10-K 1 v332653_10k.htm FORM 10-K

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

xANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

or

 

¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ________________________ to _______________________

 

Commission file number: 000-09305

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

South Carolina   57-0700063
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

c/o Grace Property Management, Inc.

55 Brookville Road, Glen Head, New York 11545

(Address of principal executive offices, ZIP code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (516) 686-2201

 

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

 

Title of each class   Name of each exchange on which registered
None   None

 

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

 

Partnership Units
(Title of class)

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Yes ¨ No x

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes ¨ No x

 

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 x     No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes x No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) 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 Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

 

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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)

 

  Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer ¨
  Non-accelerated filer ¨ Smaller reporting company x
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)  

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ¨     No x

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s limited partnership units held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the limited partnership units were last sold as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $616,931.

 

On January 31, 2013, registrant had outstanding 1,811,062 partnership units.

 

The following documents are incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

NONE.

 

 
 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
PART I 1
Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements 1
Item 1. Business 2
Item 1A. Risk Factors 13
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 49
Item 2. Properties 49
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 51
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 51
     
PART II 52
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 52
Item 6. Selected Financial Data 54
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 55
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 63
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 64
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 64
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 64
Item 9B. Other Information 66
     
PART III 67
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance 67
Item 11. Executive Compensation 68
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 69
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 72
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 73
     
PART IV 75
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 75
     
SIGNATURES 77

  

 
 

 

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PART I

 

Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the federal securities laws. The events described in forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may not occur. Generally, these statements relate to our business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits or other consequences of our plans or strategies, financing plans, projected or anticipated benefits from acquisitions that we may make, or projections involving anticipated revenues, earnings or other aspects of our operating results or financial position, and the outcome of any contingencies. Any such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations, estimates and projections of management. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in those laws and include this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance, achievements, or events, and may contain forward-looking words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “should,” “strategies,” “will,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar terms and their negatives that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements represent our (including the General Partner’s) beliefs, expectations, intentions, and plans, and, as such, are not guarantees of future outcomes or future performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, but are not limited to, statements regarding economic conditions; interest rates; real estate market conditions; competition in the real estate market; government regulation of the real estate industry (including but not limited to environmental matters, and endangered and protected species); taxes; terms, conditions, and availability of financing to us or others; terms, conditions, and availability of insurance to us or others; occurrence and/or effects of hurricanes and other natural disasters, and related costs; rules and regulations relating to governance or taxation of limited partnerships; accounting principles, interpretations, and practices; our business and sales strategies, plans and programs; restrictions on development related to endangered species (including but not limited to the Red-cockaded Woodpecker); installation of water and sewer systems in Boiling Spring Lakes and related costs and assessments; unimproved roads, road improvements, dam repairs and related costs; our liquidity and capital resources (including but not limited to potential financing); our capital expenditures and projects (including but not limited to road improvements); and our potential legal exposure (including but not limited with respect to environmental matters, buyers of our property, and third parties). We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks, and other influences, many of which are beyond our control, that may influence the accuracy of the statements and the projections upon which the statements are based. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Copies of these filings are available at the SEC’s Internet website at http: //www.sec.gov.   

 

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Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences could materially affect our results of operations and whether forward-looking statements made by us ultimately prove to be accurate. Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether from new information, future events or otherwise.

 

Item 1. Business

 

As used herein, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership, a South Carolina limited partnership, and the terms “our general partner” and “General Partner” refer to Grace Property Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and/or its successors or additional general partners, as the context requires.

 

General

 

We are a South Carolina limited partnership that is engaged in owning, developing, selling, leasing, or otherwise dealing in real estate in North Carolina. Our principal asset is our undeveloped land in Boiling Spring Lakes, comprising approximately 817 acres. As of December 31, 2012, we owned the following undeveloped land:

 

Approximately 354 acres, divided into 1,071 platted individual lots, both recorded and unrecorded, intended for residential use.

 

Approximately 244 acres intended for residential use.

 

Approximately 219 acres intended for commercial use.

 

Our business is primarily the sale of the individual lots, concentrating on those lots situated on existing paved roads and rocked roads. From time to time, we may add to our inventory of individual lots situated on paved roads and rocked roads by paving or rocking roads that are currently unpaved or not rocked.

 

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Background; Development of Business

 

On May 17, 1979, the stockholders of Reeves Telecom Corporation (the “Corporation”) approved a plan of liquidation (the “Plan”) for the Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Plan, which was determined by the Internal Revenue Service to qualify as a Section 337 liquidation, authorized the Corporation’s Board of Directors to sell the Corporation’s assets and distribute any remaining unsold assets to its stockholders and/or a liquidation trust. On May 8, 1980, stockholders at a special meeting approved an amendment to the Plan whereby assets not sold within one year of the date the Plan was approved could be transferred, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, from the Corporation to a South Carolina limited partnership which would undertake to sell the remaining assets on behalf of the stockholders. Pursuant to the Plan, the Corporation sold all of its broadcasting assets and substantially all of the land held for development and sale at one of its two land development locations and distributed to its stockholders cash of $0.90 per share on February 29, 1980 and $2.30 per share on May 14, 1980. On May 15, 1980, the Corporation was liquidated and all of its unsold assets and liabilities were transferred to Reeves Telecom Associates, a South Carolina limited partnership (“us”, “we”, or the “Partnership”). Stockholders of the Corporation received one partnership unit in exchange for each share of common stock. The units are not listed on any national securities exchange. In January 1987, pursuant to a change in South Carolina law, the Partnership’s legal name was changed from Reeves Telecom Associates to Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership.

 

We succeeded to the ownership of real estate situated within two developments, Boiling Spring Lakes in North Carolina, and Pimlico Plantation in South Carolina. Substantially all of the real estate in Pimlico Plantation had been sold by 1990, and, since then, our principal assets have been our real estate in Boiling Spring Lakes and a golf course and country club located within that development. See “Item 2. Properties.”

 

From our inception to mid-1993, we had limited financial resources. We, therefore, focused on holding down costs until we could sell all or substantially all of our assets in a bulk sale. Local real estate brokers were relied upon to generate individual lot sales, and the golf course and country club were leased to a third party operator. Under this arrangement, lot sales were slow and, generally, operating expenses significantly exceeded revenue from such sales.

 

Beginning in June 1993, we focused on the sale of individual lots on an all-cash basis through our sales office in Boiling Spring Lakes. At that time, we also became increasingly involved in the management and operation of the golf course and country club.

 

During 2000, we sold approximately 5,127 acres of land, or approximately 80% of the total acreage then owned by us in Boiling Spring Lakes, to The Nature Conservancy. The sale generated gross proceeds of $2,400,000.

 

During 2001, we sold the assets of the golf course and country club for total consideration of $862,500, consisting of a combination of cash and a note receivable. The buyer of the assets made a substantial prepayment of principal on the note receivable in June 2003 and paid the remaining balance on the note receivable in June 2008.

 

We sold our remaining real estate in Pimlico Plantation in 2003.

 

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General Partner

 

Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Grace Property Management, Inc., our General Partner, performs functions generally performed by officers and directors. Grace Property Management, Inc. is a Delaware corporation engaged in the business of real estate management, and has served as our general partner since May 15, 1980.Pursuant to our Limited Partnership Agreement, our general partner is responsible for the management of our business. Our general partner is Grace Property Management, Inc. (the “General Partner”).

 

See our audited financial statements and the summary information set forth in Table 6, “Selected Income Statement Data,” and Table 7, “Selected Balance Sheet Data,” for financial information on our business.

 

Proposed Reverse Unit Split

 

On February 19, 2013, we filed preliminary proxy soliciting material and a Schedule 13E-3 with the SEC. These documents disclosed that the Partnership will hold a special meeting of the Partners to seek approval of amendments to the Limited Partnership Agreement to effect a reverse unit split and certain other matters. The reverse unit split, if approved by the Partners, will result in 101 old units being exchanged for one new unit. Each holder of less than 101 units will receive $0.81 in cash for each old unit and will therefore cease to be a unit holder. It is expected that after the reverse unit split, there will be approximately 378 holders of units, which will allow the Partnership to seek to terminate the registration of the units and its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Upon termination of registration of the units under the Exchange Act, the Partnership will no longer be required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC. After the reverse unit split, no fractional new units will be issued to the remaining unit holders, but such unit holders will be entitled to receive $.81 for each old unit not exchanged for a whole new unit.

 

Additional Information and Where to Find It

 

UNITHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND SCHEDULE 13E-3 AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THOSE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE REVERSE UNIT SPLIT. You will be able to obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and Schedule 13E-3, as well as our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, as well as other filings containing information about us, at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Copies of the proxy statement and Schedule 13E-3 and the other reports and filings, also can be obtained by directing a request to our General Partner, Grace Property Management, Inc., at 55 Brookville Road, Glen Head, NY 11545, (516) 686-2221.

 

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Participants in Solicitation

 

Grace Property Management, Inc. and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the unitholders in connection with the reverse unit split. Information about Grace Property Management, Inc. and its directors and executive officers is set forth in this Form 10-K

 

Description of Business

 

Real Estate Sales

 

Boiling Spring Lakes began in 1962 as a 14,000-acre development. Most of the land has been sold and that which remains lies within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes (the “City”), in Brunswick County (the “County”), North Carolina. Revenue from real estate sales and the type of property sold for each of the last five fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 are shown on Table 1, below.

 

TABLE 1: REVENUE FROM REAL ESTATE SALES

AND TYPE OF PROPERTY SOLD

 

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2012   2011   2010   2009   2008 
Revenue                         
Individual lots:                         
Unimproved  $12,817   $66,678   $   $17,904   $ 
Improved                    
Commercial land                    
Other land                    
Total revenue  $12,817   $66,678   $   $17,904   $ 
Type of Property Sold                         
Individual lots:                         
Unimproved   2    10    0    1    0 
Improved   0    0    0    0    0 
Commercial land (acres)   0.00    0.00    0.00    0.00    0.00 
Other land (acres)   0.00    0.00    0.00    0.00    0.00 

 

As used in Table 1 and throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following terms have the definitions indicated, unless the context requires otherwise:

 

“commercial land”: Land zoned or otherwise intended by us for commercial use.
   
“improved individual lot”: An individual lot on which the construction of a house has been started, even if at the time of sale construction of the house was not completed.

 

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“individual lot”: A platted residential lot (a platted residential lot owned by us typically comprises approximately 1/3-acre, although some lots are less than 1/4-acre and some comprise up to 5 acres).
   
“other land”: All land, other than commercial land, that has not been platted into individual lots.
   
“unimproved individual lot”: An individual lot on which construction of a house has not yet been started.

 

The City of Boiling Spring Lakes at present has no central sewer system. As a result, homes and most commercial buildings within the development use septic tanks.

 

Since the 1970’s, health standards in Brunswick County have become increasingly stringent regarding septic tanks and on-site sewage disposal. We estimate that 70% to 75% of all of the property in Boiling Spring Lakes that would have complied with applicable regulations in the 1970’s does not meet present health standards. Of our current land holdings, we estimate that 87% of our individual lots and 38% of our total land do not meet present health standards. This has had a detrimental effect on our real estate operations by substantially reducing the number of our individual lots, the amount of our commercial land, and the amount of our other land on which an on-site septic system may be installed. In limited cases, the problem can be cured by the use of drains, or by the scraping away of hard pan and adding fill dirt. In most cases, however, the only solution to the inability to install an on-site septic system on a specific parcel of land, whether residential or commercial, is to install a multi-user septic system, or a sewer system, to which a house or commercial building built on that specific parcel may be connected.

 

In May 2010, the City of Boiling Spring Lakes transferred ownership of the municipal water system to Brunswick County in exchange for the County’s construction of a wastewater collection system within a portion of Boiling Spring Lakes and an associated sewer treatment and transmission system. See “Most of our real estate lacks public sewer service” under Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” for a discussion of the first phase of municipal sewer service involving sewer lines for the commercial land that we own that runs along a stretch of State Road 87, the main road into and out of the development, and its effect on the financial condition of the Partnership.

 

Additional phases of the County’s sewer system, planned for after 2012, would extend sewer lines to residential areas of the development. Depending upon our financial resources, the market for real estate in and around Boiling Spring Lakes, and economic conditions generally, among other factors, we may consider arranging with the County to run sewer lines to certain residential areas, at our cost, before such areas would otherwise be served according to the County’s plans. We may, in addition and/or alternatively, consider installing separate, small multi-user systems such as that we installed in 1997 on certain commercial land we then held for sale. A private contractor may install a sewer system to serve land that he owns, and land owned by others, including us, may be able to connect to such system if built; however, to date no such private sewer system has been built in the development and obstacles would have to be overcome for any such system to be built in the future. Notwithstanding any current plans to install a sewer system in Boiling Spring Lakes, there can be no assurance that Brunswick County, the City of Boiling Spring Lakes, we, a private contractor, or another public or private entity will install a sewer system in Boiling Spring Lakes or, if such a system is installed, that we will be able to tie some or all of our land into any such system at a reasonable cost, if at all.

 

Page 6
 

 

See “Item 1A. Risk Factors – Most of our real estate lacks municipal water service” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors – Most of our real estate lacks public sewer service.”

 

Other Revenue

 

In addition to income from real estate sales, we generate revenue from other sources. The amount of revenue from sources other than real estate sales during the last five fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 is shown on Table 2, below.

 

TABLE 2: REVENUE FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN REAL ESTATE SALES

 

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2012   2011   2010   2009   2008 
                     
Interest income  $689   $4,516   $14,923   $33,270   $96,047 
Other revenue [a]                         
Timber and straw sales   0    150             
Miscellaneous income   7,769    1,433    2,673    97    25,764 
Total other revenue   7,769    1,583    2,673    97    25,764 
Total interest income and other revenue  $8,458   $6,099   $17,596   $33,367   $121,811 

 

Notes:

[a]Reported under “Revenues” on the Statements of Operations.

 

Seasonality

 

The sale of real estate in North Carolina is seasonal. We generally experience slower than average lot sales in the period from November to January, inclusive.

 

Marketing and Advertising

 

Our marketing and advertising plan emphasizes the print media to promote the sale of our land and, when available for sale, improved individual lots.

 

Patents, Trademarks, Licenses, Franchises, and Concessions Held

 

Other than a real estate brokerage license issued by the State of North Carolina Real Estate Commission to our General Manager, who acts as our real estate sales person, our business is not dependant in any material respect on any patent, trademark, license, franchise, or concession.

 

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Dependence Upon Customers

 

From time to time, we sell tracts of land or blocks of lots to developers or others who may comprise, in a particular year, a significant percentage of our revenue from land sales. Generally, however, we are not dependent in any respect upon one or a few customers, the loss of any one of which might significantly affect our financial results.

 

Competition

 

Our potential customers include local residents as well as retirees and others looking to relocate to or near the stretch of beachfront communities known as the “Grand Strand.” The Grand Strand runs from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Georgetown, South Carolina and encompasses Myrtle Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach, among other beachfront communities. The real estate market within that region is extremely competitive. We compete against other real estate developers, real estate brokers, property owners acting without brokers, and others. We believe that other real estate developers have bought some of our land in past years and that other developers may buy land from us in the future, and that such developers may compete with us for land sales or sale of improved property within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes.

 

Property values are dependent upon, among other factors, the following:

 

Proximity to beaches, golf courses and other recreational facilities.

 

Proximity to places of employment.

 

Proximity to and the nature and quality of retail shopping.

 

Proximity to and the nature and quality of schools.

 

The availability of municipal water (as opposed to well water) and sewer service (as opposed to septic systems).

 

Many real estate developments and communities in Brunswick County provide recreational facilities, such as a golf course, lakes and/or swimming pools, and tennis courts. We own no recreational facilities but some are available in the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. In many cases, depending upon the financial resources of the particular developer or community, such facilities are more extensive and/or more varied than the facilities in Boiling Spring Lakes. Lots associated with such recreational facilities generally command higher sales prices than lots owned by us.

 

Some real estate developers in Brunswick County provide some form of seller financing to buyers. The terms of such financing may be more favorable to buyers than are generally available from financial institutions. We typically sell our property for cash, and buyers who require financing to complete their purchase typically obtain financing from financial institutions. On occasion, we fail to complete the sale of a property due to the inability of the potential buyer to obtain financing. We may decide to offer seller financing in the future on a limited basis.

 

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We believe that we can compete effectively against other real estate developers, many of whom are believed to have substantially greater resources than we have, and other sellers of real estate principally on the basis of price.

 

Recent Real Estate Market Conditions

 

We believe that local financial institutions have maintained tight credit requirements, due, in part, to concerns that the prices of residential and commercial real estate may continue to decline during 2013 and, perhaps, even into 2014. We believe that these restrictive lending practices by area banks have contributed, in part, to a sluggish local real estate market.

 

The market for undeveloped land within the City has continued to be adversely affected by efforts, commenced in April 2006, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Fish and Wildlife”) to protect the habitat of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis). We believe that certain restrictions that went into effect in 2006 on building in the City, including our property, within proximity to known or suspected nesting or foraging areas of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker have had the effect of reducing our real estate sales since 2006, and will likely have the effect of reducing our real estate sales in the future from what might otherwise have been realized in the absence of such restrictions. In 2007, we began a program to study tree density in known foraging areas to determine the potential for coexistence where sufficient tree density exists, that is, where houses can be built on land now owned by us while retaining a sufficiently vibrant foraging area for the woodpeckers. Work on this program was paused during 2010 while we reviewed the progress and the program costs, and we may or may not resume the program in 2013. We believe that this program may reduce the amount of the Property that is subject to restrictions on development because of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, although there can be no assurance that any such reduction will occur or, if it occurs, that such reduction will have a material affect on our business.

 

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Residential

 

During 2012, the real estate market in Brunswick County remained sluggish and uneven, as evidenced by the data in Table 3, below.

 

TABLE 3: EXISTING HOME SALES 
BRUNSWICK COUNTY REGION 2008 - 2012 
          
Year Ended   Existing   Average 
December 31,   Home Sales   Sales Price 
 2012    n/a    229,405*
 2011    1,631    238,945 
 2010    1,552    240,334 
 2009    2,007    251,806 
 2008    1,786    264,287 

 

* For 2012, data for average sales price is for November, 2012.

Source: North Carolina Association of Realtors, Inc.

The Brunswick County Region includes Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus Counties, North Carolina.

 

As shown in Table 3, the average sales price of existing homes continued to fall through November, 2012.

 

It is unclear at this time when the real estate market in Brunswick County and, more particularly, for our land will see any significant improvement. The local real estate market continues to see short sales, that is, sales of houses at prices less than the amount of debt on the property, as well as foreclosures, both of which have the effect of increasing the supply of homes for sale and thereby reducing the selling prices of such homes. Until the market for existing homes improves significantly, the market for buildable lots, such as those we sell, will continue to be sluggish, at best. During 2010, we reduced our asking price on most residential lots by 40% to come into line with the prices asked by other sellers of lots in the City and the surrounding area. In February 2011, we reduced our asking prices further, for a total reduction in our asking prices of 60%. There remains a large inventory of lots available for sale in the City and the surrounding area, and relatively few transactions are being completed. Notwithstanding the recent reductions in our asking prices and our continuing efforts to market our land, we expect to see no significant improvement in real estate sales until the number of short sales and foreclosures in the local market moderates, economic conditions improve, and financial institutions loosen credit requirements.

 

Apart from general economic conditions, the real estate market in the City and the surrounding area continues to be adversely affected by efforts, beginning in April 2006, by Fish and Wildlife to protect the habitat of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. We believe that certain restrictions that went into effect in 2006 on new construction in the City within proximity to known or suspected nesting or foraging areas of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker have contributed to our lack of, or very limited, real estate sales in recent years, and will continue to have such effect.

 

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See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” below, for a discussion on numerous risk factors associated with our real estate business.

