Lower Expenses, Higher Prices

One would assume that as a skilled nursing facility’s profitability increased, so should its price. And that was indeed the case in 2015, with a perfect correlation between the average price per bed and the expense rate. Facilities with an expense ratio of 90% and over sold in 2015 for an average of $46,000 per bed, while those with expense ratios between 85% and 89% sold for $75,000 per bed on average. The high end of the market, meaning those facilities with expense ratios under 85%, not surprisingly sold for the highest price, averaging $128,100 per bed in 2015. Clearly, well-operating skilled nursing facilities are very attractive to investors in search of a high return, at least when compared to the seniors housing market in general.