What Covid-19 Has Done
The American Seniors Housing Association, together with HealthTrust, contacted over 30 seniors housing operators that operate more than 180,000 units about what has happened to their occupancy levels, revenues, expenses and additional costs pertaining to the pandemic between March 1 and June 30. The results were eye-opening. One interesting result was that despite being the most need-driven, assisted living and memory occupancy dropped by 661 and 651 basis points, respectively, compared with 404 basis points for independent living in the four-month period. In addition, large operators (more than 3,500 units) appeared to fare worse than small (less than 2,000 units) or... Read More »
How Many Waves Will There Be?
Anyone watching the news these days is well aware that we are seeing either the second or third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Six months ago, it was all about when the “second” wave was going to hit. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but why not three or four waves, or more, before a vaccine is approved and distributed. And the last poll we saw indicated that perhaps up to 50% of the population would not get the vaccine. Will the waves then keep on rolling in? Less than 2.5% of the U.S population has tested positive for COVID-19, and while the percentage may not grow, the absolute numbers will. No matter how careful providers are being, it could still enter their buildings. What... Read More »Seniors Housing Occupancy Hits A New Low
NIC wrapped up its virtual conference this week, and it’s safe to say that those in attendance got a good education on what it’s like to close a deal during the pandemic, to operate communities safely and successfully, and (hopefully) when business will be back to normal. At the end of the conference, NIC also released its third-quarter occupancy numbers, and they showed the industry has a long road to recovery. Across the 31 primary markets, seniors housing average occupancy fell from 84.7% in the second quarter to 82.1% in the third quarter, a drop of 260 basis points. That followed a 280-basis point decline in the second quarter. Clearly, COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns... Read More »
M&A Market Pick-up?
Finally, seniors housing and care transactions are picking up speed after a six-month slowdown. With just over two months to go in what has been the most unusual year I have ever experienced, it seems like the senior care M&A market is finally picking up. Not only was the $702 million Welltower sale completed with one of the most aggressive cap rates I have ever seen, with or without a pandemic, but smaller ones are getting done as well. And not all of these are postponed deals from last March. I think all of us are just a little bit tired of the inertia of the past six months, and everyone wants business to be back to at least 75% of normal. The reality is that there is plenty of... Read More »
Wishing Tom Well(tower)
An unexpected announcement by Welltower that CEO Tom DeRosa stepped down with COO Shankh Mitra named as his replacement. I was not the only one surprised by Welltower’s announcement that CEO Tom DeRosa was stepping down effective immediately. My cell phone was buzzing Monday night with questions, mostly centered around why. Whatever the reason, we wish him well. No one was surprised, however, that COO, Vice Chair and Chief Investment Officer Shankh Mitra has been named as CEO, but will retain his CIO role. He has been spearheading the REIT’s portfolio realignment the past two years, a process that has given Welltower $2.2 billion of cash on its balance sheet and a revolver with $3.0... Read More »Schedule a demo
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