 

Commercial

 

Historically, our sales of commercial land have been sporadic, and we have not sold any commercial land since the second quarter of 2007. Commercial development in the City has largely been concentrated along a stretch of State Road 87, the main road into and out of the City. The local commercial real estate market has traditionally not been very strong, due to the City’s relatively small population, the lack of sewer service, and the availability of shopping and services in nearby towns, especially Southport, and large regional shopping centers in and close to Wilmington.

 

Government Regulation; Environmental Laws and Regulations; Endangered and Protected Species

 

The real estate industry is subject to extensive and complex regulations. We must comply with various federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations regarding zoning and construction; population density; availability and installation of utility services such as water, electricity, gas, and waste disposal; the preservation of the natural terrain; and other related matters. We rely upon our employees, the General Partner, and various legal and other advisors for the expertise necessary to comply with all applicable regulations.

 

We are subject to the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act (“ILSA”), which governs the sale or lease of subdivided property through the use of interstate commerce. Pursuant to ILSA, we registered our property with the Office of Interstate Land Sales Registration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Should our registration be suspended or terminated for any reason, we would be restricted to selling not more than 12 lots during any 12 consecutive months until such time as the suspension is lifted or a new registration goes into effect. In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), enacted in 2010, the newly formed U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau became the federal agency responsible for enforcing ILSA compliance effective as of July 21, 2011.

 

We are subject to various federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations regarding environmental matters. In addition, we are subject to laws and regulations relating to the use of wetlands, over which the Army Corps of Engineers has jurisdiction. Portions of Boiling Spring Lakes and the surrounding area are known or believed to be the habitat of various species of flora and fauna which have been identified as endangered or protected species. Development of our land is subject to various laws and regulations intended to limit disturbance of endangered and protected species.

 

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Employees

 

We employ one full-time employee in our sales office in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina. The functions previously performed by a second employee, who employment terminated in 2012, are being performed by an affiliate of the General Partner. The General Partner has no full-time employees. The President of the General Partner devotes a portion of his time to our management and affairs. Such person has other responsibilities and will devote only as much time to our business as the General Partner, in its judgment and experience, determines is reasonably required.

 

Liquid Assets and Reserves for Calculating Distributable Cash

 

As of December 31, 2012, we held $1,288,909 in cash. Accounts payable and accrued expenses, including accrued expenses owed to affiliates, as of such date totaled $3,033.

 

Our partnership agreement obligates the General Partner to distribute Distributable Cash (as such term is defined in the partnership agreement). Distributable Cash excludes, among other items, reserves established for working capital, contingent liabilities, taxes, debt service, repairs, replacements, renewals, capital expenditures, or other purposes as established by the General Partner consistent with the partnership agreement. Such reserves are used solely for calculating Distributable Cash and are not treated as deductions from income for accounting purposes. A summary of reserves established in each of the last ten fiscal years is set forth in Table 4, below.

 

TABLE 4: RESERVES FOR CALCULATING DISTRIBUTABLE
CASH

 

    Beginning       Ending    
  Year   Balance   Additions   Balance   Purpose Additional Reserve was Established
                 
 2002   $1,325,000   $100,000   $1,425,000   Repairs to the dam, road repairs and improvements.
 2003    1,425,000    250,000    1,675,000   Road repair and improvements, future extension of sewer system to our land, possible multi-user septic system.
 2004    1,675,000    1,200,000    2,875,000   Road repair and improvements, future extension of sewer system to our land, possible multi-user septic system.
 2005    2,875,000    3,050,000    5,925,000   Surrveying, road repair and improvements, future extension of sewer system to our land, possible development of commercial land.
 2006    5,925,000        5,925,000    
 2007    5,925,000    100,000    6,025,000   Road repairs and improvements.
 2008    6,025,000        6,025,000    
 2009    6,025,000    100,000    6,125,000   Water assessments.
 2010    6,125,000    2,350,000    8,475,000   Sewer system along Route 87 corridor, net of $50,000 adjustment to 2009 addition for water assessments.
 2011    8,475,000        8,475,000    
 2012    8,475,000    (1,410,000)   7,065,000   Adjustment for updated estimate of cost of sewer system along Route 87 corridor ($1,360,00) and refund of water assessments ($50,000)

 

Note:

These reserves are used solely for calculating Distributable Cash and are not treated as deductions from income for accounting purposes.

 

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As a result of losses incurred in prior years and the reserves for calculating Distributable Cash set forth in Table 4, there has been no Distributable Cash and, therefore, no distributions of Distributable Cash have been made since our inception.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

Our business faces numerous risks and uncertainties, including, among others, those described below. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into an actual event, our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, an investment in our units involves numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described below. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones that we or our unitholders may face. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are unaware, or that we currently deem immaterial, also may become important factors that affect us or our unitholders.

 

Risks Relating to Our Business

 

We have operated at a loss in recent years.

 

We have operated at a loss and experienced negative operating cash flow each year beginning with 2007. A substantial portion of our negative cash flow is due to the carrying costs, primarily property taxes, of our land. Since 2007, we have funded our operations primarily through our cash balances and cash reserves. Our financial performance in the near future continues to be challenged by the weakness in the real estate market in and around Boiling Spring Lakes. For these reasons, we expect to continue to generate negative operating cash flow and to operate at a loss until we see a recovery in the local real restate market. We cannot predict when such a recovery will occur, and, accordingly, we cannot predict when, if at all, we will begin generating positive operating cash flow or our financial conditions will begin to improve.

 

We may not have sufficient cash to fund our operations.

 

Because we have operated at a loss in recent years, we have had to fund our operations primarily through our cash balances and cash reserves. Unless sales of lots increases significantly in the near future, which we deem unlikely to happen for a variety of reasons described in this Item 1A, we are likely to deplete all of our cash balances and cash reserves in the next two to three years and thereafter we may no longer be able to fund our operations. At December 31, 2012, our cash and cash equivalents were $1,289,000, down from $1,936,000 at December 31, 2011. While $244,000 was used to reduce accounts payable and accrued expenses, the Partnership’s selling, general and administrative expenses in 2012 were $514,900. While such expenses increased in 2012 due to expenses related to the reverse unit split (see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation-Year Ended December 31, 2012 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2011-Selling, General and Administrative Expenses”), we estimate that the annual run rate of such in expenses in 2013 and thereafter, assuming the reverse stock split is approved and that we are no longer required to file reports with the SEC, is $388,000. In addition, commencing in 2014, we expect to have an annual expenditure of approximately $133,000 due the sewer assessment described under “Most of our real estate lacks public sewer service” below. At that rate, without any significant increase of sales of lots, which we believe to be unlikely, or the bulk sale of our property, we believe we will have utilized all of our cash reserves by the end of 2014 or the first half of 2015.

 

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We are undertaking the bulk sale of our property, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell our property before we run out of cash to fund our operations.

 

In late 2012, we initiated the process of attempting a bulk sale of our property by engaging a real estate agent. There can be no assurance if and when our property will be sold or that it will be sold prior to the utilization of all of our cash reserves by the end of 2014 or the first half of 2015. The sale price of our property, if sold, is likely to be negatively impacted by the expected sewer assessment. If sold, there can be no assurance that the net proceeds received would be sufficient to pay all of our obligations or that there would be sufficient proceeds to make a distribution to unit holders after paying all of our obligations.

 

We may not be able to conduct successful operations in the future.

 

The results of our operations will depend upon, among other things, our ability to market our real estate. Our operations may not generate income sufficient to meet operating expenses or may generate income and capital appreciation, if any, at rates lower than those anticipated or necessary to sustain our business. Our operations may be affected by many factors, some known by us, some unknown, and some of which are beyond our control. Any of these problems, or a combination thereof, could have a materially adverse effect on our viability as an entity and might cause the investment of our unitholders to be impaired or lost.

 

We may be unable to obtain financing.

 

As of December 31, 2012, our total consolidated debt was zero. There can be no assurance that the amounts available from internally generated funds, cash on hand, and sale of assets will be sufficient to fund our anticipated operations and meet existing and future liabilities. We may be required to seek additional capital in the form of a loan from a bank or other lender. No assurance can be given that such financing will be available or, if available, will be on terms favorable to us. If we are not successful in obtaining sufficient capital to fund the implementation of our business strategy and for other expenditures, we might be required to sell property for far less than its market value.

 

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Most of our real estate lacks public sewer service.

 

The lack of public sewer service has been a major inhibiting factor in our efforts to sell and/or develop land in Boiling Spring Lakes. Prior to 2004, virtually all residents in the development were forced to rely upon individual septic systems. Brunswick County has plans for an area-wide sewer system for Boiling Spring Lakes. The County began installation of the first phase of the sewer system in 2012 to service the commercial corridor along Highway 87, and we believe that the first phase will be completed in 2013. However, there is no certainty that subsequent expansion of the sewer system will occur or that we may connect any or some of our land to such expansion of the sewer system. A private contractor may elect to install a sewer system to serve a portion of Boiling Spring Lakes where he is looking to develop commercial and/or residential land that he owns; however, there is no certainty that any such private sewer system will be installed or, if installed, that our land may connect to such private sewer system.

 

A significant portion of the cost of sewer lines to our land must be borne by us or by subsequent purchasers of the land. We own property along Highway 87 where construction of the sewer system has begun. The County has estimated that the cost of this portion of the project will be approximately $3,000,000. This cost will then be assessed against property owners along the portion of Highway 87 along which the sewer lines are being built. While the County has stared that it has not yet determined the method by which the costs will be assessed to property owners, we believe that the most likely method will result in an assessment of approximately $1,040,000 against our property. The County has stated that the assessment, which will be made after completion of the project, which we believe will be in the third quarter of 2013, may be paid in a lump at a 5% discount or over 10 years at an interest rate of 2.84%. We believe that we will choose to pay over the 10-year period.

 

We expect to capitalize any such assessment paid by us, including the above assessment, by adding the amount of the assessments to the cost basis of our land held for sale. When we sell land affected by sewer lines, the direct cost of land sold will reflect the capitalized costs. We will likely achieve a higher sales price for land with sewer service than for land without such service, but the direct cost of such land sold will also be higher than for a lot which does not reflect such capitalized costs. If we sell any land subject or likely to be subject to a sewer assessment prior to us being assessed or prior to our paying such assessment in full, of which there can be no assurance, the selling price would likely be reduced by the anticipated amount of such assessment.

 

We cannot estimate with any certainty the amount of the assessment for the work along Highway 87 that is currently underway or any future any assessments for sewer lines, nor can we predict with any certainty when any such assessments may be made or, once made, become due. If we are liable for any such assessment, it may have a material adverse affect on our results of operations and financial condition. See “We may not have sufficient cash to fund our operations” for further information about the possible effect of the potential assessment for the project currently under construction.

 

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Most of our real estate lacks municipal water service.

 

Most of our land lacks municipal water service.  The City of Boiling Spring Lakes began to phase in municipal water service to certain portions of the development in 2004 and, in 2009, began work on an expansion of the municipal water system.   That expansion was completed in January 2011.  The cost of the expansion is to be borne by owners of land directly passed by new water mains by the payment of an assessment per lot of $500 plus a tap fee equal to $860, for a lot containing an existing dwelling, or $1,800, for new construction. Our total assessment relating to this expansion was determined to be $49,500 based upon a formula that allows adjoining lots to be aggregated into a group and counted as one lot for assessment purposes.  Should we sell some, but not all of the lots that were aggregated into a group, an additional assessment may have to be paid by us with respect to such lots at the time the sale of such lots is closed.  We capitalized $49,500 of assessments in 2009 by increasing the cost basis of land affected. In May 2010, the City of Boiling Spring Lakes transferred ownership of the municipal water system to Brunswick County.

 

Further expansions of water service will depend upon, among other factors, the ability to control costs of laying pipelines and the demand for such water service. There is no certainty that any further expansion of water service will occur or, if it occurs, that our land may connect to such further expansion of the water service. A significant portion of the cost of any further expansion of water distribution to our land must be borne by us or by subsequent purchasers of the land. We expect to capitalize any such assessment paid by us by adding the amount of the assessments to the cost basis of our land held for sale. When we sell land affected by water lines, the direct cost of land sold will reflect the capitalized costs. We will likely achieve a higher sales price for land with water service than for land without such service, but the direct cost of such land sold will also be higher than for a lot which does not reflect such capitalized costs.

 

We cannot estimate with any certainty the amount of any future assessments for further expansions of the water system, nor can we predict with any certainty when any such future assessments may be made or, once made, become due. If we are liable for any such assessment, it may have a material adverse affect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

We are subject to laws and regulations relating to endangered or protected species.

 

Real estate development is subject to various laws and regulations intended to limit disturbance of endangered and protected species. Portions of Boiling Spring Lakes and the surrounding area are known or believed to be the habitat of various species of flora and fauna which have been identified as endangered or protected species. We may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from the presence of endangered or protected species on or near land owned by us.

 

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The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is one of several species of flora and fauna on the endangered species list that inhabit or are believed to inhabit portions of Boiling Spring Lakes and the surrounding area. Fish and Wildlife notified the City of Boiling Spring Lakes in February 2006 of that agency’s concern about the rapid development within the City’s borders and the loss of mature long-leaf pines that the endangered woodpecker prefers, and of the possibility that the City could be liable for violating federal laws intended to protect the endangered woodpecker if the City issued building permits for lots with nests. Under such federal laws, (a) building and tree cutting within 200 feet of a nest tree are restricted without a federal permit, and (b) to provide a foraging area for the woodpeckers, development is restricted and cutting of long-leaf pine trees with a diameter of 10 inches or more is prohibited within a ½-mile radius around each nest site. City ordinances are somewhat more restrictive and prohibit certain cutting of long-leaf pine trees with a diameter of 8 inches or more.

 

We believe that not more than approximately 200 acres, or approximately 24%, of our land currently may be affected by restrictions relating to the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. That land is comprised of approximately 400 individual undeveloped lots, approximately 70 acres of unplatted, undeveloped land intended for residential use, and approximately 10 acres of undeveloped land intended for commercial use. Most of that approximately 200 acres does not meet, or is believed by us not to meet, current health codes for installing septic systems and, therefore, is not suitable for building until a tie-in to a sewer system becomes available. As land in Boiling Spring Lakes is developed, however, the remaining undeveloped land within the City must be able to support the habitat of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker; therefore, if land owned by others is developed more quickly than land currently owned by us, then the remaining undeveloped land owned by us that is not currently affected by restrictions may become affected. Since mature long-leaf pines are typically located on land that meets current health codes for installing septic systems, it is possible than an increasing percentage of our land that is currently suitable for septic systems will become subject to restrictions on development. This could adversely affect our property sales, revenues, and results of operations.

 

From time to time we may have balances at banks in excess of FDIC-insured limits.

 

We typically hold our cash primarily in checking and money market accounts, and in certificates of deposit. Certificates of deposit include those held at our principal bank, on account under the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (“CDARS”) program, and brokered certificates of deposit arranged through a securities broker-dealer. Our principal bank, and each bank where we hold a certificate of deposit, is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The FDIC, an independent agency of the United States government, insures deposits (including, but not limited to, certificates of deposit) up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, subject to certain conditions. In addition, effective from December 31, 2010 through December 31, 2012, the FDIC insured all deposits in noninterest bearing transaction accounts, such as checking accounts, without limitation as to amount; although the Partnership took advantage of this unlimited insurance during 2012, this program has expired and the Partnership has reduced its holdings at any one bank to be within the FDIC-insured amounts. We may also hold cash in one or more cash sweep programs, which involve the allocation of cash in money market accounts among several participating banks up to the FDIC-insured limits. It is the intent of the CDARS program, the brokered certificates of deposit, and the cash sweep programs to limit our exposure in any bank to FDIC insurance limits; however, there can be no assurance that the balance held at any bank through any such program or product will not exceed the FDIC insurance limit. In the event that any bank where we hold funds (including through a certificate of deposit or cash sweep program) becomes insolvent, we may lose some or all of any excess over FDIC-insured limits that we hold at that bank. From time to time in the future, we may have cash balances at our principal bank in excess of FDIC-insured amounts.

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From time to time, we may have balances in our brokerage account in excess of SIPC-insured limits (although right now we do not face this problem).

 

We hold cash, and may from time to time purchase and hold money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, and brokered certificates of deposit and participate in cash sweep programs through a brokerage account at a securities broker-dealer insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”). The SIPC, a non-profit corporation set up and funded by the brokerage industry, insures investors’ accounts up to $500,000 per investor, subject to certain conditions, in the event that a member brokerage firm goes bankrupt, and cash and securities are missing from customer accounts. At December 31, 2012, we held in the brokerage account cash and money market funds totaling $250,813, less than the SIPC-insured amounts, although from time to time in the future, we may have cash balances in our brokerage account in excess of SIPC-insured amounts..

 

We face risks associated with short-term liquid investments.

 

From time to time we may have significant cash balances invested in short-term investments that are intended to preserve principal value and maintain a high degree of liquidity while providing current income. These investments may include money market funds and/or direct obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury. Investments in these funds and securities are not insured against loss of principal. Under certain circumstances we may be required to redeem all or part of our investment in money market funds, and our right to redeem some or all of our investment may be delayed or suspended. In addition, there is no guarantee that our investments in these funds will be redeemable at par value. Under certain circumstances we may be required to sell all or part of our investment in U.S. Treasury securities prior to maturity at less than par value. A significant decline in the value of our investment or a significant delay or suspension of our right to redeem may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

 

Our business is subject to complex corporate governance, public disclosure, and accounting requirements that have increased both our costs and the risk of noncompliance.

 

Because we are required to file periodic and other reports with the SEC, we are subject to numerous rules and regulations of federal, state, and other entities charged with the protection of investors. These entities, including but not limited to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the SEC, have implemented requirements, standards, and regulations, including expanded disclosures and more complex accounting rules, and continue developing additional requirements. Our efforts to comply with these regulations have resulted in, and are likely to continue resulting in, increased general and administrative expenses and diversion of management time and attention from operating activities to compliance activities.

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Because new and modified laws, regulations, and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding related financial disclosures and compliance matters, and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosures and governance practices. Changes in these laws, regulations, and standards can be difficult to predict and can materially affect how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. In addition, the preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management to make significant estimates that affect the financial statements. Due to the inherent nature of these estimates, no assurance can be given that we will not be required to recognize significant, unexpected income or losses due to actual results varying materially from management’s estimates. Additional information regarding our critical accounting policies can be found in the section captioned “Critical Accounting Policies” in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

We experience fluctuations and variability in our operating results and, as a result, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results.

 

We historically have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, variability in sales of real estate and results of operations on both an annual and a quarterly basis. As a result of such variability, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results. Factors that contribute to this variability include: (i) the timing of land sales; (ii) conditions of the real estate market where we operate and of the general economy; (iii) the cyclical nature of the real estate industry; (iv) changes in prevailing interest rates; (v) changes in environmental and government regulations; and (vi) the availability of mortgage or construction financing. Historically, a significant percentage of our real estate purchase contracts are entered into in the spring and summer months. As a result of these combined factors, we historically have experienced uneven quarterly results, with lower revenues and operating income generally during the first and fourth quarters of the year.

 

Changes in accounting principles, interpretations and practices may affect our reported revenues, earnings and results of operations.

 

Generally accepted accounting principles and the accompanying standards, implementation guidelines, interpretations and practices for certain aspects of our business are complex and may involve subjective judgments, estimates and assumptions, such as revenue recognition, inventory valuations and income taxes. Changes in interpretations could significantly affect our reported revenues, earnings and operating results, and could add significant volatility to those measures without a comparable underlying change in cash flows from operations. The imposition of new accounting standards (e.g., International Financial Reporting Standards) could result in increased expenses as we may be required to modify our current practices and systems in order to comply with such standards.

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Our failure to file timely reports or any material inaccuracies in our reports may subject us to regulatory or shareholder litigation, which may materially and adversely affect our business.

 

Our failure to file our reports in a timely manner or any material inaccuracies in our reports may subject us to regulatory or shareholder litigation, which may divert the attention of our management and force us to expend resources to defend against such claims.  Any litigation may have a material and adverse effect on our business and future results of operations.

