Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. reports fourth quarter and annual 2011 results and monthly dividend

TORONTO, March 12, 2012 /CNW/ - Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. (the Company) (TSX: BRE), a leading provider of services to residential real estate brokers and their REALTORS®¹, today announced that cash flow from operations ("CFFO") for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2011 was $5.4 million and $25.3 million, respectively, as compared to $5.0 million and $25.2 million, respectively, for the same period in 2010.

CFFO per Restricted Voting Share ("Share") for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2011 was $0.42 and $1.97 per Share, respectively, as compared to $0.39 and $1.97 per Share, respectively, in the same period of 2010.

Royalties for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2011 were $8.4 million and $36.7 million, respectively, compared to $8.2 million and $36.6 million, respectively for the same period in 2010.

Net earnings (loss) for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2011 was $3.2 million loss and $8.0 million income, or $0.34 loss per share and $0.85 basic earnings per Share, respectively, as compared to a net loss of $29.2 million and $50.7 million.

OVERVIEW OF FOURTH QUARTER OPERATING RESULTS
During the quarter, the Company generated cash flow from operations ("CFFO") of $5.4 million as compared to $5.0 million for the same period in 2010.

To understand what has transpired in the Market for the 2011 and how it impacts our outlook for 2012, a review of year-to-date 2011 and 2010 Market activity is required.

On a rolling twelve-month basis, the fourth quarter of 2011 closed out at a Market transactional dollar volume of $166.1 billion, up 10% from December 31, 2010, driven by a 7% increase in selling price and a modest increase in home sale activity of 3%. For the three months ended December 31, 2011, transactional dollar volume was up 11% over the same period in 2010, driven by an 4% and a 7% increase in selling price and home sale activity, respectively. The steady increase in selling price on a twelve-month rolling and quarterly basis is largely driven by consistent shortage of listings, resulting in competition among home buyers, and low interest rates continue to draw homebuyers to the Market.

While the sales activity for the twelve months ended December 31, 2011 as compared to December 31, 2010 increased moderately by 3%, home sale activity on a quarter-over-same-quarter basis increased by 7% due to an active 2011 summer Market, the carry-through of second-quarter 2011 home sales and the fall-off of Market activity in 2010.

In 2010, the Market was up significantly for the first two quarters as consumers sought to complete their home purchases ahead of the Harmonized Sales Tax ("HST") and tighter mortgage-lending rules, which reduced home sale activity in the third and fourth quarters.  The fourth of 2011, which is typically the slower season of the home-purchase cycle, saw a normalization of Market activity to a ten year National average.

"Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. is pleased to report with the fourth quarter financial performance for 2011," said Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive Officer, Brookfield Real Estate Services, Inc. "The two primary measures used to determine our financial performance - namely, royalty revenues and cash flow from operations - both experienced quarter-over-quarter increases in Q4, underscoring the strength of the Company structure and its ability to generate strong, stable dividends for our shareholders."

The Company Network
As at December 31, 2011 the Company Network was comprised of 15,061 REALTORS®, operating under 389 franchise agreements providing services from 654 locations, with an approximate 22% share of the Market based on 2011 transactional dollar volume.

Outlook
On a year over year basis, price appreciation and housing sales activity are expected to modestly increase during 2012.  While there appears to have been some overshooting in home prices in select markets, the pace of appreciation is slowing in regions like the Greater Vancouver Area.  The positive impact of a gradually improving domestic and U.S. economy, and a gentle upward pressure on wages and salaries, should mitigate the natural cyclical correction that often follows a period of strong price appreciation. Our outlook is based in part upon the expectation that low interest rates will continue to attract a diverse group of home buyers and encourage move-up demand.

Monthly Cash Dividend
The Company declared a cash dividend of $0.092 per share for the month of March 2012, payable on April 30, 2012, to shareholders of record on March 30, 2012.

IFRS
During the first quarter the Company commenced reporting in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). It is important to note that under IFRS our key financial performance measure is CFFO per Share which is commensurate with the previous distributable cash per unit measure. The net loss for the quarter and the comparative period in 2010 were driven by the accounting for various non-cash items under IFRS. A copy of our consolidated financial statements for the quarter with an explanation of these adjustments and a discussion of the impact of IFRS on our financial results can be found on our website.

CFFO
This news release and accompanying financial statements make reference to cash flow from operations ("CFFO") on a total and per restricted voting share basis. CFFO is defined as net income prior to fair value changes, amortization, interest on exchangeable units, interest on Trust units, income taxes, items related to other income and interests of exchangeable unitholders. CFFO is used by the Company to measure the amount of cash generated from operations which is available to the Company's shareholders on a diluted basis where such dilution represents the total number of shares of the Company that would be outstanding if exchangeable unitholders converted Class B LP units into shares of the Company. The Company uses CFFO to assess its operating results, the value of its business and believes that many of its shareholders and analysts also find this measure of value to them. CFFO does not have any standard meaning pre- scribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking information and other "forward-looking statements". The words such as "should", "will", "continue", "plan", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "approximate", "expected" and other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and trends and that do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forward in the forward looking statements include a change in general economic conditions, interest rates, consumer confidence, the level of residential real estate resale transactions, the average rate of commissions charged, competition from other traditional real estate brokers or from discount and/or Internet-based real estate alternatives, the availability of acquisition opportunities and/or the closing of existing real estate brokerage offices, other developments in the residential real estate brokerage industry or the Corporation that reduce the number of and/or royalty revenue from the Corporation's network of 15,295 REALTORS®, our ability to maintain brand equity through the use of trademarks, the availability of equity and debt financing, a change in tax provisions, and other risks detailed in the Fund's annual information form, which is filed with securities commissions and posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Conference Call
Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. will host a conference call on Monday March 12, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss its fourth quarter and year-end financial results. To access the call by telephone, please dial [phone] or [phone]. Please connect approximately ten minutes prior to the beginning of the call to ensure participation. A recording of the conference call will be available on the Company's website by Tuesday March 13, 2012 at http://www.brookfieldresinc.com/content/investor_centre-25063.html.

Supplemental Information
The Company's Consolidated Financial Statements, Supplemental Information and IFRS overview for the year ended December 31, 2011 containing further information on the company's strategy, operations and financial results can be found on our website at www.brookfieldresinc.com. The Company's Management Discussion and Analysis, Financial Statements and associated regulatory filings will follow within prescribed timelines. Shareholders are encouraged to read these documents.

Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. Profile
The Company is a leading provider of services to residential real estate brokers and their REALTORS®¹. The Company generates cash flow from franchise royalties and service fees derived from a national network of real estate brokers and agents in Canada operating under the Royal LePage, Via Capitale Real Estate Network and Johnston & Daniel brand names. At December 31, 2011, the Company network consisted of 15,061 REALTORS®. The Company network has an approximate 22% share of the Canadian residential resale real estate market based on transactional dollar volume. The Company generates both fixed and variable fee components. Variable fees are primarily driven by the total transactional dollar volume from the sales commissions of REALTORS®, while fixed fees are based on the number of agents and sales representatives in the network. Approximately 68% of the Company's revenue is based on fees that are fixed in nature; this provides revenue stability and helps insulate the Company's cash flows from market fluctuations. The Company is listed on the TSX and trades under the symbol "BRE". For further information about the Company, please visit www.brookfieldresinc.com.

¹ _{REALTOR® is a trademark identifying real estate licensees in Canada who are members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.}

Tammy Gilmer
Director, Public Relations & National Communications
Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc.
[email protected]
Tel: [phone]