Item 1. Business

General

Formed on May 25, 1993, Camden Property Trust, a Texas real estate investment trust (“REIT”), is primarily engaged in the ownership, management, development, acquisition, and construction of multifamily apartment communities. Unless the context requires otherwise, “we,” “our,” “us,” and the “Company” refer to Camden Property Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries. Our multifamily apartment communities are referred to as “communities,” “multifamily communities,” “properties,” or “multifamily properties” in the following discussion.

Our corporate offices are located at 3 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1300, Houston, Texas 77046 and our telephone number is (713) 354-2500. Our website is located at www.camdenliving.com. On our website we make available free of charge our annual, quarterly, and current reports, and amendments to such reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We also make available, free of charge on our website, our Guidelines on Governance, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Code of Ethical Conduct for Senior Financial Officers, and the charters of each of our Audit, Compensation, Nominating, and Corporate Governance Committees.

Our annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other information are electronically filed with the SEC. You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please contact the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov which contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Financial Information about Segments

We are primarily engaged in the ownership, management, development, acquisition, and construction of multifamily apartment communities. As each of our communities has similar economic characteristics, residents, amenities, and services, our operations have been aggregated into one reportable segment. See our consolidated financial statements and notes included thereto in Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for certain information required by Item 1.

Narrative Description of Business

As of December 31, 2011, we owned interests in, operated, or were developing 206 multifamily properties comprising 69,794 apartment homes across the United States. Of these 206 properties, ten properties were under development and when completed will consist of a total of 2,797 apartment homes. In addition, we own land parcels we may develop into multifamily apartment communities.

Operating and Business Strategy

We believe producing consistent earnings growth through property operations, development and acquisitions, achieving market balance, and recycling capital are crucial factors to our success. We rely heavily on our sophisticated property management capabilities and innovative operating strategies to help us maximize the earnings potential of our communities.

Real Estate Investments and Market Balance. We believe we are well positioned in our current markets and have the expertise to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise. These capabilities, combined with what we believe is a conservative financial structure, should allow us to concentrate our growth efforts toward selective opportunities to enhance our strategy of having a geographically diverse portfolio of assets which meet the requirements of our residents.

We continue to operate in our core markets which we believe provides an advantage due to economies of scale. We believe, where possible, it is best to operate with a strong base of properties in order to benefit from the personnel allocation and the market strength associated with managing multiple properties in the same market. However, consistent with our goal of generating sustained earnings growth, we intend to selectively dispose of properties and redeploy capital for various strategic reasons, including if we determine a property cannot meet long-term earnings growth expectations.

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We try to maximize capital appreciation of our properties by investing in markets characterized by conditions favorable to multifamily property appreciation. These markets generally feature one or more of the following:

Subject to market conditions, we intend to continue to look for opportunities to acquire existing communities, expand our development pipeline, and complete selective dispositions. We have two discretionary investment funds (the “Funds”), one of which is closed to future investment and the other of which will close to future investment at the earlier of April 2012 or at such time as 90% of its committed capital is invested, subject to certain exceptions.

We intend to continue to focus on strengthening our capital and liquidity positions by generating positive cash flows from operations, maintaining appropriate debt levels and leverage ratios, and controlling overhead costs. We intend to meet our liquidity requirements through available cash balances, the availability under our unsecured credit facility and other short-term borrowings, proceeds from dispositions of property and secured mortgage notes, equity issued from our 2011 at-the-market share offering program, and the use of debt and equity offerings under our automatic shelf registration statement.

Sophisticated Property Management. We believe the depth of our organization enables us to deliver quality services, promote resident satisfaction, and retain residents, thereby reducing operating expenses. We manage our properties utilizing a staff of professionals and support personnel, including certified property managers, experienced apartment managers and leasing agents, and trained apartment maintenance technicians. Our on-site personnel are trained to deliver high quality services to our residents. We strive to motivate our on-site employees through incentive compensation arrangements based upon property operational results, rental rate increases, occupancy levels, and level of lease renewals achieved.

Operations. We believe an intense focus on operations is necessary to realize consistent, sustained earnings growth. Ensuring resident satisfaction, increasing rents as market conditions allow, maximizing rent collections, maintaining property occupancy at optimal levels, and controlling operating costs comprise our principal strategies to maximize property financial results. We believe our web-based property management and revenue management systems strengthen on-site operations and allow us to quickly adjust rental rates as local market conditions change. Lease terms are generally staggered based on vacancy exposure by apartment type so lease expirations are matched to each property's seasonal rental patterns. We generally offer leases ranging from six to fifteen months with individual property marketing plans structured to respond to local market conditions. In addition, we conduct ongoing customer service surveys to ensure timely response to residents' changing needs and a high level of satisfaction.

Investments in Joint Ventures. We have entered into, and may continue in the future to enter into, joint ventures through which we own an indirect economic interest of less than 100% of the community or land owned directly by the joint venture. See Note 8, “Investments in Joint Ventures,” and Note 14, “Commitments and Contingencies,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our investments in joint ventures.

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Competition

There are numerous housing alternatives which compete with our communities in attracting residents. Our properties compete directly with other multifamily properties as well as with condominiums and single-family homes which are available for rent or purchase in the markets in which our communities are located. This competitive environment could have a material adverse effect on our ability to lease apartment homes at our present communities or any newly developed or acquired community, as well as at the rents charged.

Employees

At December 31, 2011, we had approximately 1,885 employees, including executive, administrative, and community personnel. Our employee headcount does not vary significantly throughout the year.

Qualification as a Real Estate Investment Trust

As of December 31, 2011, we met the qualification of a REIT under Sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a result, we, with the exception of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent we continue to meet certain requirements of the Code.