 

There may be deficiencies with our internal controls that require improvements, and we will be exposed to potential risks from legislation requiring companies to evaluate controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

While we believe that we currently have adequate internal control procedures in place, we are still exposed to potential risks from legislation requiring companies to evaluate controls under Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.  Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, we have evaluated our internal controls system in order to allow management to report on our internal controls, as required by Section 404(a) of that Act.  We have performed the system and process evaluation and testing which we believe is required in an effort to comply with the management certification requirements of Section 404(a). As a result, we have incurred and will in the future incur additional expenses and a diversion of management’s time.  If we are not able to meet the requirements of Section 404(a) in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, we might be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC.

 

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, our operating results and the value of our units.

 

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is important in helping to prevent financial fraud. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting, our business operating results and financial condition could be harmed. On an annual basis, we will furnish an assessment by our management on the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting with our Annual Report on Form 10-K. During the course of the documentation and testing necessary to make our annual assessment, we may identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses that we may be unable to remediate before the requisite deadline for that report. If our management were to conclude in its reports that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective, this could have a material adverse effect on our ability to process and report financial information and the value of our partnership units could decline significantly.

 

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Errors in estimates and judgments that affect decisions about how we operate and on our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses could have a material impact on us.

 

In the ordinary course of business, we must make estimates and judgments that affect decisions about how we operate and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. These estimates include, but are not limited to, those related to: recognition of income and expenses; impairment of assets; estimates of sales levels and sales prices; capitalization of costs to our inventory of real estate held for sale; and cost of complying with government regulations. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate and adjust our estimates based upon the information then currently available. Actual results may differ from these estimates, assumptions and conditions.

 

Information technology failures and data security breaches could harm our business.

 

We use information technology, digital communications and other computer resources to carry out important operational activities and to maintain our business records. Many of these resources are maintained on our behalf by third-party service providers. Although we and our service providers employ what we believe are adequate security and other preventative and corrective measures, our ability to conduct our business may be impaired if these resources are compromised, degraded, damaged, or fail, whether due to a virus or other harmful circumstance, intentional penetration, or disruption of our information technology resources by a third party, natural disaster, hardware or software corruption failure or error, telecommunications system failure, service provider error or failure, or otherwise. A significant and extended disruption in the functioning of these resources could damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers, sales and revenue, result in the unintended and/or unauthorized public disclosure or the misappropriation of proprietary, personal identifying and confidential information (including information about our customers and business partners), and require us to incur significant expense to address and remediate or otherwise resolve these kinds of issues. The release of confidential information may also lead to litigation or other proceedings against us by affected individuals and/or business partners and/or by regulators, and the outcome of such proceedings, which could include penalties or fines, could have a material and adverse effect on our financial statements. In addition, the costs of maintaining adequate protection against such threats, depending on their evolution, pervasiveness and frequency and/or government-mandated standards or obligations regarding protective efforts, could be material to our financial statements in a particular period or over various periods.

 

Risks Relating to Investments in Real Estate

 

We are subject to risks associated with investments in real estate.

 

Our revenues, financial performance, and the value of our real estate may decline due to factors that adversely affect real estate generally and those that are specific to our property. Factors that may adversely affect real estate generally include, among others, the following:

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Increases in interest rates.

 

A general tightening of the availability of credit.

 

A decline in the level of employment.

 

A decline in economic conditions.

 

A decline in consumer confidence.

 

A decline in consumer income.

 

An adverse change in demographics.

 

An increase in competition for customers.

 

The adoption on the national, state, or local level of more restrictive laws and governmental regulations, including more restrictive zoning, land use or environmental regulations, and increased real estate taxes.

 

Additional factors that may adversely affect our property specifically include, among others, the following:

 

A decline in the economic conditions in our primary market.

 

Adverse changes in the perceptions of prospective purchasers of the attractiveness of our real estate.

 

An increase in supply of, or a decrease in demand for, houses and/or homesites in our primary market.

 

Opposition from local community or political groups with respect to development or construction at one or more particular sites.

 

Increased efforts by government to protect endangered and/or protected species, such as the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, through laws and/or regulations that limit or prohibit development or construction at one or more particular sites.

 

A change in existing comprehensive zoning plans or zoning regulations that impose additional restrictions on use or requirements with respect to our property.

 

Our inability to provide adequate management and maintenance or to obtain adequate insurance.

 

An increase in our operating costs.

 

New development of a competitor’s property close to our property.

 

Adverse changes in any of these conditions generally, or in our primary market, could decrease demand and pricing for our real estate or result in customer cancellations of pending contracts, which could adversely affect the amount of land we can sell or reduce the prices we can charge for our real estate.

 

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Our real estate business is competitive.

 

The real estate business is highly competitive. We compete with a large number of companies and individuals, many of whom are believed to have substantially greater financial and other resources than we have. Some of our competitors are active in markets in other regions or throughout the entire United States. Some of our competitors may be willing to sell their property at prices significantly lower than our prices for similar property. Our ability to weather downturns in the local real estate market or respond to changing trends in the real estate business may be substantially less than some or many of our competitors.

 

Our real estate industry is cyclical.

 

The sale and development of real estate is cyclical and highly sensitive to changes in general and local economic conditions, such as employment levels and job growth, consumer confidence and income, availability of financing for home builders and homebuyers, interest rate levels, and housing demand. The real estate industry can experience downturns based on consumer perceptions of real estate markets and other cyclical factors, which factors may work in conjunction with or be wholly unrelated to general economic conditions. Sales of undeveloped land are also affected by the supply of alternatives to new homes, such as rental property and existing homes, including foreclosed homes. Furthermore, our business is affected by seasonal fluctuations in customers interested in purchasing real estate, with the spring and summer months traditionally being the most active time of year for customer traffic and sales. As a consequence, our real estate operations are cyclical, which could cause our revenues and earnings to fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and from year to year, and to differ materially from the expectations of our management and investors. Should we be unable to manage effectively our cash flows from operations, our ability to service any future debt and to meet working capital requirements could be adversely affected.

 

Our real estate assets are illiquid.

 

Real estate generally cannot be sold quickly. We experience great volatility in the sale of our land, especially our commercial land and tracts. In the past five years, we have had no sales of commercial land and tracts and very few sales of individual lots, including none in two of the past five years. It may not be possible for us to sell property on favorable terms when it is to our economic advantage to do so. The illiquidity of real estate investments generally may impair our ability to respond promptly to changing circumstances. This is especially true in the case of the proposed bulk sale of our property. See “We are undertaking the bulk sale of our property, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell our property before we run out of cash to fund our operations.”

 

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The real estate industry has experienced a prolonged and severe downturn that may continue in some portions of the country for an indefinite period and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

The National Bureau of Economic Research, an independent group of economists charged with identifying the beginning and end of recessions in the United States, concluded that the Great Recession, the longest and deepest downturn for the U.S. economy since the Great Depression, started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. The difficulties faced by the real estate industry started before December 2007, however, continued into 2012, and may extend into and beyond 2013. Since 2006, our market and the U.S. real estate industry as a whole have experienced a significant and sustained decrease in demand for new homes and an oversupply of new and existing homes available for sale compared to prior years. High levels of unemployment, reduced consumer spending, and significantly tighter lending standards for borrowers continue to adversely affect the domestic housing market. Home foreclosures and forced sales by homeowners under distressed economic conditions have contributed to the high levels of inventories of homes and homesites available for sale. The collapse of demand for real estate and high levels of inventories have caused prices for residential real estate to significantly decline compared to prior years.

 

These adverse market conditions have negatively affected our residential and commercial real estate business. Our revenues from the sale of real estate are drastically lower than before 2008, which has had an adverse affect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

While some sections of the country saw some improvement in the real estate market in 2012, we do not know if such improvement will spread to other sections of the country, if at all, or when real estate markets will return to more normal conditions. Our business will continue to suffer until market conditions improve.

 

Increasing interest rates could cause defaults for those who financed the purchase of their houses with adjustable rate and other interest rate-sensitive financing products, which could increase the number of homes available for resale.

 

Prior to 2006, many home buyers financed their purchases using financing products that have adjustable rates, interest only mortgages, or other mortgages, including sub-prime mortgages, that have, at least during initial years, monthly payments that are significantly lower than those required by conventional fixed-rate mortgages. As monthly mortgage payments increase for these non-conventional mortgages, either as a result of increasing adjustable rates or as a result of principal payments coming due, some of these home buyers may default on their payments and have their homes foreclosed, which would increase the inventory of homes available for resale. Foreclosure sales and other distress sales result in declines or the acceleration of declines in market prices for homes below what would otherwise occur. This has happened across the country in recent years, and may continue. In an environment of declining prices, many home buyers may delay purchases of homes in anticipation of lower prices in the future. At the same time, as lenders perceive deterioration in credit quality among home buyers, lenders increase the qualifications needed for mortgages or adjust lending terms to address increased credit risk. All of such actions have a negative affect on our business by making it more difficult for certain of our potential customers to resell their existing homes and/or obtain financing for new homes.

 

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Changes that adversely affect liquidity in the secondary mortgage market could adversely affect our business.

 

The Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) are government-sponsored enterprises that provide significant liquidity to the secondary mortgage market, principally by purchasing mortgages from financial institutions that lend money to home buyers. Freddie Mac also provides guarantees on mortgages, which allows borrowers to obtain financing when they would not otherwise be able to do so. Since September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have both been in conservatorship, operating under the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This status allows both entities to continue to operate despite recent huge losses, using funding from the U.S. Treasury to subsidize their operations. Either or both entities may reduce or alter the scope of their activities to reduce future losses. In addition, changes in federal laws and regulations could have the effect of curtailing the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Any curtailment of the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or either of them, could increase mortgage interest rates and increase the effective cost of homes, which could reduce the demand for our real estate and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

New standards and requirements regarding consumer loans that adversely affect liquidity in the secondary mortgage market could adversely affect our business.

 

In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law and established several new standards and requirements (including risk retention obligations) relating to the origination, securitizing and servicing of, and consumer disclosures for, residential consumer mortgage loans. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act requires bank and securities market regulators to issue new regulations regarding financial institutions generally, and many of these regulations have yet to be written. There is no way to know the extent of these yet-to-be-written regulations and their affect on financial institutions generally, or on consumer loans, including, but not limited to, residential consumer mortgage loans. In addition, United States and international banking regulators have proposed or enacted higher capital standards and requirements for financial institutions. These standards and requirements, as and when implemented, are expected to further reduce the availability of loans to borrowers and/or increase the costs to borrowers to obtain such loans. Federal regulators and legislators are also discussing steps that may significantly reduce the ability or authority of the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase or insure residential consumer mortgage loans. In the last few years, the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have purchased or insured substantially all new residential consumer mortgage loans originated by lenders and other mortgage banking services providers. Since 2010, investors in residential consumer mortgage-backed securities, as well as the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have increasingly demanded that lenders and other mortgage banking services providers, brokers and other institutions, or their agents, repurchase the loans underlying the securities based on alleged breaches of underwriting standards or of representations and warranties made in connection with transferring the loans. To the extent that these “put-back” demands are successful, such demands could cause lenders and other mortgage banking services providers and brokers to further curtail their residential consumer mortgage loan origination activities due to reduced liquidity. Concerns about the soundness of the residential consumer mortgage lending and mortgage finance industries have also been heightened due to allegedly widespread errors by lenders and other mortgage banking services providers or brokers, or their agents, in the processing of residential consumer mortgage loan foreclosures and sales of foreclosed homes, leading to voluntary or involuntary delays and higher costs to finalize foreclosures and foreclosed home sales, and greater court and regulatory scrutiny. In February 2012, governmental authorities and five of the country’s largest banks agreed to a settlement of litigation that would provide relief to perhaps as many as several million current and former homeowners affected by these processing errors; nevertheless, it is not clear how many and to what extent this settlement will assist borrowers who are delinquent and facing foreclosure.

 

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A new recession in the national economy, or a deterioration in national or regional economic conditions, especially in North Carolina, could continue to adversely affect our business.

 

The last recession in the U.S. technically ended in June 2009; however, major portions of the country and North Carolina have continued to see high unemployment and reduced consumer spending. A new recession will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. If economic conditions were to deteriorate, our financial condition could worsen.

 

We are subject to risks associated with changes in interest rates.

 

The real estate business is particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates. Generally, demand for real estate decreases when interest rates are high or increasing, and demand for real estate increases when interest rates are low or decreasing. An increase in interest rates could reduce the demand for land that we sell or may in the future seek to develop. Any such reduction in demand could adversely affect the amount of land we can sell or reduce the prices we can charge for real estate, either of which could result in a decrease in our revenues and earnings.

 

Many buyers of our real estate finance their purchases through construction loans or mortgages obtained from local banks or other financial institutions. Increases in interest rates or decreases in availability of construction or mortgage financing could reduce the market for real estate. Potential purchasers may be less willing or able to pay the increased monthly costs or to obtain financing that exposes them to interest rate changes. Lenders may further increase the qualifications needed for construction loans and mortgages or adjust their terms to address any increased credit risk as a result of current and future changes in lending practices arising from subprime financing practices of certain lenders. Even if potential customers do not need financing, changes in interest rates and mortgage availability could make it harder for them to sell their current homes to potential buyers who need financing. These factors could adversely affect the sales or pricing of our land.

 

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We invest much of our cash in an interest-bearing money market account at a local financial institution and/or in U.S. Treasury securities and/or certificates of deposit having a maturity of one year or less that are held to maturity and we may invest cash. We have exposure to changes in interest rates in that: (a) at the time any such Treasury security or certificate of deposit matures, if the interest rate is lower for newly purchased Treasury securities or certificates of deposit than that on the maturing security, future interest income will decrease due to the lower interest rate, and (b) interest rates paid on money market balances fluctuate with changes in market interest rates, therefore, interest earned on balances held in a money market account will decrease if market interest rates decrease.

 

We currently have no long-term debt; however, if we were to incur debt in the future, we would have exposure to changes in market interest rates. If we were to incur fixed rate debt, we would have exposure to changes in market interest rates at the time such debt matures in that a market interest rate higher than that on the maturing debt: (a) may lower the amount of proceeds secured from a refinancing, and (b) will decrease cash flow from future operations due to the higher interest rate. If we were to incur floating rate debt, we would also have exposure to changes in market interest rates in that with increases in market interest rates, interest costs on such debt would increase and cash flow from future operations would decrease while such floating rate debt is outstanding.

 

Our customers may be unable to obtain financing.

 

Many purchasers of our real estate may need to obtain mortgage loans to finance the purchase of land from us and/or the construction costs of homes to be built on land purchased from us. In the last couple of years, many mortgage lenders and investors in mortgage loans have experienced severe financial difficulties arising from losses incurred on sub-prime and other loans originated before the downturn in the real estate market. Banking operations remain unsettled and the future of certain financial institutions remains uncertain. Due to these problems, the supply of mortgage products has been constrained, and the eligibility requirements for borrowers have been significantly tightened. These problems in the mortgage lending industry could adversely affect potential purchasers of our real estate, thus having a negative effect on demand for our real estate.

 

We are vulnerable to concentration risks because our operations are currently exclusive to a Brunswick County, North Carolina submarket.

 

Our real estate activities are entirely located in the City of Boiling Spring Lakes, in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Because of our geographic concentration, our operations are more vulnerable to local economic downturns and adverse project-specific risks than those of larger, more diversified real estate companies. The performance of the Brunswick County economy greatly affects our sales and, consequently the underlying values of our property. The Brunswick County economy is heavily influenced by conditions and employment in the defense industry, recreation, and in government. A downturn in the defense or recreation industry may have a particularly strong adverse affect on our sales and, consequently, the underlying values of our property. A decrease in the size of government or in government-supported projects, through budget cuts or otherwise, could adversely affect the economy in our market.

 

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The economic growth of Southeastern North Carolina is an important factor in creating demand for our real estate. One fundamental factor in the economic growth of that region is the need for state and local governments, in combination with the private sector, to plan and complete significant infrastructure improvements in the region, such as new roads, new medical facilities, and schools. The future economic growth of the region and our financial results may be adversely affected if its infrastructure is not improved. There can be no assurance that new improvements will occur or that existing projects will be completed.

 

One significant infrastructure improvement that has been proposed for Southeastern North Carolina is the North Carolina International Terminal. NC International Terminal, a marine cargo facility intended to be capable of handling 1.5 million containers annually, is planned to handle some of the very large container and cargo ships that are expected to sail to the East Coast of the United States from Asia upon the opening, estimated for 2014, of the widened Panama Canal. Currently, that canal’s two lanes of locks can handle ships no larger than 965 feet long and 106 feet wide. With the new third set of locks, the canal will be able to handle ships that are 25% longer and 50% wider, and are capable of carrying two to tree times the cargo, of the current maximum-sized ships. The proposed site for NC International Terminal is a 600-acre undeveloped industrial site near Southport, North Carolina and approximately eight miles from Boiling Spring Lakes. The land has been acquired but construction of the site infrastructure and the supporting road and rail links has not yet commenced. The North Carolina State Ports Authority originally projected a 2017 opening date; however, environmental and other approvals have yet to be obtained, and significant opposition to the project from community organizations and others led the North Carolina legislature in 2010 to halt further funding for the project’s planning and development. Legal challenges to the cargo facility remain outstanding or are contemplated, and there is no assurance that these lawsuits or any future legal challenges to the new cargo facility will be successfully resolved, or that the North Carolina legislature will fund future planning and development. Also, there is no assurance that the construction of the cargo facility will not encounter other difficulties, such as financing issues, construction difficulties, or cost overruns, that may delay or prevent the completion of the new cargo port. We believe that the construction and completion of NC International Terminal would be greatly beneficial to the overall economic development of Southeastern North Carolina and to our business prospects; however, if the new cargo facility is not completed, the effect on our business prospects is unclear. Even if NC International Terminal were to be built, there is no assurance that additional shipping traffic will utilize the facility, since other East Coast ports, notably Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and New Orleans, LA, have plans to expand marine cargo capacity.

 

Attracting new employers that can create new jobs is a key factor in the economic growth of Southeastern North Carolina. In order to improve the economy of the region, state and local governments, along with the private sector, must seek to attract employers capable of employing large numbers of new employees. State governments, particularly in the Southeast United States, and local governments within North Carolina compete intensely for such new jobs. There can be no assurance that efforts to attract new employers to locate facilities in Southeastern North Carolina will be successful.

 

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Changes in the demographics affecting projected population growth in Southeastern North Carolina, including a decrease in the migration of Baby Boomers, could adversely affect our business.

 

Our business prospects depend in part upon strong in-migration population growth in Southeastern North Carolina. We believe that Baby Boomers seeking retirement or vacation homes in or close to the Grand Strand and other parts of coastal North Carolina will remain important target customers for our real estate in the future. Southeastern North Carolina’s population growth could be negatively affected in the future by factors such as adverse economic conditions, the occurrence of hurricanes, and the high cost of real estate, insurance and property taxes. Furthermore, those persons considering moving to the Grand Strand or other parts of coastal North Carolina may not view Boiling Spring Lakes as an attractive place to live or own a second home, and may choose to live in another region of the state. In addition, as an alternative to North Carolina, other states, such as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, remain or are increasingly becoming retirement destinations and are attracting retiring Baby Boomers and the workforce population who may have otherwise considered moving to Southeastern North Carolina.

 

Our business may be adversely affected by changes in income tax laws.

 

Changes in federal income tax laws may affect demand for real estate. Various proposals have been publicly discussed to limit or eliminate mortgage interest deductions and to limit or eliminate the exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence. Enactment of such proposals may have an adverse effect on the homebuilding industry in general and, in turn, on businesses, such as ours, that sell undeveloped real estate. We cannot make a meaningful prediction as to whether any such proposals will be enacted and, if enacted, the particular form such laws would take.

 

We are subject to risks associated with changes in property taxes and government fees.

