Press Release

Wells REIT Acquires 400 Bridgewater Crossing in NJ

NORCROSS, Ga. (February 17, 2006) -- Wells Real Estate Investment Trust Inc. announced today it has acquired 400 Bridgewater Crossing, an eightstory class-A office building in Bridgewater, N.J., the twin to an adjacent Wells REIT property.

The 297,380-square-foot building, built in 2002, is 53 percent leased by pharmaceuticals manufacturer sanofi-aventis; that company also occupies all of an identical adjacent building, 200 Bridgewater Crossing, acquired by Wells REIT in August 2003. Sanofi-aventis is rated AA- by Standard & Poor's and A1 by Moody's.

Other tenants at 400 Bridgewater include King Pharmaceuticals and Infosys Technologies; overall, the building is 84 percent leased. The building was purchased from O'Connor Capital Partners.

"This is a textbook example of our investment strategy - a strong corporate tenant in a strong location," said David Steinwedell, chief investment officer for Wells Real Estate Funds. "Sanofi-aventis is a great tenant, and we look forward to serving more of their real estate needs."

The Bridgewater Crossing buildings, located in the I-78 Corridor submarket of Northern New Jersey, are part of a larger master-planned development including a hotel, corporate housing and retail space, across the street from Bridgewater Commons Mall.

"We think the Bridgewater project is the finest office project in its submarket - and of course, the area speaks for itself as a global business center," said Jeff Gilder, senior vice president of acquisitions.

Gilder, along with Heather Griner, vice president of acquisitions, participated in the transaction for Wells. Wayne Maggin and Adam Spies of Eastdil represented the seller.

Wells REIT is a public, nontraded REIT specializing in office properties, which closed to new investors in 2003. Wells REIT now has 86 buildings in 24 states (including Washington D.C.), totaling approximately $4.5 billion based on purchase price and covering more than 20 million square feet. Across the portfolio, Wells REIT properties are approximately 95 percent leased.

Wells Real Estate Funds is a national real estate investment management company, based in suburban Atlanta, which purchases and manages real estate on behalf of Wells -sponsored investment programs. Since 1984, more than 200,000 individuals across the country have, through their financial representatives, invested in Wells -sponsored investment programs to help diversify their investment portfolios. Collectively, Wells-sponsored programs own approximately $7 billion in assets (based on purchase price) totaling more than 35 million square feet of space. For more information, see www.wellsref.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including discussions regarding Wells' use of proceeds and certain other factors that may affect future earnings or financial results. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forwardlooking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include changes in general economic conditions, changes in real estate conditions, construction delays, increases in interest rates, lease-up risks, lack of availability of financing, and lack of availability of capital proceeds. Wells REIT is closed to new investors.