• 60 Seconds with Swett: The Problem with CMS Interpretive Guidelines

    Just a day after we highlighted the potential downsides of overregulation of assisted living from the federal level, a case of regulatory overreach involving a nursing home just headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District in hopes of overturning a $1.8 million civil monetary penalty. Without getting into the minutiae too much, the... Read More »
  • Kayne Anderson Fund Tops Target

    The familiar refrain continues, with more capital continuing to flow into the seniors housing industry, property prices should keep rising. Kayne Anderson Real Estate, the real estate private equity arm of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., has closed the largest opportunistic equity fund in its history, at more than 70% above its initial... Read More »
  • Well-Performing Full-Continuum Community Sells

    Blueprint announced its role in the sale of Morningstar at Golden Ridge, a seniors housing community in Peoria, Arizona (Phoenix MSA). Built in 2019, the community has 38 independent living, 65 assisted living and 35 memory care units. It is nearly fully occupied. The community is one of the newest and most well-appointed assets within a... Read More »
  • Kaplan Development Divests to Cedarwood Group

    Cedarwood Group closed its acquisition of Saranac Village at Will Rogers, a 75-unit independent living community in Saranac Lake, New York. The seller was Kaplan Development Group, which took over Will Rogers after the first year of it being open as a senior living community. The community was originally built in 1928 as a Tudor-style... Read More »
  • Omega Welcomes New CEO and CFO

    Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.’s President, Matthew Gourmand will become the REIT’s Chief Executive Officer in conjunction with the planned retirement of Taylor Pickett, effective October 1, 2026. Pickett will also step down from the Board of Directors upon his retirement, and the Board of Directors intends to appoint Gourmand to the Board,... Read More »
Are More Capital Senior Living Problems Coming Due?

Are More Capital Senior Living Problems Coming Due?

Capital Senior Living released its first quarter earnings this week, and the results were sort of a mixed bag. Of course, the occupancy results were great news, with April average census rising 140 basis points from the Q1 average to 76.95%. And spot occupancy increased from 75.3% at the end of February to 78.5% by the end of April, for a 320-basis point increase. We’re not sure if we’ve seen a steeper increase. About 93% of residents are now vaccinated, COVID cases fell to zero across the 60 owned communities, and 100% of communities are open to new residents, so the runway to recovery is smoother.   Looking forward, CSU will also not be encumbered by the 39... Read More »
Celebrating 30 Years

Celebrating 30 Years

The American Seniors Housing Association has been supporting the senior living industry for 30 years now, with David Schless at the helm throughout. I fondly remember going to my first annual meeting of the American Seniors Housing Association, back when it was part of the National Multifamily Housing Council. Let’s just say it was quite smaller than it is today, and I have to say, a bit more intimate. If you attended one of those early meetings, you may remember my question to Murry Gunty of Lazard Freres, when in the 1990s he was in the middle of patching together a company that seemed very disorganized, as I outlined his various, unconnected acquisitions. I asked, “So Murry, what’s the... Read More »
National Health Investors Stabilizing

National Health Investors Stabilizing

National Health Investors (NHI) was the last of the healthcare REITs to report earnings in what was a very informative earnings season. We have already reported that the REITs and their SHOP portfolios have begun the long-anticipated turnaround as occupancy begins to rebound. Operating costs will be another matter, and it will take a few years to return to normal, whatever that is.  NHI’s three major seniors housing tenants have appeared to stabilize, at least from an occupancy perspective. Bickford Senior Living, which has been responsible for the majority of cash rent deferrals during the pandemic, boosted sequential occupancy by 180 basis points in April to 76.3%. That... Read More »
Ventas Recovery Begins

Ventas Recovery Begins

Like most companies, average occupancy for the seniors housing operating portfolio (SHOP) of Ventas declined in the first quarter of 2021. Same-community census average 76.5%, a decline of 260 basis points from the fourth quarter, but a little better than predicted by management. This represents the U.S. and Canadian portfolio combined. Net move-in trends started improving during the quarter as well, and move-ins during April totaled 1,880 residents, the highest number since June 2019.  Average weekly spot occupancy for the U.S. portfolio hit bottom in the week ended March 11 at 69.9% and then steadily rose 170 basis points to average 71.6% during the last week of April. But from the... Read More »
Sabra Health Care REIT Sees SNF Improvement

Sabra Health Care REIT Sees SNF Improvement

As we all know, the skilled nursing sector was battered during the pandemic, and not only by the media. But optimism is in the air, at least at Sabra Health Care REIT. Its top seven skilled nursing providers, making up 63% of its skilled nursing rental income, saw an average increase in occupancy of 431 basis points from a late-December low to the end of April. In addition, its skilled mix census in its skilled nursing/transitional care portfolio at the end of April 2021 was 148 basis points higher than in February 2020, before the pandemic.  Just like other owners of seniors housing, its senior housing managed portfolio occupancy bottomed out in the first half of March and has... Read More »
New Senior Investment Group Reports April Occupancy Bump

New Senior Investment Group Reports April Occupancy Bump

The good occupancy news keeps on coming from the first quarter earnings announcements, with New Senior Investment Group the latest to report an occupancy jump in April. After January occupancy ended down 80 basis points, February down 60 basis points and March down 20 basis points, sequential occupancy grew by 40 basis points in April to 80.6%, which was the company’s first occupancy gain since the pandemic began. There was more good news, with first quarter leads representing 103% of average 2019 volume, and April leads staying above 2019 levels as well.  COVID-19 cases were also down to nearly zero, with one active resident case as of May 3 and four new resident cases reported in the... Read More »