 

Increases in real estate taxes and other local government fees, such as fees imposed on developers to fund schools, local fire departments, open space, road improvements and/or provide low and moderate income housing, could increase our costs and have an adverse effect on our operations and earnings. Increases in local real estate taxes could also adversely affect potential customers who may consider those costs in determining whether to reside in Boiling Spring Lakes or elsewhere.

  

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We may be unable to obtain insurance at a reasonable cost or we may suffer damage to uninsured property.

 

We may experience economic harm if any damage to our real estate is not covered by insurance.  We carry comprehensive liability and fire insurance coverage on our property.  We believe all our property is adequately insured; however, we cannot guarantee that the limits of our current policies will be sufficient in the event of a catastrophe to our property.  We may suffer losses that are not covered under our insurance policies.  For example, losses resulting from war or from environmental liabilities generally are not covered by insurance. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits should occur, we could lose capital invested in a property, as well as any future revenue from the sale of such property.  We would nevertheless remain obligated on any mortgage indebtedness or other obligations, if any, related to the property.

 

Due in large part to the terrorist activities of September 11, 2001, insurance companies re-examined many aspects of their business and took certain actions in the wake of these terrorist activities, including increasing premiums, mandating higher self-insured retentions and deductibles, reducing limits, restricting coverages, imposing exclusions (such as sabotage and terrorism), and refusing to underwrite certain risks and classes of business. Significantly increased premiums, mandated exclusions, or changes in limits, coverages, terms, and conditions could adversely affect our ability to obtain appropriate insurance coverages. However, at this time the only impact on our business has been an increase in insurance premiums.

 

Increases in property insurance premiums and decreases in the availability of homeowner property insurance in the coastal regions of North Carolina could reduce customer demand for our property.

 

Homeowner property insurance companies doing business in the portions of the southeastern United States that are most subject to occasional hurricanes have reacted to recent hurricanes by significantly increasing premiums, requiring higher deductibles, reducing limits, restricting coverages, imposing exclusions, refusing to insure certain property owners, and in some instances, ceasing insurance operations in particular states. It is uncertain what effect these actions will have on property insurance availability and rates in the coastal regions of North Carolina. This trend of decreasing availability of insurance and rising insurance rates could continue if there are severe hurricanes in the future.

 

The increasing costs of property insurance premiums in the coastal regions of North Carolina, as well as the decrease in private property insurers, could (1) deter potential customers from purchasing a home or homesite in Boiling Spring Lakes, or (2) make Southeastern North Carolina less attractive to new employers that can create high quality jobs needed to spur growth in the region, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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The occurrence of hurricanes and other natural disasters in Southeastern North Carolina could adversely affect our business.

 

Because of its location on the Atlantic Ocean, Southeastern North Carolina is particularly susceptible to the occurrence of hurricanes. Depending on where any particular hurricane makes landfall, our property could experience significant, if not catastrophic, damage. Such damage could materially delay sales in or could lessen demand for real estate in affected coastal communities. Importantly, regardless of actual damage to a development, the occurrence of hurricanes in North Carolina and the Southeastern United States could negatively affect demand for our real estate because of consumer perceptions of hurricane risks. In addition to hurricanes, the occurrence of other natural disasters in North Carolina, such as tornadoes, floods, fires, unusually heavy or prolonged rain, and droughts, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to sell our property. In the past, our operations have been affected by such occurrences through lower real estate sales and higher operating and capital costs associated with clean-up and repairs in the aftermath of such occurrences. The occurrence of natural disasters could also have a long-term negative effect on the attractiveness of Southeastern North Carolina as a location for seasonal and/or primary residences.

 

The occurrence of drought in Southeastern North Carolina could adversely affect our business.

 

Due to drought or near-drought conditions for much of 2007 in Southeastern North Carolina, nearly all of the lakes within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes had a water level that was substantially below normal. These conditions resulted in a lowering of the water table, and one or more sink holes developed in the bed of Boiling Spring Lake, the largest lake in the community, which resulted in a further lowering of the water level of that lake. A series of remedial measures taken by the City solved the issue of the sink holes; however, the lack of normal rainfall prevented the lakes, including Boiling Spring Lake, from returning to approximately normal levels for some time. A return of protracted drought or near-drought conditions in Southeastern North Carolina could result in a reoccurrence of substantially lower water levels, including in Boiling Spring Lake, and the reoccurrence of one or more sink holes. The occurrence of such eventualities could have a material adverse effect on our ability to sell our property.

 

Increases in real estate property taxes could reduce customer demand for homes and homesites in our market.

 

Brunswick County experienced significant increases in property values during the record-setting real estate activity in the first half of the last decade. As a result, many local governments have been, and may continue, aggressively re-assessing the value of homes and real estate for property tax purposes. These larger assessments increase the total real estate property taxes due from property owners annually. Because of decreased revenues from other sources due to economic factors, many local governments have also increased their property tax rates.

 

The current costs of real estate property taxes in Brunswick County, and future increases in property taxes, could (1) deter potential customers from purchasing a lot or home in Boiling Spring Lakes, or (2) make Brunswick County less attractive to new employers that can create high-quality jobs needed to spur growth in the region, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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We are subject to numerous laws and regulations regarding the sale of real estate.

 

The real estate industry is governed by various federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, state and local real estate broker licensing laws, federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive acts and practices, and federal and state advertising laws. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in, among other things, revocation of required licenses, indemnification liability to contract counterparties, administrative enforcement actions, and civil and criminal liability.

 

Our property is subject to numerous laws and regulations regarding real estate.

 

At December 31, 2012, we owned, among other land, approximately 244 acres of undeveloped, unplatted land intended for residential use, and approximately 219 additional acres of undeveloped, unplatted land intended for commercial use. Changes in zoning or other regulations may prevent us from subdividing all or a substantial portion of such acreage, which, in turn, may adversely affect our ability to generate revenue from real estate sales and/or our ability to effect a bulk sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

 

Potential purchasers of land from us may be subject to periodic delays or may be precluded entirely from construction on such land due to building moratoriums or “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives that could be implemented in the future. A purchaser of land from us who has received land use and building entitlements or approvals may still require a variety of other governmental approvals and permits during the construction process. The possibility of such actions could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue from real estate sales and/or our ability to effect a bulk sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

 

We are subject to many laws and regulations regarding environmental matters.

 

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations regarding environmental matters. Under these laws, we may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum product releases on land currently or formerly owned by us, and may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage and the cost of investigation, removal and decontamination incurred by such parties. The penalty may be imposed whether or not we were aware of, or responsible for, the hazardous or toxic substances, and the liability under such laws has been interpreted to be joint and several unless the harm is divisible and there is a reasonable basis for allocation of responsibility. The costs of investigation, removal and decontamination of such substances could be substantial. If such substances are found on land currently owned by us, or there is a failure to properly remove or decontaminate the area, the property could be difficult to sell, rent, or develop. Some environmental laws create a lien on a contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs in connection with such contamination. We may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from a site.

 

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An accident at nearby facilities could adversely affect our business.

 

Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point is among the largest military terminals in the world and serves as a transfer point between rail, trucks, and ships for the import and export of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and military equipment for the United States Army. The military terminal is approximately ten miles from Boiling Spring Lakes. Progress Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant, consisting of two units generating a total of approximately 1,875 megawatts of electrical energy, is situated on a 1,200-acre site approximately ten miles from Boiling Spring Lakes. The nuclear plant is serviced by a 2½ mile long intake canal, which brings water to the plant for cooling the nuclear reactors, and a 5½ mile long discharge canal, which directs the heated water about ½ mile out into the Atlantic Ocean. A terrorist or other attack against either the military terminal or the nuclear plant, or a significant accident at either facility, or significant damage to the transportation links to either facility or to a canal serving the nuclear plant, could result in a decrease in the desirability of our property among potential buyers of real estate, which, in turn, could have an adverse affect on our land sales and, in turn, a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Terrorist attacks and threatened or actual war may adversely affect our business.

 

Terrorist attacks or threats, whether within the United States or abroad, rumors or threats of war, actual conflicts involving the United States or its allies, or military or trade disruptions may cause prospective buyers to postpone or cancel real estate transactions. Any widespread pattern of such postponements or cancellations could adversely affect real estate markets generally, and our market in particular, which could reduce the demand for our real estate and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Litigation resulting from disputes with our customers may result in substantial costs, liabilities, and loss of revenues.

 

From time to time we have disputes with purchasers of our property. Disputes may occur in the future and we may not be able to resolve those disputes in a satisfactory manner.

 

The appraised value of our land may vary significantly from previous appraisals and from the realizable value upon a sale.

 

From time to time, we obtain an appraisal of our real estate assets located in the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. See “Item 2. Properties – Appraisal of Real Estate Assets.” Each appraisal is based upon, among other factors, recent sales of real estate and the then-current market conditions for real estate generally, as well as in North Carolina, Brunswick County, and Boiling Spring Lakes, in particular. The appraised value of the assets set forth in one appraisal report may vary significantly from the appraised value set forth in any previous or future appraisal report for one or more reasons, including, among others, a change in market conditions and a change in the assets being appraised. There is no guarantee that we could obtain the appraised value upon a sale of the appraised assets, and, in the event of a sale of the appraised assets, the actual sale price could be higher or lower than the appraised value set forth in any appraisal report.

 

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If the market value of our real estate were to drop below its book value, we would be required to write-down the book value of our real estate, which would have an adverse affect on our balance sheet and our earnings.

 

Most of our property was acquired by our predecessor corporation in the 1960’s. During the 1980’s, following tightened requirements on the installation of septic systems, we established a valuation allowance that effectively reduced the book value of much of our property to reflect lower market values. Adverse market conditions, in certain circumstances, may require us to further reduce the book value of our property in what is often referred to as a “write-down” or “impairment.” A write-down of our property would decrease the value of the asset on our balance sheet and would reduce our earnings for the period in which the write-down is recorded.

 

Our business may be adversely affected by damage to dams.

 

We are responsible for the maintenance and repair of a dam designed to retain water in one of the lakes within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. The dam was breeched and partially washed out following a severe storm in 1996. We have spent approximately $185,000 since 2001 to repair the dam. We had intended to deed the dam to the City of Boiling Spring Lakes after the repairs were completed, and the City indicated that it would accept the title after completion of the work; however, from time to time, the City has requested certain additional work be completed on the dam prior to transfer of title. At this time we contemplate no additional work but until such time as the title is transferred, there can be no assurance that the City will not require us to undertake and complete additional work on the dam, or decide not to accept title, notwithstanding additional work on the dam. The occurrence of a hurricane, flood, or unusually heavy or prolonged rain could result in damage to the dam. In such an eventuality before the transfer of title to the dam, we would be responsible for the repair costs, which could be substantial, and until such repair is completed, our ability to develop and sell property or realize income from projects could be materially adversely affected.

 

The City of Boiling Spring Lakes has many lakes and ponds, some of which were created or enhanced by using earthen dams to raise the water level behind the dams. We own and maintain only one of those dams; all of the other dams are, to our knowledge, owned and maintained by either the City of Boiling Spring Lakes or the owner of The Lakes Country Club. From time to time, a dam owned by others may need repair, for example, as a result of a “wash out” of a portion of a dam following a hurricane, flood, or period of unusually heavy or prolonged rain, and it may become necessary for the owner of such dam to lower the water level behind the dam for an extended period of time. During such time, we may be unable to sell land near the lake or pond with reduced water levels, or the price that we could realize upon a sale of such land may be substantially less than would be the case if the water level was not reduced.

 

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We may face significant costs associated with building and maintaining roads.

 

We are responsible for maintaining certain roads, most of which are unpaved, and certain road rights-of-way within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. We may complete some or all of the roads, or a portion of some or all of the roads, but we are under no contractual obligation to do so. It may be difficult or impossible for us to sell lots located on uncompleted roads or on roads that are not rocked or paved with asphalt, and the sales price of a lot situated on an uncompleted road or a road that is neither rocked nor paved with asphalt would likely be substantially less than what we might otherwise obtain. We have not set aside any money or entered into any bond, escrow, or trust agreement to assure completion of the roads, or to fund the rocking or paving of roads with asphalt.

 

The costs to complete a road, and to rock or pave a road with asphalt, are capitalized and added to the cost basis of our land held for sale. When we sell land situated on a completed road, or a road that has been rocked or paved with asphalt, the direct cost of land sold will reflect the capitalized costs. As a result, we will likely achieve a higher sales price for land situated on a completed road, or a road that has been rocked or paved with asphalt, but the direct cost of such land sold will also be higher than for a lot which does not reflect such capitalized costs.

 

The City of Boiling Spring Lakes will not assume any road that is not paved with asphalt, and the City need not assume any paved road. Accordingly, unless and until we complete a road, have it paved with asphalt, and the road has been assumed by the City, we will be responsible for maintaining such road and the right-of-way. Since 2001, we have spent approximately $193,000 for rocking and paving roads. Otherwise, in recent years, we have not spent significant amounts toward building or maintaining roads and rights-of-way, and the cost to maintain them may increase substantially. Our failure to provide proper maintenance of the roads and rights-of-way which have not been assumed by the City may subject us to substantially greater risk of litigation from persons adversely affected by such failure.

 

During the 1960’s, we sold a number of five- and ten-acre timber tracts. In some cases, we provided an easement across our land to the buyer of such a tract for access to and egress from the tract, and the buyer was responsible for building a road across such easement. In cases where the purchase contract was silent on the issue, local laws required only that we provide the buyer with access to and egress from a tract but it was not clear who was responsible for building a road to and from the tract. We maintain that our only obligation in such cases is and has been to provide an easement for access to and egress from the tract, and if at some subsequent time the buyer wanted a road across such an easement, we were not obligated to build it. We have not been involved in any litigation involving a dispute over whose responsibility it is to build a road in such a case. If such litigation were to be initiated, we believe that we would prevail but that the cost of defending the case could be material, and should we not prevail, the cost of building any such road could be material.

 

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We may incur costs in connection with the removal of an underground storage tank in 2000.

 

In 2000, we removed an underground storage tank located adjacent to the club house building of Fox Squirrel Country Club. We owned that golf club until we sold it to a third party in 2001, and the club was subsequently renamed The Lakes Country Club. Soil samples taken shortly after the removal showed a certain amount of contamination of soil and indications that diesel fuel may have leaked into the subsurface groundwater. We undertook remediation by removing approximately 15 tons of contaminated soil and adding fill to the affected area. Test wells were placed near the former site of the underground storage tank to measure the level of subsurface groundwater contamination, and the test results were submitted to the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (“NCDENR”). Initial test results showed levels of groundwater contamination to be just above the standards. From time to time during 2002 and 2003, additional tests were performed on subsurface groundwater samples, and the test results were submitted to NCDENR. With one exception, all of the additional test results showed that the concentration of hydrocarbon compounds in the subsurface groundwater were either below detection limits or were substantially below standards; the one exception was the testing in May 2003, which showed that “C11-C22 aromatic concentration is non-compliant.” As requested by NCDENR, we continued to monitor and sample the groundwater and to submit the test results to NCDENR periodically. The written test results of sampling of subsurface groundwater taken in February 2004, showing that the concentration of hydrocarbon compounds in the subsurface groundwater were either below detection limits or were substantially below standards, were submitted to NCDENR. On May 4, 2004, NCDENR issued a Notice of No Further Action, stating that NCDENR determined that we need not continue the monitoring and sampling of groundwater. Such determination shall apply unless NCDENR makes a later determination that the concentration of hydrocarbon compounds that resulted from the release of diesel fuel from the now removed underground storage tank once again poses an unacceptable risk or a potentially unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

 

We believe that we will not be incurring any further costs associated with release of diesel fuel from the now removed underground storage tank. If, however, NCDENR should request that we conduct additional monitoring and testing or to conduct additional remediation, we believe that the cost of any such additional monitoring and testing or remediation is not likely to be material.

 

In connection with the sale of the assets of Fox Squirrel Country Club, we entered into an indemnification agreement with WW-Golf, the buyer of the assets. Pursuant to such indemnification agreement, as amended, our liability related to testing and remediation involving the underground storage tank terminated on June 17, 2005. However, should NCDENR require additional testing and/or remediation, and should WW-Golf be unable to bear the entire cost of such testing and/or remediation, it is possible that we will be required to bear some or all of such costs.

 

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Should we acquire additional real estate, we would be subject to a number of risks relating to acquisitions, any of which could cause us not to realize the anticipated benefits.

 

While we currently have no plans to acquire additional real estate, we may do so in the future. Acquisition transactions involve various inherent risks, including, among others, the following:

 

Uncertainties in assessing the value, strengths, and potential profitability of, and identifying the extent of all weaknesses, risks, contingent and other liabilities (including environmental) of, acquisition opportunities.

 

Acquired property may fail to perform as we expected in analyzing our investments; our estimates of the costs or repositioning or redeveloping acquired property may be inaccurate; and the development opportunity may be abandoned after expending significant resources.

 

Problems that could arise from the integration of the new businesses or property.

 

Unanticipated changes in business, industry or general economic conditions that affect the assumptions underlying our rationale for pursuing the acquisition opportunity.

 

Should we engage in real estate development, we would be subject to numerous laws and regulations regarding the development of real estate.

 

We may decide to engage in development of our property to increase our revenue. Development of real estate is subject to zoning laws and other regulations that govern the use and subdivision of land. Changes in zoning or other regulations may require substantially greater expenditures to complete one or more new projects than would be the case without such changes. Seeking a favorable change to zoning laws and regulations can be an expensive, time-consuming, and, ultimately, futile process. Adverse changes to zoning and other laws and regulations can preclude the development of some or all of a developer’s land, often with no compensation for the loss of future earnings from development of the affected land.

 

At December 31, 2012, we owned, among other land, approximately 244 acres of undeveloped, unplatted land intended for residential use, and approximately 219 additional acres of undeveloped, unplatted land intended for commercial use. Changes in zoning or other regulations may prevent us from subdividing all or a substantial portion of such acreage, which, in turn, may adversely affect our ability to generate revenue from real estate sales and/or our ability to effect a bulk sale of all or substantially all of our assets. If we are unable to obtain a rezoning of commercial land, we may be unable to realize any value in a sale of such land.

 

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Should we engage in real estate development, we may be unable to obtain and renew permits necessary for development projects we decide to undertake, which could reduce our anticipated cash flow and profitability from those projects, or cause us not to realize the anticipated benefits from the projects.

 

Real estate companies must obtain numerous governmental permits or approvals that impose strict conditions and obligations relating to various environmental and safety matters in connection with real estate development. The permitting rules are complex and can change over time. Regulatory authorities exercise considerable discretion in the timing and scope of permit issuance. The public has the right to comment on certain permit applications and otherwise participate in the permitting process, including through court intervention. Accordingly, permits required by us to conduct development projects may not be issued, maintained or renewed, or may not be issued or renewed in a timely fashion, or may involve requirements that restrict our ability to economically conduct our development projects. Should we engage in real estate development, these and other eventualities we presently deem not to be material to our current or future business could adversely affect our future results of operations and financial condition.

 

Contractors are generally exposed to risks not only with respect to a project in which we have an interest, but also other projects in which they are involved. A default by a contractor, or the bankruptcy, insolvency or other failure of a contractor engaged by us on a project we decide to undertake may require, among other possibilities, that we determine whether we want to fund monies beyond what we are contractually obligated to fund, take over contracting of the project, find another contractor for the project, or sell our interest in the project. These events could delay the completion of the project, result in our incurring additional costs, and/or preclude us from realizing anticipated returns, if any. These events could cause a decrease in the value of our assets and compel us to seek additional sources of liquidity, which may or may not be available, in order to complete the project.

 

Purchasers of land from us may be subject to delays or may be precluded from building due to building moratoriums or “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives that could be implemented in the future.

