Evans Senior Investments (ESI) closed on the sale of two properties in New York known as the Robinson Terrace Portfolio. It included a 120-bed skilled nursing facility that was built in Samford in 1973, and a 55-unit assisted living community built in 2011 two miles away. Despite the rural location, occupancy had been relatively high, above 90% at both facilities.

 

The problem, however, was the cost structure and the fact that the Medicaid census was high in both properties. The campus was owned and operated by a not-for-profit, and maybe because they were the low-cost providers in the area, the EBITA margin was a negative 20% or worse. High staffing costs combined with low Medicaid reimbursement rates make it tough to make money. The buyer, a regional for-profit company, basically assumed the outstanding debt plus some closing costs for their purchase price.