, GA-based Wells Real Estate Funds, who repped his firm in-house, along with Heather Griner, vice president of acquisitions. "It's also in an area that has shown strength in rental rates."

That area referenced is the Morristown submarket in Northern New Jersey, and the acquisition is Wells REIT II's fifth in the North Jersey region. The seller was Invesco, and the terms, including the sale price, were not released. Industry sources, however, estimate that the asset traded for a number in the $25-30 million range.

"For Wells, the rent roll and below-replacement-cost sale price made this investment an attractive opportunity to expand the company's footprint in Northern New Jersey," says Gary Gabriel of Cushman & Wakefield's Metropolitan Area Capital Markets Group, who brokered the deal with C&W colleagues Andrew Merin, David Bernhaut and Jose Cruz. "The building offers quality space in a high-end park environment."

Building IV is one of three within the campus, with the other two assets owned by RexCorp Realty and TA Associates. According to Gabriel, the offering was "highly sought-after. It drew multiple bids, with its strong in-place rent rates and limited short-term rollover."

Invesco had the building in its portfolio for just more than two years. As reported by GlobeSt.com, that firm bought it from partners Investcorp, Crow Holdings and Lincoln Equities in early 2005. The acquisition was part of a four-building portfolio deal, with three of the properties in Northern New Jersey and the fourth in San Francisco. The three New Jersey buildings, totaling approximately one million sf, traded for upwards of $100 million, according to sources. The Investcorp/Crow/Lincoln group, in turn, had acquired it in February 2000.