 

Purchasers of land from us may be subject to periodic delays or may be precluded entirely from building in certain portions of Boiling Spring Lakes due to building moratoriums or “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives that could be implemented in the future. Local and state governments also have broad discretion regarding the imposition of development fees for projects in their jurisdiction. A project for which a purchaser of land from us has received land use and development entitlements or approvals may still require a variety of other governmental approvals and permits during the development process. Such a project can also be adversely affected by unforeseen health, safety, and welfare issues, which can further delay the project or prevent its completion. An occurrence of any of the foregoing may have the potential effect of reducing our future sales of real estate.

 

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Any loans that we originate from land sales are subject to the risks of delinquency and foreclosure.

 

We currently sell land for all cash. We may, in the future, elect to originate loans by selling land for a combination of cash and a note. Any such loan is subject to risks of delinquency and foreclosure, and risks of loss. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by land depends primarily upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. We would bear the risks of loss of principal to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the land and the principal and accrued interest of the loan. In the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower, the loan to that borrower will be deemed to be collateralized only to the extent of the value of the underlying collateral at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law. Foreclosure of a mortgage loan can be an expensive and lengthy process that could have a substantial negative effect on our anticipated return on the foreclosed mortgage loan, and the cash portion of the sale price paid for the land by the borrower may not cover our legal and other costs relating to foreclosure or bankruptcy of the borrower. Should we foreclose on a property, we may be unable to resell that property, whether at the original sale price or otherwise. Should we foreclose on a property on which the borrower has commenced construction of a building or otherwise altered the property, we may be required to incur substantial costs to place the property in a sellable condition.

 

Risks Relating to an Investment in Our Partnership Units

 

We do not expect to make any distributions to unitholders for the foreseeable future, even during periods when we record net income.

 

We do not anticipate that we will make any cash distributions to unitholders in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their units after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. Investors seeking cash distributions in the foreseeable future should not purchase our partnership units.

 

The amount and timing of future cash distributions, if any, to unitholders principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things, the following:

 

The level of our operating costs.

 

The amount of land which we are able to sell and the price at which we are able to sell land.

 

Federal, state and local regulations and taxes.

 

Prevailing economic conditions.
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In addition, the actual amount of cash available for distribution will depend upon other factors, including, among others, the following:

 

The level of our capital expenditures.

 

The cost of acquisitions, if any.

 

Our debt service requirements and restrictions on distributions contained in future debt agreements, if any.

 

Fluctuations in our working capital needs.

 

Our ability to borrow under future credit agreements, if any, to make distributions to our unitholders.

 

The amount, if any, of cash reserves established by the General Partner, in its discretion, for the proper conduct of our business.

 

We experienced operating losses for each of the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and there can be no assurance that the amounts available from internally generated funds, cash on hand, and sale of our remaining assets will be sufficient to fund our anticipated operations and meet existing and future liabilities. These losses, and the uncertainty surrounding liabilities and other claims, create uncertainties about our ability to meet existing and future liabilities as they become due. We have taken certain steps, including conservation of cash, in light of these uncertainties. We may be required to seek additional capital, such as in the form of bank financing; however, there is no assurance that such additional capital will be available or, if available, will be on terms favorable to us.

 

Because of the above factors, among others, we may not have sufficient available cash to pay cash distributions to our unitholders even during periods when we record net income.

 

The amount of distributions to unitholders, if any, is uncertain, and may be less than our book value.

 

We are seeking to sell the remainder of our property with a view towards ultimately dissolving the partnership. Despite repeated efforts in the past, we have been unable to effect a sale of all or substantially all of our real estate, and have found ourselves generally able to sell only a small portion of our land at any one time through the sale of individual lots or groups of individual lots and/or the sale of relatively small tracts of land. At the present time, we are again seeking to sell all of our real estate.

 

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We may be required to use a liquidation basis of accounting in view of the foregoing. Should we adopt a liquidation basis of accounting, we would need to make reasonable provisions to pay all claims and obligations, which include contingent and conditional claims as well as unknown claims that may arise after dissolution, such as assessments for water and sewer systems. The consequence is that unitholders would likely not receive any distributions prior to dissolution, or if they did, the distributions might be lower than the current book value of the units. Because the amount of reserve required is uncertain, we might reserve a higher amount than necessary. We would not plan on distributing cash to unitholders before entering dissolution. Our ability to make cash distributions during dissolution would depend upon resolution of claims and liabilities. Under any liquidation scenario, unitholders would not have control over the divestiture of our remaining assets or the liquidation process. We cannot make any assurance that changes in our policies would serve fully the interests of all unitholders or that under any liquidation scenario the unitholders would receive any liquidating distributions of cash or other property, or if they do, that the distributions would equal or exceed the book value of the units at any past, present, or future time.

 

Our units have a limited public trading market.

 

There has been, and continues to be, a limited public market for our units. Our units are not quoted on any trading market; an active trading market for our units does not exist and may never develop or be sustained. You may not be able to sell your units at or above the price you paid. You may not be able to liquidate your investment in units without considerable delay, if at all. If a more active market were to develop, which we believe is unlikely, the price may be highly volatile.

 

The market price of our units may be volatile and could be based on many factors, including perceptions that do not accurately reflect actual conditions.

 

The market price of our units may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, among others, the following:

 

Conditions in equity, financial, and credit markets generally.

 

Actual, anticipated, or perceived fluctuations in our operating results or financial condition.

 

Actual, anticipated, or perceived changes in the market value of our real estate assets.

 

Changes in market valuations of other real estate companies, particularly those that sell real estate similar to or near ours.

 

Announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments.

 

The sale of a relatively large number of units at one time or in a short period of time by one or more unitholders.

 

The market’s perception of our future cash distributions.

 

Departure of key personnel.

 

Government action or regulation, including changes in tax law.

 

Any of the above factors, or others, may have a significant negative effect on the market price of our units.

 

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Our units are subject to “penny stock” rules.

 

Our units are currently defined as a “penny stock” under Rule 3a51-1 promulgated under the Exchange Act. “Penny stocks” are subject to Rules 15g-2 through 15g-7 and Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell penny stocks to persons other than established customers and institutional accredited investors. Among other things, for transactions covered by these rules, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale. Consequently, these rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our units and affect the ability of holders to sell their units in the secondary market. To the extent our units are subject to the penny stock regulations, the market liquidity for our units will be adversely affected.

 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has adopted sales practice requirements which may limit a unitholder’s ability to buy and sell our units.

 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer.  Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information.  Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our units, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our units and have an adverse effect on the market for our units.

 

We may issue an unlimited number of units, on terms and conditions established by our General Partner, without the consent of our unitholders, which would dilute the ownership interest of existing unitholders.

 

The issuance by us of additional units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have adverse effects, including, among others, the following:

 

Our unitholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us would decrease.

 

The amount of cash ultimately available for distribution on each previously outstanding unit may decrease.

 

The relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit may be diminished.

 

The ratio of taxable income to distributions may increase.

 

The market price of our units may decline.

 

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Your liability as a limited partner may not be limited, and our unitholders may have to repay distributions to us under certain circumstances.

 

As a limited partner in a partnership organized under South Carolina law, you could be held liable for our obligations to the same extent as a general partner if you participate in the “control” of our business. Our general partner generally has unlimited liability for our obligations, except for those contractual obligations that are expressly made by us without recourse to our general partner. Additionally, the limitations on the liability of unitholders for our obligations have not been clearly established in many jurisdictions.

 

Under certain circumstances, our unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully distributed to them. If, for example, we should make a distribution that would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets, unitholders who received the distributions may be required to return the amount of distributions to us.

 

Fees paid and cost reimbursements due to our General Partner may be substantial and reduce our ability to ultimately pay distributions to unitholders.

 

Prior to making any distributions to our unitholders, we will pay all fees owed to our General Partner and its affiliates, and reimburse them for all expenses they have incurred on our behalf. The payment of these fees and reimbursement of these expenses may adversely affect our ability to make distributions to the unitholders. Our General Partner has sole discretion to determine the amount of these fees and expenses. For additional information, please see “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence – Transactions with Related Persons.”

 

Our unitholders do not elect our General Partner or vote on our General Partner’s officers or directors.

 

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence the General Partner’s decisions regarding our business. Unitholders did not elect our General Partner and have no right to elect our General Partner on an annual or other continuing basis.

 

Any future indebtedness may limit our ability to borrow additional funds, make distributions to unitholders or capitalize on business opportunities.

 

At December 31, 2012, our total indebtedness outstanding was zero. We may incur indebtedness in the future. Any such indebtedness may have adverse effects including, among others, the following:

 

Our ability to finance future operations and capital needs may be restricted.

 

Our ability to pursue acquisitions and other business opportunities may be limited.

 

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Our results of operations may be more susceptible to adverse economic or operating conditions.

 

Our payments of principal and interest on any future indebtedness will reduce the cash available for distribution on our units. We will likely be prohibited from making cash distributions during an event of default under any future indebtedness, or if, either before or after such distribution, we fail to meet a coverage test set forth in the loan documents of any such future indebtedness.

 

Limitations in debt agreements of any future indebtedness may reduce our ability to incur additional indebtedness, to engage in some transactions and to capitalize on business opportunities.

 

Our General Partner’s executive officers and directors face potential conflicts of interest in managing our business.

 

Our limited partnership agreement provides that our General Partner (a) shall devote such time to our business as the General Partner, in its sole discretion, “deem[s] to be necessary to manage and supervise the Partnership business and affairs in an efficient manner”, and (b) “may engage in, or possess an interest in, other business ventures of any nature and description” and neither the Partnership nor its unitholders “shall have any rights in and to such ventures or the income or profits derived therefrom, and the pursuit of such activities, even if competitive with the business of the Partnership, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper.” These provisions may create conflicts of interest regarding corporate opportunities and other matters. The resolution of any such conflicts may not always be in our or our unitholders’ best interests. In addition, our General Partner’s officers and directors face potential conflicts regarding the allocation of their time, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and/or financial condition.

 

Our General Partner’s discretion in determining the level of cash reserves may adversely affect our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders.

 

Our partnership agreement requires our General Partner to deduct from operating cash flow cash reserves, in its sole discretion, for “working capital, contingent liabilities, taxes, debt service, repairs, replacements, renewals, capital expenditures, or other purposes” necessary for the proper conduct of our business, or to comply with applicable law or agreements to which we are a party. See “Item 1. Business – Liquid Assets and Reserves for Calculating Distributable Cash.” These cash reserves will affect the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders.

 

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Our General Partner has conflicts of interest and limited fiduciary responsibilities, which may permit our General Partner to favor its own interests to the detriment of our unitholders.

 

Conflicts of interest could arise in the future as a result of relationships between our General Partner and its affiliates, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts our General Partner may favor its own interests and those of its affiliates over the interests of our unitholders. The nature of these conflicts includes certain considerations, including, among others, the following:

 

Remedies available to our unitholders for breaches of fiduciary duty, among other things, may be limited. Unitholders are deemed to have consented to some actions and conflicts of interest that might otherwise be deemed a breach of fiduciary or other duties under applicable state law.

 

Our General Partner and its affiliates are not prohibited from engaging in other businesses or activities, including those in direct competition with us.

 

Our General Partner determines the amount and timing of our asset purchases and sales, capital expenditures, borrowings, and reserves, each of which can affect the amount of cash that is ultimately distributed to unitholders.

 

Our General Partner determines whether to issue additional units or other equity securities in us.

 

Our General Partner determines which costs are reimbursable by us.

 

Our General Partner controls the enforcement of obligations owed to us by it.

 

Our General Partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants, or others to perform services for us.

 

Our General Partner is not restricted from causing us to pay it or its affiliates for any services rendered on terms that are fair and reasonable to us or from entering into additional contractual arrangements with any of these entities on our behalf.

 

Our partnership agreement limits our General Partner’s fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our General Partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.

 

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that waive or consent to conduct by our General Partner and which reduce the obligations to which our General Partner would otherwise be held by state-law fiduciary duty standards. In order to become a limited partner of our partnership, a unitholder is required to agree to be bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions described above.

 

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Should you acquire a unit, you do not automatically become a limited partner.

 

Because we are organized as a limited partnership, a transfer of units is not the same, legally, as the transfer of a share of common stock in a corporation, for example. A transfer of units has two components, namely: the transfer of the economic interest (that is, the right to receive distributions, if and when made) in the units, and the transfer of rights (principally, voting rights) as a limited partner. Upon the effectiveness of a transfer, the transferor surrenders to the transferee all of the economic interests (that is, the right to receive distributions, if and when made) of the units. The transferee may then, in turn, sell or transfer the economic interests in those units to others. The transferee does not, however, upon the effectiveness of a transfer, automatically become a substituted limited partner in us and does not become vested with the right to vote at meetings of the partners. A transferee is not required to become a substituted limited partner, and most transferees of our units do not become substituted limited partners. Becoming a substituted limited partner involves legal expenses which, given our size, among other factors, a unitholder might not wish to incur, especially since (a) the economic interest in the units may be easily transferred without incurring any of such legal costs, and (b) we have not held a meeting of partners since our inception in 1980 because the limited partnership agreement confers upon our General Partner broad authority to conduct our business and very limited voting rights to limited partners. See, however, Item 1-“Proposed Reverse Unit Split” regarding a proposed special meeting of partners.

 

Tax Risks Relating to an Investment in Our Partnership Units

 

Even if you do not receive any cash distributions from us, you will be required to pay taxes on your share of our taxable income.

 

You will be required to pay federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes, on your share of our taxable income, whether or not you receive cash distributions from us. We do not currently have plans to make a distribution to unitholders. Even if we were to make a distribution, the amount that you receive from us may not be equal to your share of our taxable income or even equal to the actual tax liability that results from your share of our taxable income.

 

You may be subject to state and local taxes and income tax return filing requirements in jurisdictions where you do not live as a result of investing in our units.

 

In addition to federal income taxes, you may be subject to other taxes, such as state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, and estate, inheritance, or intangible taxes that are or may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property. You may be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these various jurisdictions. Further, you may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. While we currently own real estate only in North Carolina, we may own property or conduct business in other states in the future. It is your responsibility to file all federal, state, and local tax returns.

  

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A unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of those units. If so, he would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.

 

Because a unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned units, he may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan to the short seller and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan to the short seller, any of our income, gain, loss, or deduction with respect to those units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units could be fully taxable as ordinary income.

 

If we were to become subject to entity-level taxation for federal or state tax purposes, the amount of our cash that is ultimately available for distribution to you would be substantially reduced.

 

The anticipated after-tax benefit of an investment in our units depends largely upon our being treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on this matter.

 

Despite the fact that we are a limited partnership under South Carolina law, it is possible in certain circumstances for a partnership such as ours to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Although we do not believe, based upon our current operations, that we are so treated, a change in our business or a change in current law could cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to taxation as an entity.

 

If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently a maximum of 35%, and would likely pay state income tax at varying rates. Distributions to you would generally be taxed again as corporate distributions, and no income, gains, losses, deductions or credits would flow through to you. Because taxes would be imposed upon us as a corporation, the amount of our cash that is ultimately available for distribution to you would be substantially reduced. Thus, treatment of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in our anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to you, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our units.

 

Current law may change, causing us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subjecting us to entity-level taxation. At the federal level, legislation has been proposed from time to time that would eliminate partnership tax treatment for certain publicly traded partnerships. Any such change, if enacted, could negatively affect the value of an investment in our units. At the state level, because of widespread state budget deficits and other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise, or other forms of taxation. If any state were to impose a tax upon us as an entity, the amount of our cash that is ultimately available for distribution to you would be reduced.

 

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If the IRS were to contest the federal income tax positions we take, it may adversely impact the market for our units, and the costs of any such contest would reduce the amount of our cash that is ultimately available for distribution to our unitholders.

 

We have not requested a ruling from the IRS with respect to our treatment as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the positions that we take, even positions taken with the advice of counsel. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of the positions we take. A court may not agree with some or all of the positions we take. Any contest with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our units and the prices at which they trade. Moreover, the costs of any contest between us and the IRS will result in a reduction in the amount of our cash that is ultimately available for distribution to our unitholders and thus will be borne indirectly by our unitholders.

 

The sale or exchange of 50% or more of our capital and profits interests within a twelve-month period will result in the termination of our partnership for federal income tax purposes.

 

We will be considered to have terminated our partnership for federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. Our termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders, which would result in us filing two tax returns (and our unitholders could receive two Schedules K-1) for one fiscal year and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may also result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination.

 

Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our units could be different than expected.

 

If you sell your units, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and your tax basis in those units. Because distributions in excess of your allocable share of our net taxable income decrease your tax basis in your units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the units you sell will, in effect, become taxable income to you if you sell such units at a price greater than your tax basis therein, even if the price you receive is less than your original cost. Furthermore, a substantial portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, may be taxed as ordinary income to you due to potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture.

 

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Tax-exempt entities and non-U.S. persons owning our units face unique tax issues that may result in adverse tax consequences to them.

 

Investment in units by tax-exempt entities, such as individual retirement accounts (known as “IRA’s”) and non-U.S. persons, raises issues unique to them. If you are a tax exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult your tax advisor before investing in our units.

 

Tax rules relating to the tax basis and holding period of interests in a partnership differ from those rules affecting corporate stock generally, and these special rules may affect purchases and sales of our units in separate transactions.

 

The IRS has ruled that an investor who acquires interests in an entity taxed as a partnership, like us, in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for those interests.  Accordingly, should you sell or otherwise dispose of less than all of your units, the tax basis allocated to the units that you sold may be subject to different tax treatment than if you had sold less than all of your shares in a corporation.  Furthermore, if you acquired your units at different times, the units may be subject to different holding periods – and, therefore, be subject to different tax treatment upon sale – than if you had acquired shares in a corporation at different times. Other differences in tax treatment between interests in a partnership and shares of a corporation may also be involved. We urge you to consult your tax advisor as to the possible tax consequences of purchases and sales of units in separate transactions.

 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 2. Properties

 

Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina

 

Boiling Spring Lakes began in 1962 as a 14,000-acre development. Part of the tract is now within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, which had a 2011 population of 5,084 residents. Boiling Spring Lakes is in Brunswick County, 25 miles southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and 8 miles northwest of Southport, placing the city in the northern portion of the coastal corridor connecting Wilmington, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, inland of the beach area known as the Grand Strand.

 

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The outline map of North Carolina below shows the approximate location of the City of Boiling Spring Lakes.

 

 

Our principal asset is our undeveloped land in Boiling Spring Lakes, comprising approximately 817 acres. As of December 31, 2012, we owned the following:

 

Approximately 354 acres, divided into 1,071 platted unimproved individual lots, both recorded and unrecorded, intended for residential use.

 

Approximately 244 acres of undeveloped land intended for residential use.

 

Approximately 219 acres of undeveloped land intended for commercial use.

 

A vacant building comprising approximately 500 sq. ft. that was formerly leased to the City of Boiling Spring Lakes at a rate of $1 per year for use as a post office.

 

A sales office comprising approximately 1,269 sq. ft.

 

We intend to continue the sale of individual lots in Boiling Spring Lakes, concentrating on lots situated on existing paved roads and rocked roads. From time to time, we may add to our inventory of lots situated on paved roads and rocked roads by paving or rocking roads that are currently unpaved or not rocked. We intend to continue selling land on an all-cash basis but are considering offering to provide qualified purchasers of our land seller financing for a portion of the purchase price. Any program involving our providing seller financing, however, would be on a limited basis. However, see Item 1A-“We are undertaking the bulk sale of our property, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell our property before we run out of cash to fund our operations.”

