Essex Acquires 194 Apartment Homes in Seattle Market

November 2, 2004
       Apartment Community Located in Prestigious Suburban Neighborhood

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Essex Property Trust, Inc., (NYSE: ESS) a real estate investment trust (REIT) with apartment communities located in targeted West Coast markets, announced today that it has acquired Fairwood Pond Apartments, a 194-unit apartment community located in Renton, Washington for approximately $21.1 million. The Company utilized a portion of the proceeds from the sale of its interest in Coronado North, a 732-unit multifamily community located in Newport Beach, California. The newly acquired property is unencumbered.

Commenting on the acquisition, Keith R. Guericke, President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "I am pleased with the acquisition of Fairwood Pond Apartments, and optimistic with the recovery that we are seeing in our Seattle markets. This transaction demonstrates Essex's commitment to its targeted high-barrier-to-entry markets, and the reliability of its proprietary research model that the Company has been utilized over the last 18 years."

Fairwood Pond Apartments was developed in 1997 and encompasses 194 units. The property offers five floor plans that range in size from 754 square-feet for a one-bedroom, one-bath unit, up to 1,212 square-feet for a three-bedroom, two-bath unit. Each apartment home has a fireplace, built-in washers and dryers and state-of-the-art appliances. The community offers a variety of common area amenities, which also include garage and covered carport parking. Scenic views of a nearby wildlife reserve are an added natural amenity coupled with the convenience of major job nodes, such as Boeing's Renton facility, Valley Medical Center as well as the City of Bellevue and the Kent Valley industrial corridor and the Community's proximity to major retail venues.

Essex Property Trust, Inc., located in Palo Alto, California and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ESS), is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties in selected West Coast communities. Essex currently has ownership interests in 112 multifamily properties (23,310 units), and has 826 units in various stages of development.

Additional information about Essex can be found on the Company's web site at www.essexpropertytrust.com. If you would like to receive future press releases via e-mail-please send a request to investors@essexpropertytrust.com.

Forward looking statement -- The statements which are not historical facts contained in this release such as the Company's beliefs and expectations regarding the recovery of the Seattle market and Essex's proprietary research model, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to be different than such forward looking statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in the Seattle market and unexpected changes in demand for rental units in that market, and other risks detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. All forward-looking statements are made as of today, and the Company assumes no obligation to update this information. For more details relating to risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements, and risks to our business in general, please refer to our SEC filings, including our most recent Report on Form 10-Q for the period ending, June 30, 2004 and Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

     Michael J. Schall             Mary C. Jensen
     Chief Financial Officer       Director of Investor Relations
     650-849-1600                  650-849-1656


SOURCE  Essex Property Trust, Inc.
    -0-                             11/02/2004
    /CONTACT:  Michael J. Schall, Chief Financial Officer, +1-650-849-1600, or
Mary C. Jensen, Director of Investor Relations, +1-650-849-1656, both of Essex
Property Trust, Inc./
    /Web site:  http://www.essexpropertytrust.com /
    (ESS)

CO:  Essex Property Trust, Inc.
ST:  California
IN:  FIN RLT
SU:  TNM

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