joint venture transaction

"We expect this will the first in this line of deals," Katzman said. "This was the right way to do it--sell a stable portfolio of properties and redeploy in other markets." Those other markets include the Northeast and the Southeast. The firm has already made $100 million of investments to date this year, and anticipates at least $100 million more of acquisitions.

Equity anticipates net proceeds will be $327 million. The deal is on track to close in the middle of the second quarter.. The firm expects to realize between $400,000 and $600,000 annually thanks to the management contracts and additional fees. Equity One still has two additional properties in Texas. The transaction includes the joint venture's receipt of approximately $323 million of committed property financing. Upon the closing of the transaction, Equity One expects to record an estimated gain on the sale of approximately $92 million, including approximately $5 million of gains on the sale of various undepreciated land parcels.

If all goes as expected, Equity One expects to pay a special dividend of up to $1.50 per share of common stock to its stockholders, The firm will use the balance of the proceeds to fund a combination of currently pending and potential investment activities and to pay down existing debt.