 

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Appraisal of Real Estate Assets

 

We obtained from Ingram and Company, Inc. (the “Appraiser”) an independent MAI appraisal report dated January 23, 2013 valuing our real estate assets located in Boiling Spring Lakes at December 31, 2012. Such assets comprised substantially all of our assets on such date other than cash. The appraisal values the appraised assets at $2,010,000 (the “Appraised Value”). The Appraised Value is the Appraiser’s opinion of the most probable price which the property should bring in a sale to a single buyer within a period of 12 months in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, and assumes, among other things, a typically motivated buyer and seller in an “arm’s length” transaction, both parties are well informed or well advised about the assets and each acting in what he considers his own best interest, a reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market, payment is made in cash in U.S. dollars, and the price is unaffected by special or creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale. There is no guarantee that we could realize the Appraised Value of such assets upon a sale. The actual sale price could be higher or lower than the Appraised Value. The appraisal is not in connection with any requested minimum, maximum or specific appraised value, any pending or proposed sale or other transaction, or approval of any loan involving the appraised assets or us. The foregoing summary of the appraisal is limited in its entirety by reference to the full appraisal report, a copy of which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

During 1988, we reduced the carrying value of the Boiling Spring Lakes property as a result of an appraisal obtained in December 1988. Thereafter, we obtained several updated appraisals of the Boiling Spring Lakes property. Based upon those updated appraisals, no additional reduction to the carrying value was made. As a result of the latest appraisal as of December 31, 2012, we believe that the valuation allowance was appropriate, and that no adjustment to the carrying value was necessary.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

 

We are not currently a party to any material pending legal proceedings. From time to time, we have been and may become a party to ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business. While our potential liability from any of such proceedings may be substantial, we believe that the likelihood of incurring any such liability is low. 

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

 

Not Applicable.

  

[THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS BLANK]

 

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PART II

 

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Market for the Partnership Units

 

The partnership units are not listed on any national securities exchange, and there are only limited or sporadic quotations on the over-the-counter market for the units. It is not anticipated that there will ever be an active public market for the units. OTC Markets Group, Inc., an operator of an electronic marketplace for securities not listed on a national securities exchange, categorizes the units in the “Grey Market.” It describes the Grey Market as follows: There are no broker-dealers quoting this security. It is not listed, traded or quoted on any U.S. stock exchange or the OTC Markets. Trades in grey market stocks are reported by broker-dealers to their Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) and the SRO distributes the trade data to market data vendors and financial websites so investors can track price and volume. Since grey market securities are not traded or quoted on an exchange or interdealer quotation system, investor's bids and offers are not collected in a central spot so market transparency is diminished and Best Execution of orders is difficult.

 

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices in each of the four quarters of fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011. The information was obtained from OTC Markets Group, Inc.

 

TABLE 5: QUARTERLY INFORMATION ON PRICE RANGE OF PARTNERSHIP UNITS

 

    High    Low 
Fiscal 2012:          
Fourth Quarter  $ None   $None 
Third Quarter   0.60    0.17 
Second Quarter   0.51    0.45 
First Quarter   0.45    0.40 
           
Fiscal 2011:          
Fourth Quarter  $0.40   $0.30 
Third Quarter   0.35    0.30 
Second Quarter   0.30    0.29 
First Quarter   0.29    0.26 

 

Holders of Units

 

As of January 31, 2013, there were approximately 1,170 record holders of partnership units.

 

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Distributions

 

We have paid no cash distributions to unitholders since our inception in 1980. We do not anticipate that we will make any cash distributions to unitholders in the foreseeable future.

 

The amount of cash we can distribute to unitholders principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things, the following:

 

The level of our operating costs.

 

The amount of land which we are able to sell and the price at which we are able to sell land.

 

Federal, state and local regulations and taxes.

 

Prevailing economic conditions.

 

In addition, the actual amount of cash available for distribution will depend upon other factors, including, among others, the following:

 

The level of our capital expenditures.

 

The cost of acquisitions, if any.

 

Our debt service requirements and restrictions on distributions contained in future debt agreements, if any.

 

Fluctuations in our working capital needs.

 

Our ability to borrow under future credit agreements, if any, to make distributions to our unitholders.

 

The amount, if any, of cash reserves established by the General Partner, in its discretion, for the proper conduct of our business.

 

Because of the above factors, among others, we may not have sufficient available cash to pay cash distributions to our unitholders even during periods when we record net income.

 

Purchases of Units by Us and our Affiliates

 

Our limited partnership agreement allows us to repurchase partnership units; however, the agreement does not require that we or our General Partner repurchase partnership units on demand of unitholders, nor does the agreement provide for a minimum purchase price or establish a mechanism for determining a purchase price.

 

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From time to time, in accordance with applicable securities laws, we may utilize excess cash by repurchasing partnership units, although we have rarely done so in the past and there are currently no plans to repurchase partnership units. Since the amount of excess cash available for such purpose cannot be estimated at this time due to the inability to accurately estimate the amount of any assessments related to water and sewer service and also due to the highly variable nature of our cash flow, there can be no assurance as to the number of partnership units which we will actually repurchase, if or when any such repurchases will, in fact, occur, or the prices at which such repurchases, if any, will be made.

 

There were no purchases of partnership units by us, our General Partner, or any affiliate of us or our General Partner during 2012.

 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

 

The selected financial data set forth in Tables 6 and 7, below, has been derived from our historical audited financial statements. The selected financial data should be read in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the audited financial statements and related notes thereto.

 

It is our experience that our historical financial condition and results of operations are not reliable indicators of future financial condition and results of operations. Sales of real estate for development in Boiling Spring Lakes are highly variable, both as to the amount of land sold as well as the sales price per lot. See also “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of material uncertainties that might cause our future financial condition or results of operations to be materially different from the historical financial condition and results of operations.

 

TABLE 6: SELECTED INCOME STATEMENT DATA
   Year Ended December 31, 
   2012   2011   2010   2009   2008 
Revenues:                         
Property sales  $12,817   $66,678   $-   $17,904   $- 
Interest income   689    4,516    14,923    33,270    96,047 
Other revenue   7,769    1,583    2,673    97    25,764 
Total revenues   21,275    72,777    17,596    51,271    121,811 
                          
Operating expenses:                         
Direct costs of property sold   517    2,752    -    6    - 
Selling, general and admin. expenses   514,933    509,344    496,966    512,916    534,710 
Depreciation   3,546    3,550    3,779    3,846    3,846 
Total operating expenses   518,996    515,646    500,745    516,768    538,556 
                          
Net loss  $(497,721)  $(442,869)  $(483,149)  $(465,497)  $(416,745)
                          
Per Unit Data                         
Net loss  $(0.27)  $(0.24)  $(0.27)  $(0.26)  $(0.23)
Distributions   -    -    -    -    - 

 

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TABLE 7: SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA

 

   As of December 31, 
   2012   2011   2010   2009   2008 
Cash, prepaid expenses and other                         
Current assets  $1,293,884   $1,935,978   $2,355,080   $2,852,898   $3,351,240 
Properties held for sale and property and equipment, net   523,184    622,486    625,437    628,120    581,029 
Total assets   1,817,068    2,558,464    2,980,517    3,481,018    3,932,269 
                          
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  $3,033   $246,708   $225,892   $243,244   $228,998 
Total liabilities  $3,033   $246,708   $225,892   $243,244   $228,998 
Partners' capital   1,814,035    2,311,756    2,754,625    3,237,774    3,703,271 
Total liabilities and partners’ capital  $1,817,068   $2,558,464   $2,980,517   $3,481,018   $3,932,269 

 

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes thereto which are included as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

A “critical accounting policy” is one that is both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and requires Management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We believe that the following of our accounting policies fit this description:

 

Depreciation

 

Our investments in property other than real estate held for sale are recorded at cost. Improvements are capitalized when they extend the useful life of the asset. Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Depreciation with respect to our depreciable assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of 8 to 40 years for buildings, and 5 to 20 years for equipment and land improvements.

 

For purposes of determining the amount of depreciation to record on an annual basis, we are required to make subjective assessments as to the useful lives of those assets. These assessments have a direct impact on our net income because if we were to shorten the expected useful lives of our investments in those assets, we would depreciate these investments over fewer years, resulting in more depreciation expense and lower net income on an annual basis.

 

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Impairment of Real Estate Held for Sale

 

Our long-lived assets, primarily real estate held for sale which is our most significant asset, are carried at cost unless circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. We assess the recoverability of the carrying value of our long-lived assets whenever triggering events or changes in circumstance indicate that an impairment may have occurred in accordance with the provisions of ASC 60-10, “Property, Plant and Equipment.” In general, our review of recoverability is based principally upon the latest independent appraisal of our Boiling Spring Lakes property, Management’s determination of the extent to which the latest appraisal accurately depicts the fair market value of the appraised assets as of the appraisal date, changes in our real estate holdings since the date of the latest appraisal, and Management’s determination of changes, if any, in market conditions and trends from the date of the latest appraisal. An appraisal of real estate typically includes an estimate of the future undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest charges, expected to result from the property’s use (if any) and eventual disposition. These estimates consider factors such as expected future sale prices, operating income, market and other applicable trends, and residual value expected, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other factors. If impairment exists due to the inability to recover the carrying value of a property, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the property. We are required to make subjective assessments as to whether there are impairments in the values of our investments in real estate. These assessments have a direct impact on our net income because recording an impairment loss results in an immediate negative adjustment to net income.

 

During the 1980’s, Brunswick County changed its health code to become much more stringent regarding on-site septic systems and sewage disposal. After the changes in the health code, we obtained an appraisal of the fair market value of our real estate held for sale in Boiling Spring Lakes. Based upon that appraisal, Management determined that the value of much of our land was impaired as a result of the changes in the heath code. To reflect that impairment, we established a valuation allowance to reduce the book value of our affected land to its fair market value as set forth in that appraisal. We allocate a valuation allowance to individual lots and parcels of land that are unsuitable for the installation of an individual septic system as determined by testing conducted by the local health department or, in the absence of such testing, as determined by us based upon topography. The determinations by us of which land is unsuitable for septic (and, therefore, has allocated to it a valuation allowance) have a direct impact on our net income because the sales price of a lot or parcel of land is determined in large part upon whether or not the land being sold is suitable for a septic system, and the direct cost of land sold is net of the valuation allowance, if applicable.

 

Due to uncertainties inherent in the valuation process and in assessing market conditions and trends, among other factors, it is reasonably possible that the actual results of operating and disposing of our real estate held for sale could be materially different from current expectations.

 

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Year Ended December 31, 2012 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2011

 

Revenues

 

Overall, revenues decreased 71% to $21,275 in 2012 compared to $72,777 in 2011. The principal components of revenues and Management’s explanations for year-to-year changes are set forth below.

 

Property Sales

 

Revenue from the sale of 2 lots was $12,817 in 2012, or an average of approximately $6,400 per lot. We had $66,678 of revenue from the sale of 10 lots in 2011, or approximately $6,700 per lot. Poor economic conditions and tightened credit markets, as well as efforts, beginning in April 2006, by Fish and Wildlife to protect the habitat of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, resulted in a continuation of depressed home building activity and real estate sales in Boiling Spring Lakes in 2012 and 2011.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income in 2012 was $689 compared to $4,516 in 2011. Management attributes the 85% decrease primarily to a lower amount invested in certificates of deposit and money market funds during 2012 than in 2011, and to a lesser extent, to lower interest rates earned on those certificates of deposit and money market funds during 2012 than in 2011. We retained most of our cash proceeds received from maturing certificates of deposit and withdrawals from money market funds during 2012 in a non-interest bearing account at our bank which was fully FDIC-insured. Interest rates in 2012 were lower due primarily to policies pursued by the U.S Federal Reserve System to lower interest rates.

 

Other Income

 

Other income was $7,769 in 2012, compared to $1,583 in 2011. This consisted of $10,041 of a one-time refund of unclaimed property less $2,273 of expenses, which was netted to equal $7,769.

 

Direct Cost of Property Sold

 

Direct cost of property sold in 2012 was $517, compared to $2,752 in 2011, because fewer lots were sold in 2012.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 1% to $514,933 in 2012, compared to $509,344 in 2011. Noteworthy components of selling, general and administrative expenses, and changes from 2011 and the reasons therefore, are as follows:

 

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Real estate taxes

 

Real estate taxes for 2012 of $146,591 were virtually unchanged from 2011 taxes of $146,653.

 

Accounting fees

 

Accounting fees for 2012 were $42,051, compared to $37,103 for 2011. The increase of 13% is due principally to the fact that we hired an appraisal consultant for $25,284 in 2012 (in connection with determining the fairness of the price to be paid for old units as part of the proposed reverse unit split), partially offset by a $20,336 reduction in other areas of accounting expenses, including a reduction of $12,055 paid to our outside public accounting firm.

 

Legal Fees

 

Total legal fees for 2012 were $50,825, compared to $13,487 for 2011. Management attributes the 277% increase principally to legal expenses related to work done in connection with the proposed reverse unit split.

 

Other

 

The above increases were partially offset by cost saving efforts in several areas, including advertising, telephone, reduction in personnel and transfer agent fees.

 

Depreciation

 

Depreciation expense in 2012 was nearly unchanged from 2011.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2011 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2010

 

Overall, revenues increased 314% to $72,777 in 2011, compared to $17,596 in 2010. The principal components of revenues and Management’s explanations for year-to-year changes are set forth below.

 

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Property Sales

 

We had no revenue from property sales in 2010, The severe economic recession and the tightened credit markets, as well as efforts, beginning in April 2006, by Fish and Wildlife to protect the habitat of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, resulted in a continuation of depressed home building activity and real estate sales in Boiling Spring Lakes in 2011 and 2010.

 

Interest Income

 

Interest income in 2011 was $4,516, compared to $14,923 in 2010. Management attributes the 70% decrease to the combination of lower amounts invested during 2011 than in 2010 and to somewhat lower interest rates earned on our investments during 2011 than during 2010.

 

Other Income

 

Other income was $1,583 in 2011, compared to $2,673 in 2010. The decrease is due principal to $2,393 received in 2010 from the telephone cooperative that serves Boiling Spring Lakes and other portions of Brunswick County. As a non-profit cooperative, the telephone company may, from time to time, distribute to its members any excess of revenues over operating expenses. We received no such distribution during 2011.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 2% to $509,344 in 2011 compared to $496,966 in 2010. Noteworthy changes from 2010 in the components of selling, general and administrative expenses, and the reasons therefore, are as follows:

 

Accounting fees

 

Accounting fees for 2011 were $37,103, compared to $55,018 for 2010.

 

Legal Fees

 

Total legal fees for 2011 were $13,487, compared to $19,324 for 2010.

 

Filing Fees

 

Total fees related to the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Periodic Reports on Forms 8-K and 8-K/A were $14,356 in 2011, compared to $10,039 for 2010.

 

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Miscellaneous Expenses

 

During 2011, we incurred $12,985 in miscellaneous expenses, compared to $8,900 in 2010.

 

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Depreciation

 

Depreciation expense in 2011 was $3,550, compared to $3,779 in 2010.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

General

 

We require cash primarily for the payment of operating expenses, overhead, and capital expenditures incurred in connection with real estate sales.

 

Much of our land is accessible only by roads that are incomplete, or that are unpaved or lack a rocked surface, or which require repairs. Management believes that we will be able to sell such land only if incomplete roads are completed, the roads that are now unpaved or that lack a rocked surface are rocked, and that roads in need of repairs are repaired. In addition, Management believes that we will be able to achieve higher sales prices for many of our lots by paving certain roads with asphalt. The cost of such road improvements is generally substantial.

 

We may have to bear assessments relating to the installation of water and sewer lines installed by the City and the County. The Partnership owns property along Highway 87 where construction of the sewer system has begun. The County has estimated that the cost of this portion of the project will be approximately $3,000,000. This cost will then be assessed against property owners along the portion of Highway 87 along which the sewer lines are being built. While the County has stared that it has not yet determined the method by which the costs will be assessed to property owners, the Partnership believes that the most likely method will result in an assessment of approximately $1,040,000 against the Partnership’s property. The County has stated that the assessment, which will be made after completion of the project, which the Partnership believes will be in the third quarter of 2013, may be paid in a lump at a 5% discount or over 10 years at an interest rate of 2.84%. The Partnership believes it will choose to pay over the 10-year period.

 

We cannot reliably estimate the amounts of any additional assessments, nor can we accurately predict when any additional assessments will become due. The total of such additional assessments is likely to be substantial.

 

In light of the assessment for the sewer project along Highway 87, our current cash balances and short-term investments are not sufficient to meet all of these known and potential capital requirements.

 

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Cash is generated primarily from individual lot sales and when lot sales are at a low number as has been the case for the past five years (see Table 1), revenue is not sufficient to meet operating costs and other cash requirements. When individual lot sales have not been sufficient, historically, we have met our liquidity requirements by drawing upon cash reserves, which has reduced, and will continue to reduce, such cash reserves significantly, accruing general partner fees and certain other fees and expenses payable to the General Partner and its affiliates, selling certain non-real estate assets, and, from time to time, borrowing from local banks or the General Partner and/or its affiliates. We may also seek to supplement our current cash balances and short-term investments by negotiating credit facilities, issuing debt on such terms and conditions as the General Partner deems prudent, or seeking other forms of debt or equity financing as the General Partner deems appropriate. The ability of the Partnership to access these sources of cash to an extent sufficient to meet the Partnership’s operating costs is unlikely.

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

 

During 2012, we used $647,069 of net cash in operating activities, compared to $408,978 of net cash used in 2011, an increase of $238,091, or 58.2%. Management attributes the change principally to paying accrued expenses and accounts payable in the amount of $243,675 and to a lesser extent to the increased net loss, partially offset by the receipt of approximately $95,000 due to refunds of water assessments previously paid.

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

 

Net cash provided from investing activities in 2012 was $0 compared to $1,886,000 of net cash provided upon maturity of certificates of deposit in 2011. None of the proceeds were reinvested in extremely low interest paying instruments. During 2012, the funds were held in a non-interest paying checking account which was fully FDIC-insured and up to $250,000 was held in money market funds which were also FDIC-insured.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

 

Impact of Inflation

 

Generally, demand for real estate is adversely affected by increases in interest rates. To the extent that a significant increase in the rate of inflation leads to a significant increase in interest rates, our ability to sell real estate may be significantly adversely affected.

 

The low rate of inflation experienced during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 has had only a minor impact on our operations.

 

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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

Our principal market risk exposure is to changes in interest rates, which are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations, and other factors beyond our control. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect our revenue from property sales, since the market for real estate in general varies to a large degree upon the level and stability of interest rates. Generally, when interest rates are high or are increasing, the market for real estate declines, and when interest rates are low or are decreasing, the market for real estate increases. Management believes that the extent of such risk is neither quantifiable nor predictable because of the variability of future interest rates and because of the highly variable nature of our real estate sales.

 

We also have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates due primarily to the following: 

 

Cash: Substantially all of our cash is deposited in a noninterest-bearing checking account and an interest-bearing money market account at a local financial institution, with interest on the money market account at a variable rate. If interest rates were to increase, we would earn more interest income on our cash balances held in the money market account. If interest rates were to decrease, we would earn less interest income on our cash balances held in the money market account. To the extent we maintain balances in our in a noninterest-bearing checking account, changes in interest rates would have no effect on us.

 

Short-term Investments: From time to time we may invest excess cash in U.S. Treasury securities or certificates of deposit having a maturity at the time of purchase of more than 91 days but less than one year. All of these short-term investments are classified as securities held to maturity. During 2012, we had no short-term investments; in January, 2013, we invested $500,000 in 3-month CD’s and $500,000 in 3-month U.S. Treasury bills. If interest rates were to increase, upon sale or maturity of these investments, we would earn more interest income upon reinvestment of the proceeds due to a higher interest rate on the securities then purchased. If interest rates were to decrease, upon sale or maturity of the investments, we would earn less interest income upon reinvestment of the proceeds due to a lower interest rate on the securities then purchased. Unrealized gains or losses on securities classified as held to maturity that arise due to changes in interest rates would not be realized so long as the securities are held to maturity.

 

At December 31, 2012, we had cash of $1,288,909, of which $250,313 was held in a money market fund and the balance in no-interest, liquid accounts. Had the average level of interest rates during 2012 been higher or lower by 100 basis points or one percent (1%), our net income would have been approximately $16,000 (assuming all cash had been held in interest bearing accounts) more or $689 less, respectively. The foregoing estimate of the change in net income is based upon the average of the balances at the beginning and end of each of the quarters ended March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31, 2012, and reflects the fact that annual interest rates on investments that are earning less than 1% cannot fall below 0%.

