• Healthcare REIT Divests SNF to In-Place Operating Partner

    Senior Living Investment Brokerage returned to West Des Moines, Iowa, to sell a skilled nursing facility that it had previously sold in 2019. A healthcare REIT was the buyer back then and is now selling the facility to its in-place regional operating partner. Built in 2004, Arbor Springs features 56 beds on an attractive four-acre campus about 10... Read More »
  • Near-Stabilized AL/MC Community Lands Refinance

    Carnegie Capital closed a bridge refinance for a 50-unit assisted living/memory care community in the Houston, Texas MSA. Four years ago, the property was bought by a California-based operator with a growing footprint in Texas. Performance was approximately two to three months from stabilization, but with the acquisition loan maturity looming, a... Read More »
  • Record-Setting HUD Express Lane Application to Commitment

    Cambridge Realty Capital provided a $6.15 million loan to refinance Avalon Memory Care Keller, a 50-bed stand-alone memory care community in Keller, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth MSA). The fully amortized, 35-year HUD loan was provided for the owner, a Texas limited liability company, that wished to recast bank debt into a long-term non-recourse... Read More »
  • Large Healthcare Owner Receives Financing

    An owner of more than 80 healthcare properties spanning nine states secured bridge and working capital financing for its skilled nursing portfolio in Washington. The financing includes a $40 million bridge loan and a $6 million working capital line of credit, with a 36-month initial term. MONTICELLOAM provided the funding. Read More »
  • Out-of-State Owner Divests to Investor

    A couple of assisted living and memory care communities in Eastern Tennessee recently traded hands. The two properties comprise more than 100 units. A Chicago-based investor aligned with the seller’s long-term vision for the communities acquired the assets, and partnered with a regional operator that was looking to grow their presence in the... Read More »
“Benevolent Incarceration” in Assisted Living

“Benevolent Incarceration” in Assisted Living

Some assisted living residents are getting restless. Why should they be any different from the rest of us? The Wall Street Journal recently published an opinion piece by a 94-year old resident of an assisted living community in New Jersey, where he wrote that he had mixed feelings about his “benevolent incarceration” during this pandemic. While he understands that the current restrictions are to keep him and the other residents safe, he raises some valid questions. At his community, no residents have tested positive for COVID-19, while three staff members have already recovered from it. Yet, the residents still can’t eat in the dining room, all meals are delivered to the apartments where... Read More »
Shifting Sales and Marketing Strategies in Seniors Housing: A Q&A with Joe Roche

Shifting Sales and Marketing Strategies in Seniors Housing: A Q&A with Joe Roche

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely changed the way seniors housing operators do business for some time to come, So, how do social distancing measures and a new threat to resident safety impact the sale and marketing strategies of these communities? We asked Joe Roche of The Roche Associates for answers. We’re more than a couple of months into the COVID-19 crisis, and the seniors housing industry has experienced a bit of a PR problem. Given the virus’ effect on the frail and elderly, the media’s coverage of outbreaks at communities (mostly unfair, but also sometimes fair), and some people’s comingling of skilled nursing facilities with seniors housing, what would you say to a potential... Read More »
Brookdale and Capital Senior Volatile

Brookdale and Capital Senior Volatile

During the course of this pandemic, the entire stock market has been extremely volatile. The quick 35% plunge was followed by a nearly as quick return, with the NASDAQ hitting new highs this week. This happened despite more than 40 million people recently hitting the unemployment lines.  This week, however, we saw volatility reaching new highs in the senior living sector. As an example, Brookdale Senior Living hit a near-term low of $2.66 per share on May 13. By June 5, it jumped by 64% to $4.37 per share. Maybe the turnaround was coming around. But by June 11 (just four trading days later), it plunged by 35% to $2.82 per share. After all that volatility, between May 13 and... Read More »
“Benevolent Incarceration” in Assisted Living

Assisted Living: Recession Resistant or Not?

Assisted living emerged from the Great Recession largely unscathed. Will history repeat itself 10 years later? Well, I just found out on Monday we are officially in a recession. Not that anyone needed to get the official notice, since we all know what 40 million recently unemployed means for the economy. But what does it mean for assisted living? In the “Great Recession” assisted living came out looking pretty good because of its need-driven characteristics. In the ensuing 10 years, average per-unit prices soared to record levels even as over-development caused some census issues. So, is this recession, or potential depression, going to be different? The elderly will continue to need care,... Read More »
“Benevolent Incarceration” in Assisted Living

Seniors Housing M&A Market Comes to Life

Welltower’s recent announcement of two portfolio sales at low cap rates during the pandemic bodes well for the market. It has been a quiet past few weeks in the seniors housing M&A market. Last week was the first time we can remember when we have gone an entire week without one announced acquisition. That leaves us worried as to the liquidity in the market and what we may expect in the coming weeks. Well, we breathed a sigh of relief when Welltower announced two separate transactions for seniors housing portfolios completed by Newmark Knight Frank with a total value close to $800 million. When the MOBs are added in, the total comes to about $1.3 billion.  More details on these... Read More »
Two REITs Provide COVID and Census Updates

Two REITs Provide COVID and Census Updates

Welltower recently disclosed what has been happening at its large seniors housing operating portfolio (SHOP), and we again give them credit for being transparent with investors as to the operating performance of its customers. In the second quarter through May 29, its SHOP portfolio has seen occupancy decline by 420 basis points. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the weekly declines of 50 and 60 basis points in April have been cut in half to 20- and 30-basis point weekly declines in the latter half of May, ending with a 20-basis point drop the last week of the month. That still implies an 80-basis drop for a month, which would be terrible in normal times, but it is all... Read More »