 

At December 31, 2011, we had cash of $1,935,978 and held no certificates of deposit; however, we had certificates of deposit during the year. Had the average level of interest rates during 2011 been higher or lower by 100 basis points or one percent (1%), our net income would have been approximately $17,226 more or $4,516 less, respectively. The foregoing estimate of the change in net income is based upon the average of the balances at the beginning and end of each of the quarters ended March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31, 2011, and reflects the fact that annual interest rates on investments that are earning less than 1% cannot fall below 0%.

 

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We had no interest-bearing debt outstanding during 2012 or 2011.

 

We do not enter into derivative contracts for our own account to hedge against the risk of changes in interest rates. 

 

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

See Part IV, “Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules" for the response to this item. 

 

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

None.

 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, or the person performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Our management has the responsibility for establishing and maintaining adequate disclosure controls and procedures. Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Mr. Peter Metz, who became President of the General Partner in June, 2012 , carries out the functions of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, and, accordingly, is deemed to be our “management” for purposes involving the evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures and the effectiveness thereof. Mr. Metz has, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based upon that evaluation, Mr. Metz has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act was recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

 

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Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Our management has the responsibility for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Mr. Metz, President of the General Partner, carries out the functions of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, and, accordingly, is deemed to be our “management” for purposes of establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting and the evaluation of the effectiveness thereof. Mr. Metz has, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) and has determined that such internal control over our financial reporting is effective at the reasonable assurance level. Mr. Metz based this assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in "Internal Control—Integrated Framework" issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

In designing and evaluating the internal controls, including internal control over financial reporting, management recognized that any internal controls, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible internal controls. Because of the inherent limitations in all internal control systems, no evaluation of internal controls can provide absolute assurance that all internal control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, internal controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the internal control. The design of any system of internal controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any internal control will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, an internal control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures related to the internal control may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective internal control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

 

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rule 13a-15 or Rule 15d-15 of the Exchange Act that occurred during the last fiscal quarter of 2012 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. We do not believe any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses exist in our internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, no corrective actions have been taken.

 

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Item 9B. Other Information

 

None.

 

[THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS BLANK]

 

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PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance

 

General Partner

 

Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Grace Property Management, Inc., our General Partner, performs functions generally performed by officers and directors. Grace Property Management, Inc. is a Delaware corporation engaged in the business of real estate management, and has served as our general partner since May 15, 1980.

 

Officers and Directors of the General Partner

 

Peter Metz, 48 has been President and the sole Director of the General Partner, since June, 2012. He is also an officer of affiliates of Grace Property Management, Inc., most of which positions he has held since 1999.

 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

 

Section 16 of the Exchange Act requires that reports of beneficial ownership of partnership units and changes in such ownership be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Section 16 “reporting persons.” We are required to disclose in this Annual Report on Form 10-K each reporting person who we know has failed to file any required reports under Section 16 on a timely basis during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012. To our knowledge, based solely upon a review of all Section 16(a) filings furnished to us by Section 16(a) reporting persons or written representations that no such reports were required, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, all Section 16(a) reporting persons complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to them.

 

Code of Ethics

 

In connection with its role as our General Partner, Grace Property Management, Inc. has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to each person who performs one or more of the following functions: principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer or controller. There has been no change to or amendment of the Code of Ethics during 2012. We shall furnish, without charge, a copy of the Code of Ethics to any person who requests a copy in writing sent to the General Partner at the following address: Mr. Peter Metz, President, Grace Property Management, Inc., 55 Brookville Road, Glen Head, NY 11545.

 

Page 67
 

 

Nominating Committee

 

Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Grace Property Management, Inc., our General Partner, performs functions generally performed by officers and directors. The General Partner has no committees, including a nominating committee. The Board of Directors of the General Partner functions in the capacity of a nominating committee.

 

Audit Committee

 

Since we are a limited partnership, we have no officers or directors. Grace Property Management, Inc., our General Partner, performs functions generally performed by officers and directors. The General Partner has no committees, including an audit committee. The Board of Directors of the General Partner functions in the capacity of an audit committee. The Board of Directors of the General Partner consists of Peter Metz, who is not “independent” as such term is defined by the SEC. The Board of Directors of the General Partner has determined that Peter Metz is an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined by the SEC.

  

Item 11. Executive Compensation

 

The total compensation earned by the General Partner during each of the last three fiscal years ended December 31 is set forth in Table 8, below.

 

TABLE 8: SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
FOR FISCAL YEARS ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2012, 2011 AND 2010   
 
         
   Year   General Partner Fee 
         
Grace Property Management Inc., General Partner   2012   $160,000 
    2011    160,000 
    2010    160,000 
           

Note:

Excludes payments made to affiliates of the General Partner as described in "Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence."

 

During 2012, payments totaling $160,000 were made to the General Partner, representing general partner fees for the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2012.

 

Our partnership agreement provides for compensation to the general partners. We have no other contract, agreement, plan, or arrangement with respect to future remuneration to Grace Property Management, Inc. other than to accrue interest (at an annual rate of 10%, compounded quarterly) on the unpaid balance when cash flow is insufficient to pay general partner fees.

 

The General Partner does not compensate its officers and directors. Each of the officers and directors of the General Partner has duties and responsibilities with affiliates of the General Partner and is compensated by one or more of such affiliates. Such compensation is not directly related to general partner fees paid by us to the General Partner.

 

Page 68
 

 

As of December 31, 2012, we had a group health insurance plan in place covering our full-time employees located in our Boiling Spring Lakes sales office. We have no pension, retirement, or profit sharing plan but we do provide for incentive bonus compensation to our employees located in Boiling Spring Lakes for meeting or exceeding predesignated budget targets. We have no options, warrants, appreciation rights, or other awards outstanding. No Management person is indebted to us. Other than for accrued vacation and accrued travel and other expenses, we are not indebted to any of our employees.

 

See “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” for other payments made to affiliates of the General Partner. 

 

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

We have no compensation plans (including individual compensation arrangements) under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners

 

As of January 31, 2013, we had 1,811,062 partnership units issued and outstanding. Information as of January 31, 2013 concerning the number of partnership units beneficially owned by the persons who, to the knowledge of Management, based solely on records available to us, beneficially owned more than 5% of the units issued and outstanding on such date is set forth in Table 9, below.

 

Page 69
 

 

TABLE 9: SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner  Amount
Beneficially
Owned [a]
    Percent of Class 
           
US Bank Trust National Association, as trustee
   141 North Main Avenue
   Suite 300
   Sioux Falls, SD
   316,403  [b]    17.5%
              
Grace & White, Inc.
   515 Madison Avenue
   Suite 1700
   New York, NY
   233,507  

[c]

 

    12.9%
              
John S. Grace
   55 Brookville Road
   Glen Head, NY
   207,534  [d]    11.5%
              
MPF Flagship Fund 10, LLC; SCM Special Fund,
LLC; and MPF-NY 2006, LLC
   c/o MacKenzie Patterson Fuller, LP
   1640 School Street
   Moraga, CA
   107,724  [e]    5.9%

 

Notes:
[a] Unless otherwise indicated, each of the persons named has sole voting and investment power.
[b] Includes an aggregate of 109,173 units owned by 22 separate trusts, and 207,230 units owned by the Lorraine QTIP Trust, of which trusts US Bank Trust National Association is trustee.
[c] Information was obtained from Schedule 13G, Amendment No. 5 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2013 as an investment adviser registered under Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The party’s Schedule 13G, Amendment No. 4 states that the party has sole voting power as to 200,807 units, and sole dispositive power as to 233,507 units.
[d] Information was obtained from Schedule 13D, Amendment No. 1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 2011. Includes 25,100 units owned by the General Partner, of which Mr. Grace is a controlling person.
[e] Information was obtained from Schedule TO, Amendment No. 2, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 16, 2006 by the parties and certain of their affiliates, and Schedule TO, Amendment No. 3, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 19, 2006, by the parties and certain of their affiliates. According to the filings, the holdings are allocated as follows: MPF Flagship Fund 10, LLC: 77,170 units; SCM Special Fund, LLC: 25,461 units; and MPF-NY 2006, LLC: 5,092 units, for a total of 107,723 units; however, the more recent filing states that the aggregate holding is 107,724 units.

 

Page 70
 

 

Security Ownership of Management

 

Information as of January 31, 2013 concerning the number of partnership units beneficially owned by (1) Grace Property Management, Inc., the General Partner, (2) each director of Grace Property Management, Inc., and (3) the directors and executive officers of Grace Property Management, Inc. as a group is set forth in Table 10, below.

 

TABLE 10: SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner  Amount
Beneficially
Owned [a]
    Percent of Class 
Grace Property Management, Inc.
(the General Partner)[b]
   25,100       1.4%
              
Peter Metz [b]     [c]     
              
All directors and officers of the general partner as a group (1 person)     [c]     

 

Notes:
[a] Unless otherwise indicated, each of the persons named has sole voting and investment power.
[b] Address is 55 Brookville Road, Glen Head, NY.
[c] Excludes 25,100 units owned by the General Partner.

 

Changes in Control

 

We know of no arrangement, including any pledge by any person of units, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change in control of the Partnership.

 

Page 71
 

 

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

Transactions with Related Persons

 

For 2012, 2011, and 2010, the General Partner and its affiliates charged us for general partner fees, rent, and reimbursement of expenses as set forth in Table 11, below.

 

TABLE 11: CHARGES BY GENERAL PARTNER AND AFFILIATES
2010-2012
             
   2012   2011   2010 
General Partner’s fee  $160,000   $160,000   $160,000 
Rent for office space   19,000    19,000    19,000 
Reimbursement of expenses   12,337    1,787    - 
Total  $191,337   $180,787   $179,000 

 

An affiliate of the General Partner charges us for office space used by officers of the General Partner. The amounts charged for 2012, 2011, and 2010, are set forth in Table 11, above. At December 31, 2012, $4,975 was prepaid for rent with respect to the first quarter of 2013.

 

Officers of the General Partner charge us for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred when traveling on partnership business or otherwise incurred in connection with our business or us. The amounts charged for and paid during 2012, 2011, and 2010 are set forth in Table 11, above. At December 31, 2012, we owed approximately $750 with respect to reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, which amount is included above. In 2012, these out-of-pocket expenses included the reimbursement to Sheffield Investments, an affiliate of the General Partner, for bookkeeping services previously performed by an employee of the Partnership at its office in Boiling Spring Lakes.

 

The General Partner and its affiliates may charge us late fees on amounts not timely paid, with interest at an annual rate of 10%, compounded quarterly. No amounts were charged for 2012, 2011, or 2010.

 

Except for the preceding items, there were no transactions between the General Partner or its affiliates (including Management of the General Partner and their immediate families) and us during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 or thereafter. There were no other related party transactions and there existed no indebtedness to us from the General Partner or its affiliates (including Management of the General Partner and their immediate families).

 

Page 72
 

 

Review, Approval, or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

 

The General Partner has the ultimate authority to approve all related party transactions.

 

Director Independence

 

We have no directors. The General Partner performs functions generally performed by directors.

 

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

As more fully described in a Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on January 5, 2011, and in Amendment No. 1 to Form 8-K that we filed on January 19, 2011, we were notified that Frazer Frost, LLP (“Frazer Frost”), our independent accountant, and the principal accountant engaged to audit our financial statements, was winding down operations as Frazer Frost and that the firms that had combined to form Frazer Frost, namely, Frost, PLLC (“Frost”) and Moore Stephens Wurth Frazer and Torbert, LLP, would resume their separate operations.  Accordingly, Frazer Frost resigned as our certifying accountant on January 3, 2011 with immediate effect.  We engaged Frost effective January 5, 2011 as our independent registered accounting firm to perform the audit of our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.  Frost was registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board effective December 21, 2010.

 

The General Partner approved the appointment of Frost as our independent registered public accountants for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, and reappointed Frost for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

 

Table 12, below, details the aggregate fees for professional services and expenses by our Independent Registered Public Accounting firm during 2011 and 2010.

 

TABLE 12: FEES FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BY THE PARTNERSHIP'S
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
         
   Year Ended December 31, 
   2012   2011 
Audit fees [a]  $18,527   $30,582 
Audit-related fees   0    0 
Tax compliance fees   0    0 
Other fees   0    0 
Total  $18,527   $30,582 

 

Notes:

[a]The aggregate fees for professional services rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, or services normally provided by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

 

Page 73
 

 

Approval Process

 

The General Partner has no committees, including an Audit Committee. The Board of Directors of the General Partner is responsible for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and approves in advance any services, whether audit-related or not, to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm.

 

[THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS BLANK]

 

Page 74
 

 

PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

Financial Statements

 

The documents filed as part of this report are listed in the Index to Financial Statements set forth in Table 13 below.

 

TABLE 13: INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

 
Document   Page

The following financial information is contained within the Audited Financial Statements: 

   
     
 

Frost, PLLC – Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

  F-1
       
 

Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 

  F-2
       
 

Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 

  F-3
       
 

Statements of Changes in Partners’ Capital for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 

  F-4
       
 

Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 

  F-5
       
  Notes to Financial Statements   F-6-13

 

Financial Statement Schedules

 

The financial statement schedules filed as part of this report are listed in the Index to Financial Statement Schedules set forth in Table 14, below. All other required supplemental financial schedules are either contained within the notes to the financial statements or are not applicable.

 

Document   Page
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Report on Supplementary Information   F-14
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts   F-15
Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation   F-16
Reconciliation of Gross and Net Book Value   F-17

 

Page 75
 

 

Exhibits

 

A complete listing of exhibits, including those incorporated by reference, is shown on Table 15, below. All other exhibits are not applicable.

 

TABLE 15: LIST OF EXHIBITS 

 

Exhibit

No.

 

 

Description of Exhibit

3.1   Amended and Restated Partnership Agreement of Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership (as amended October 28, 2008). Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Partnership’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 3, 2008. [a]
31   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32   Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
99.1   Ingram & Company, Inc. appraisal of the Boiling Spring Lakes property as of December 31, 2012.

 

Notes:

[a]    Incorporated herein by reference.

 

[THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS BLANK]

 

Page 76
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 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.

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Signatures   Title   Date
         
By: Grace Property Management, Inc.   General Partner   February 19, 2013
         
By: /s/ PETER METZ        
  Peter Metz        
  President        

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
By: /s/ PETER METZ   President and Director of   February 19, 2013
  Peter Metz   General Partner    
    (Principal Executive Officer,    
    Principal Financial Officer,    
    Principal Accounting Officer)    

 

Page 77
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

December 31, 2012 and 2011

 

 

Financial Statements

And

Supplementary Information

 

With

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 
 

 

Table of Contents

 

  Page
   
Financial Statements  
   
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-1
   
Balance Sheets F-2
   
Statements of Operations F-3
   
Statements of Changes in Partners’ Capital F-4
   
Statements of Cash Flows F-5
   
Notes to Financial Statements F-6 – F-13
   
Supplementary Information  
   
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Report on Supplementary Information F-14
   
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts F-15
   
Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation F-16
   
Reconciliation of Gross and Net Book Value F-17

 

 
 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

Partners

Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership

Glen Head, New York

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related statements of operations, changes in partners’ capital and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2012. The Partnership’s management is responsible for these financial statements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements 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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Partnership is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit 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 Partnership’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 our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2012 in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

 
   
Little Rock, Arkansas /s/ Frost PLLC
February 19, 2013  

 

F-1
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Balance Sheets

 

December 31, 2012 and 2011

 

   2012   2011 
         
Assets          
           
Cash and cash equivalents  $1,288,909   $1,935,978 
Prepayments   4,975    - 
Properties held for sale and property and equipment          
Properties held for sale   295,441    391,197 
Property and equipment, net   224,393    227,939 
Other assets   3,350    3,350 
Total assets  $1,817,068   $2,558,464 
           
Liabilities and Partners' Capital          
           
Current liabilities          
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  $3,033   $201,908 
Accrued expenses - affiliates   -    44,800 
Total current liabilities   3,033    246,708 
           
Commitments and contingencies          
           
Partners' capital   1,814,035    2,311,756 
Total liabilities and partners' capital  $1,817,068   $2,558,464 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-2
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Statements of Operations

 

For the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010

 

   2012   2011   2010 
Revenues               
Property sales  $12,817   $66,678   $- 
Interest income   689    4,516    14,923 
Other income   7,769    1,583    2,673 
Total revenues   21,275    72,777    17,596 
                
Operating expenses               
Direct costs of property sold   517    2,752    - 
Selling, general and administrative expenses   514,933    509,344    496,966 
Depreciation   3,546    3,550    3,779 
Total operating expenses   518,996    515,646    500,745 
                
Net loss   (497,721)   (442,869)   (483,149)
                
Net loss per partnership unit  $(0.27)  $(0.24)  $(0.27)
Weighted average partnership units issued and outstanding   1,811,062    1,811,062    1,811,262 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-3
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Statements of Changes in Partners’ Capital

 

For the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010

 

Balance - January 1, 2010  $3,237,774 
      
Net loss   (483,149)
      
Balance - December 31, 2010   2,754,625 
      
Net loss   (442,869)
      
Balance - December 31, 2011   2,311,756 
      
Net loss   (497,721)
      
Balance - December 31, 2012  $1,814,035 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-4
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Statements of Cash Flows

 

For the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010

 

   2012   2011   2010 
Cash flows from operating activities               
Net loss  $(497,721)  $(442,869)  $(483,149)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:               
Depreciation   3,546    3,550    3,779 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities               
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   (4,975)   10,124    (9,143)
Property held for sale, net   95,756    2,751    - 
Other assets   0    (3,350)   - 
Accounts payable and accrued expenses   (198,875)   20,766    (17,352)
Accrued expenses - affiliates   (44,800)   50    - 
Net cash used by operating activities   (647,069)   (408,978)   (505,865)
                
Cash flows from investing activities               
Purchase of land improvements and equipment   -    -    (1,096)
Purchase of certificates of deposit   -    (490,000)   (3,091,000)
Proceeds upon maturity of certificates of deposit   -    2,376,000    2,405,000 
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities   -    1,886,000    (687,096)
                
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   (647,069)   1,477,022    (1,192,961)
                
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period   1,935,978    458,956    1,651,917 
                
Cash and cash equivalents - end of period  $1,288,909   $1,935,978   $458,956 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

F-5
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

1.     Nature of Operations

 

On May 17, 1979, the stockholders of Reeves Telecom Corporation (the “Corporation”) approved a plan of liquidation (the “Plan”) for the Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Plan, which was determined by the Internal Revenue Service to qualify as a Section 337 liquidation, authorized the Corporation’s Board of Directors to sell the Corporation’s assets and distribute any remaining unsold assets to its stockholders and/or a liquidation trust. On May 8, 1980, stockholders at a special meeting approved an amendment to the Plan whereby assets not sold within one year of the date the Plan was approved could be transferred, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, from the Corporation to a South Carolina limited partnership which would undertake to sell the remaining assets on behalf of the stockholders. On May 15, 1980, the Corporation was liquidated and all of its unsold assets and liabilities were transferred to Reeves Telecom Associates, a South Carolina limited partnership (the “Partnership”). Stockholders of the Corporation received one partnership unit in exchange for each share of common stock. The offering of the units was registered under the Securities Act of 1933. In January 1987, pursuant to a change in South Carolina law, the Partnership’s legal name was changed from Reeves Telecom Associates to Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership. From the liquidation of the remaining assets, the Partnership may acquire additional properties or make distributions to the partners. The Partnership currently has no intent to acquire additional properties but is not precluded from doing so.

 

Pursuant to the Plan, the Corporation sold all of its broadcasting assets and substantially all of the land held for development and sale at one of its two land development locations and distributed to its stockholders cash of $0.90 per share on February 29, 1980 and $2.30 per share on May 14, 1980.

 

The remaining assets of the Partnership are primarily land held for sale and cash. The cash was generated from real estate sales including the sale of a golf club during the first quarter of 2001.

 

While the Partnership intends to continue to sell lots in the normal course of business the Partnership has also begun to effect a bulk sale. While no assurances can be given, the Partnership believes the carrying value of the remaining lots is less than their net realizable value if the lots are sold in the normal course. Should the Partnership effect a bulk sale and/or abandonment, the net amount realized could be less than the carrying value.

 

The Partnership’s Managing General Partner is Grace Property Management, Inc.

 

2.    Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

a.Basis of accounting – The accompanying financial statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting.

 

b.Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

F-6
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

2.Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)

 

c.Property sales – Property sales represent individual building lots and other undeveloped land sold for cash and the gross sales price of residential houses built or acquired by the Partnership for resale. The revenue from these sales is recognized at the closing date unless a deferral is required pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360-20, “Real Estate Sales.” Land cost included in direct costs of property sold represents the proportionate amount of the total initial project costs, after recorded valuation allowances, based on the sales value of the lot to the total estimated project sales value plus the value per lot of any capital improvements made subsequent to the initial project costs.

 

d.Properties held for sale and property and equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation for financial reporting purposes is calculated on the straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of 8 to 40 years for buildings and 5 to 20 years for equipment and land improvements.

 

Properties held for sale generally represent undeveloped lots for which depreciation expense is not recorded. The Partnership assesses the realizability of the carrying value of its properties held for sale and related buildings and equipment whenever triggering events or changes in circumstance indicate that impairment may have occurred in accordance with the provisions of ASC 360-10, “Property, Plant and Equipment.” The Partnership’s assets have been written down, from time to time, to reflect their fair values based upon appraisals.

 

e.Significant concentrations of credit risk – From time to time during 2011, the Partnership maintained cash balances in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured amounts. In 2012, the Partnership did not maintain cash balances in excess of FDIC insured amounts. In the event the bank where the Partnership maintains its accounts becomes insolvent, the Partnership may lose some or all of the excess, if any, over FDIC insured amounts.

 

At December 31, 2012, the Partnership maintained cash and investments in money market mutual funds totaling $250,313 at its broker-dealer, less than the $500,000 limit on Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) insured amounts. In the event the broker-dealer where the Partnership maintains its accounts becomes insolvent or amounts in the Partnership’s account are lost or go missing due to fraud or otherwise, the Partnership may lose some or all of the excess, if any, over SIPC insured amounts.

 

f.Cash and cash equivalents – For purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Partnership considers cash as cash on hand, cash deposited in financial institutions, money market accounts and U.S. Treasury securities with maturities of less than 91 days at the date of purchase. Cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates market value.

 

F-7
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

2.     Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)

  

g.Impairment of long-lived assets – The Partnership’s long-lived assets, primarily real estate held for sale, are carried at cost unless circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. The Partnership obtains an appraisal periodically (typically, every two years) for the Boiling Spring Lakes property and evaluates the carrying value of the property based on such appraisal. The Partnership obtained an appraisal as of December 31, 2012, which did not indicate any impairment should be recognized. The Partnership applies a valuation allowance to land if such land is unsuitable for the installation of an individual septic system as determined by testing conducted by the local health department or, in the absence of such testing, as determined by the Partnership based upon topography. Land the Partnership believes to be suitable for the installation of an individual septic system based upon topography may, by subsequent testing, be determined to be unsuitable. More typically, land the Partnership believes to be unsuitable for a septic system based upon topography may, by subsequent testing, be determined to be suitable. The valuation allowance is allocated among the land held for sale only following each periodic appraisal, while the determination of a particular lot or parcel of land as being suitable or unsuitable for a septic system may be made at any time prior to the sale of such land. Since the direct cost of land sold is net of the applicable valuation allowance, the direct cost of a lot or parcel of land the Partnership believes to be suitable for a septic system that, on the basis of testing, is subsequently determined to be unsuitable may, therefore, exceed the sales price of such land, in which case the Partnership would realize a loss on the sale of such land. To the best of management’s knowledge, the Partnership has never realized such a loss, and if such a loss or losses were to occur, management believes the aggregate amount of such losses would not materially affect the Partnership’s financial condition or results from operations.

  

h.Advertising costs – Advertising costs of $4,047, $7,359 and $7,783 were expensed as incurred during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

 

i.Recent accounting pronouncements – In May 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.” ASU 2011-04 amends ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” providing a consistent definition and measurement of fair value, as well as similar disclosure requirements between U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. ASU 2011-04 changes certain fair value measurement principles, clarifies the application of existing fair value measurement and expands the ASC 820 disclosure requirements, particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements. The amendments in ASU 2011-04 are to be applied prospectively. The amendments were effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 did not have a material effect on the Partnership’s financial statements.

 

All other new and recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements have been deemed to be not relevant to the Partnership and therefore are not expected to have any impact once adopted.

 

3.     Properties Held for Sale and Property and Equipment

 

The Partnership obtained an independent appraisal report dated January 23, 2013 valuing the properties held for sale at December 31, 2012. Based upon this appraisal, management determined that no additional valuation allowances were required. Management believes the properties held for sale are not reported in excess of their fair values at December 31, 2012.

 

F-8
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

3.     Properties Held for Sale and Property and Equipment (cont.)

 

A summary of properties held for sale and property and equipment at December 31, 2012 and 2011 is as follows:

 

   2012   2011 
Properties held for sale          
Boiling Spring Lakes land held for sale  $829,829   $926,440 
Less valuation allowance   (534,388)   (535,243)
Total properties held for sale   295,441    391,197 
           
Property and equipment          
Land and land improvement   248,738    248,738 
Buildings   58,301    58,301 
Equipment   11,045    11,045 
    318,084    318,084 
Less accumulated depreciation   (93,691)   (90,145)
Total property and equipment, net   224,393    227,939 
           
Total properties held for sale and property and equipment, net  $519,834   $619,136 

 

4.     Investments

 

There were no investments held as of December 31, 2012.

 

5.     Accrued Expenses – Affiliates

 

A summary of accrued expenses owed to affiliates at December 31, 2012 and 2011 is as follows:

 

   2012   2011 
General Partner’s fees  $0   $40,000 
Rent   0    4,800 
           
   $0   $44,800 

 

General Partner’s fees represent amounts owed to the General Partner. Rent represents amounts owed to certain affiliates of the General Partner. From time to time, the General Partner and its affiliates charge the Partnership interest on amounts owed to them. See Note 6 for additional information regarding related party transactions.

 

F-9
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

6.     Related Party Transactions

 

The General Partner and its affiliates charged the Partnership for services and office space for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 as follows:

 

   2012   2011   2010 
General Partner’s fees  $160,000   $160,000   $160,000 
Rent for office space   19,000    19,000    19,000 
Reimbursement of other expenses   12,337    1,787    - 
                
   $191,337   $180,787   $179,000 

 

Fees charged by the general partner are determined on an annual basis and represent services provided by the general partner for management, financial statement preparation and Securities and Exchange Commission filings throughout the year.

 

7.     Income Taxes

 

No provision has been made for federal income taxes since income or loss is includable in the partners’ returns as they report to tax authorities in their respective capacities as partners. There were no state income taxes paid in 2012 or 2011.

 

The Partnership is no longer subject to U.S. federal and state tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2009. The Partnership’s federal and state tax returns are not currently under examination. The Partnership recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. During the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Partnership did not recognize any interest or penalties. The Partnership did not have any interest or penalties accrued at December 31, 2012 or 2011.

 

8.     Commitments and Contingencies

 

Dam Repairs

 

The Partnership is responsible for the maintenance and repair of an earthen dam designed to retain water in one of the lakes. The dam was breeched in 1996 and the Partnership has spent approximately $185,000 in repairs since 2001. The Partnership intends to deed the dam to the City of Boiling Spring Lakes, but the city has required additional repairs before accepting ownership. The Partnership believes that damage to the dam, such as could occur during a hurricane or a flood, before the transfer of title could result in significant additional repair costs.

  

F-10
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

8.     Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)

 

Commitment for Municipal Water and Sewer Services

 

Most of the land owned by the Partnership lacks municipal water and sewer service. The City of Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina (the “City”), began to phase in municipal water service to certain portions of the development in 2004. A significant portion of the costs of water distribution and sewer lines to land owned by the Partnership must be borne by the Partnership or by subsequent purchasers of the land. In January 2011, the City completed an expansion of the municipal water system that began in 2009. The cost of the expansion was borne by owners of land directly passed by the new water mains by the payment of an assessment of $500 per lot plus a tap fee of $860 per lot containing a dwelling. The Partnership’s total assessment was determined to be $49,500 based upon a formula that allows adjoining lots to be aggregated into a group and counted as one lot for assessment purposes. Should the Partnership sell some, but not all, of the lots that were aggregated into a group, an additional assessment may have to be paid by the Partnership with respect to such lots at the time the sale of such lots is closed. The Partnership capitalized $49,500 of assessments in 2009 by increasing the cost basis of land affected. In 2012, the Partnership received refunds of assessments previously paid to the City. The Partnership decreased the cost basis of land affected.

 

In September 2012, Brunswick County, North Carolina (the “County”) began installation of sewer lines along all of State Road 87 that lies within the City, with a total preliminary cost estimate of approximately $3.0 million. The County has not determined the manner in which it will assess the cost of the sewer lines to the property owners, including but not limited to the Partnership, who will benefit from the sewer lines. Nevertheless, the Partnership has estimated that the future assessment most likely will be $1,040,338. The Partnership believes that the sewer lines should be completed by the end of 2013, though there can be no assurance that construction will be completed as or when planned, that the actual cost will not differ significantly from what is currently contemplated, or that assessments of the property owners, including but not limited to the Partnership, whose land will stand to benefit from the sewer lines will not differ significantly from current estimates. The County has stated that any assessment may be paid in full at a 5% discount or paid over 10 years at an interest rate of 2.84%. The Partnership believes that it will choose to pay any assessment over the 10-year period. The Partnership expects to capitalize any such assessment paid by increasing the cost basis of the land held for sale. If the Partnership were to sell any land intended to benefit from sewer lines prior to the Partnership being assessed or prior to having paid any portion of an assessment, of which there can be no assurance, the selling price of that land would likely be reduced by the anticipated amount of such assessment or the amount of the assessment remaining to be paid.

 

Environmental Matters

 

The Partnership is subject to various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations regarding environmental matters. The Partnership may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum product releases on land currently or formerly owned by it, and may be liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage and the cost of investigation, removal and decontamination incurred by such parties. The penalty may be imposed whether or not the Partnership was aware, or responsible for, the hazardous or toxic substances, and the liability under such laws has been interpreted to be joint and several unless the harm is divisible and there is a reasonable basis for allocation of responsibility. The cost of investigation, removal and decontamination of substances could be substantial. If such substances are found on land currently owned by the Partnership, or there is a failure to properly remove or decontaminate the area, the property could be difficult to sell, rent or develop. Some environmental laws create a lien on contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and cost it incurs in connection with such contamination. The Partnership may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from a site. As of the date of this report, the Partnership is not aware of any environmental matters that would have a material effect on the financial statements and, accordingly, the Partnership has accrued no liabilities in these financial statements. However, it is at least reasonably possible that such matters may exist at the date of this report, and the effect on the Partnership and these financial statements could be substantial.

 

F-11
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

8.     Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)

 

Endangered/Protected Species

 

Portions of Boiling Spring Lakes and surrounding area are known as or believed to be the habitat of various species of flora and fauna which have been identified as endangered or protected species. Development of the Partnership’s land is subject to various laws and regulations intended to limit disturbance of endangered and protected species.

 

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is one endangered species known to inhabit portions of Boiling Spring Lakes. During 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service undertook certain initiatives to preserve the habitat of the endangered woodpecker, and for a portion of 2006, the City of Boiling Spring Lakes temporarily ceased issuing building permits altogether for land in the proximity of a known or suspected nesting site. The Partnership believes that not more than approximately 200 acres, or approximately 24%, of the Partnership’s land may be affected by restrictions relating to the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, although the amount of land affected could increase under certain circumstances. Management believes that the Partnership’s land sales will continue to be reduced compared to past years until the City of Boiling Spring Lakes has developed a conservation plan to protect the habitat of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker or until other means of addressing the concerns of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can be implemented

 

The Partnership has not made any representations or warranties to buyers of land as to the Red-cockaded Woodpecker or to protected or endangered species generally. Nevertheless, it is reasonably possible that one or more such buyers may seek compensation from the Partnership or seek rescission of their purchase of land from the Partnership, owing to the presence of protected or endangered species on or near the land or to restrictions on issuing building permits designed to preserve the habitat of protected or endangered species, preventing such buyer from utilizing the land in the matter intended. If any litigation is instituted seeking compensation or rescission due to endangered and protected species, the Partnership believes that it would prevail on the merits. As of the date of this report, there is no pending litigation, and the Partnership is not aware of any potential claims or actions relating to these matters. The Partnership has made no provision in the financial statements related to this contingent liability

 

F-12
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

8.     Commitments and Contingencies (cont.)

 

Water Level of Lakes

 

The Partnership believes the lakes within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes are recreational and scenic attractions to potential buyers of land from the Partnership. The Partnership’s ability to sell land at its asking prices would be adversely affected if the water level in the lakes was substantially below normal for any length of time. Due to drought or near-drought conditions for much of 2007, nearly all the lakes within the City had a water level substantially below normal. These conditions resulted in a lowering of the water level, and sinkholes developed in the bed of Boiling Spring Lake, the largest lake in the community. Remedial measures taken by the city solved the issue of the sinkholes; however, the lack of normal rainfall prevented the lakes, including Boiling Spring Lake, from returning to approximately normal levels for some time after the remedial measures were taken. The water level of most of the lakes, including Boiling Spring Lake, has since returned to approximately normal. The Partnership has not made any representations or warranties to buyers of land as to the water level in the lakes. Nevertheless, it is reasonably possible that one or more of such buyers may seek compensation from the Partnership or seek rescission of their purchase of land from the Partnership, owing to the water level of the lakes being substantially below normal, whether due to damage to the dam, protracted drought conditions or otherwise. If any litigation is instituted seeking compensation or rescission, the Partnership believes that it would prevail on the merits, although no such assurances can be given, but the cost of defending such litigation could be substantial. As of the date of this report, there is no pending litigation, and the Partnership is not aware of any potential claims or actions in these matters. The Partnership has made no provision in the financial statements related to this contingent liability.

 

Building and Maintaining Roads

 

The Partnership is responsible for maintaining certain roads, most of which are unpaved, and certain road rights-of-way within the City of Boiling Spring Lakes. The Partnership may complete some or all of the roads, but there is no contractual obligation to do so. The Partnership has not set aside any money or entered into any bond, escrow or trust agreement to assure completion of the roads. It may be difficult or impossible for the Partnership to sell lots located on uncompleted roads. The City will not assume any road that is not paved with asphalt and the City of Boiling Spring Lakes need not assume any paved road. Accordingly, unless and until the Partnership completes a road and has it paved with asphalt, and the road has been assumed by the City, the Partnership will be responsible for maintaining such road and the right-of-way. Since 2001, the Partnership has spent approximately $193,000 for rocking and paving roads. The failure by the Partnership to provide proper maintenance of the roads and rights-of-way which have not been assumed by the City may subject the Partnership to substantially greater risk of litigation from persons adversely affected by such failure. If such litigation were to be initiated, management believes that the Partnership would prevail, but that the cost of defending the case could be material, and should the Partnership not prevail, the cost of building any such road could be material. The Partnership has made no provision in the financial statements related to this contingent liability.

 

9.     Subsequent Event

 

On February 19, 2013, the Partnership filed preliminary proxy soliciting material and a Schedule 13E-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These documents disclosed that the Partnership will hold a special meeting of the partners to seek approval of amendments to the Partnership’s Limited Partnership Agreement to effect a reverse unit split and certain other matters. The reverse unit split, if approved by the partners, will result in 101 old units being exchanged for one new unit. Each holder of less than 101 units will receive $0.81 in cash for each old unit and will therefore cease to be a unit holder. It is expected that after the reverse unit split, there will be approximately 378 holders of units, which will allow the Partnership to seek to terminate the registration of the units and terminate its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Upon termination of the registration of the units and its reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, the Partnership will no longer be required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC.

 

F-13
 

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Report on Supplementary Information

 

Partners

Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership

Glen Head, New York

 

Our report on our audits of the basic financial statements of Reeves Telecom Limited Partnership as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 appears on page F-1. Those audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements taken as a whole. The financial statement schedules on pages F-15 through F-17 are not a required part of the basic financial statements but are supplementary information required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such information has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.

 

 

Little Rock, Arkansas /s/ Frost PLLC 
February 19, 2013  

 

F-14
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

 

       Additions             
   Balance at   Charged to       Changes   Balance at 
   Beginning of   Costs and       Add   End of 
   Period   Expenses   Deductions   (Deduct)   Period 
                     
For the year ended December 31, 2012                         
RE valuation allowance  $535,243   $-   $(855)  $-   $534,388 
                          
For the year ended December 31, 2011                         
RE valuation allowance  $538,914   $-   $(3,671)  $-   $535,243 
                          
For the year ended December 31, 2010                         
RE valuation allowance  $538,914   $-   $-   $-   $538,914 
                          
For the year ended December 31, 2009                         
RE valuation allowance  $539,373   $-   $(459)  $-   $538,914 

 

NOTES:

 

(1)Additions to the real estate valuation allowance charged to costs and expenses reduce the reported book value of certain real estate held for sale to approximate market.

 

(2)Deductions to the real estate valuation allowance reflect the sale of real estate to which the valuation allowance applies.

 

See independent registered public accounting firm report on supplementary information.

 

F-15
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation

 

December 31, 2012

 

                              Life Upon
                              Which
                              Depreciation
           Cost                  in Latest
           Capitalized   Gross Amount              Income
       Initial Cost to   Subsequent to   Carried at  Accumulated   Net Book   Date of   Statement is
Description  Encumbrances   Partnership   Acquisition   End of Period  Depreciation   Value   Acquisition   Computed
                                     
Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina                                    
Building lots and land  $  -   $553,035   $276,794 $ 829,829  $   -   $829,829    

May 1980

   N/A

 

NOTES:

 

(1)All building lots and land held for sale are unimproved.

 

(2)The amounts shown for building lots and land in Boiling Spring Lakes do not reflect valuation allowance of $534,388 at December 31, 2011. See Valuation and Qualifying Accounts on page F-15. The valuation allowance, established in previous years to reduce the carrying value of the Partnership’s land in Boiling Spring Lakes to approximate market value, is reviewed from time to time to determine its adequacy and is reduced as land is sold.

 

See independent registered public accounting firm report on supplementary information.

 

F-16
 

 

REEVES TELECOM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

Reconciliation of Gross and Net Book Value

 

   Gross   Accumulated   Net 
   Book Value   Depreciation   Book Value 
Year Ended December 31, 2012               
Balance - beginning of period  $926,440   $-   $926,440 
Additions during period               
Improvements   -    -    - 
Deductions during period               
Cost of real estate sold   (96,611)   -    (96,611)
Balance - end of period  $829,829   $-   $829,829 
                
Year Ended December 31, 2011               
Balance - beginning of period  $932,862   $-   $932,862 
Additions during period               
Improvements   -    -    - 
Deductions during period               
Cost of real estate sold   (6,422)   -    (6,422)
Balance - end of period  $926,440   $-   $926,440 
                
Year Ended December 31, 2010               
Balance - beginning of period  $932,862   $-   $932,862 
Additions during period               
    -    -    - 
                
    -    -    - 
   $932,862   $-   $932,862 

 

NOTE:

 

(1)Cost of real estate sold does not reflect valuation allowances. See Valuation and Qualifying Accounts on page F-15.

 

See independent registered public accounting firm report on supplementary information.

 

F-17