• 60 Seconds with Swett: Sticks and Bricks in ’26?

    The talk around new development is getting a lot more serious in the seniors housing industry, leading us to wonder if our 2024 prediction of “Sticks and Bricks in ‘26” may actually come true, somewhat. Back then, we may have thought that interest rates would have come down a bit more by now, but that the FOMO of getting involved in seniors... Read More »
  • Wyoming SNF Sale Sets New State Record

    There was a new record set for skilled nursing pricing in the state of Wyoming with the sale of Big Horn Rehabilitation and Care Center in Sheridan. Built in the 1960s, the facility features 128 beds and was 61% occupied. It was owned by a regional operator that was looking to recycle capital.  Before the marketing process, Evans Senior... Read More »
  • Owner/Operator Acquires Facility Out of Bankruptcy

    A senior care facility in Worcester, Massachusetts, sold as part of a bankruptcy process with the help of Patrick Burke and Toby Siefert of Senior Living Investment Brokerage. Built in 1970, Donna Kay Rest Home features 60 licensed beds in 31 units, providing a higher level of care and supervision than assisted living but at a lesser acuity than... Read More »
  • Civitas Sells Community to Clarion

    Hap Knowles and Nick Stahler of the Knapp-Stahler Group at Institutional Property Advisors announced that they led the sale of a seniors housing community in the Phoenix, Arizona MSA, to the fast-growing real estate investment firm Clarion Partners. The deal appears to be The Retreat at Alameda, a 110-unit assisted living/memory care community in... Read More »
  • Blueprint Handles Recapitalization

    Blueprint handled the recapitalization of Forest Hills Commons, a 2017-developed, 119-unit assisted living/memory care community in the Louisville, Kentucky MSA. A Louisville-based senior living owner/operator/developer engaged Blueprint in the third quarter of 2025 to begin the process. The asset demonstrated strong in-place performance and... Read More »
Welltower’s SHOP Communities Perform

Welltower’s SHOP Communities Perform

Following fourth quarter earnings from Ventas, Welltower also posted solid gains in its SHOP portfolio, both sequentially and year over year. On a same-community basis, Welltower’s 654 communities posted a 20-basis point sequential increase in occupancy and a 200-basis point increase year-over-year to 79.1%. Now, while we are sure management would like to see the final year-end numbers higher, and getting over 80% (if not 85%) is crucial, the slowdown in the fourth quarter does not bode well for the first quarter this year. At least this year’s flu season has not been as bad as previously forecast by the media. The same-community net operating income increased 6.3% sequentially, but at a... Read More »
Ensign Shines Bright, Again And Again

Ensign Shines Bright, Again And Again

Oops, they did it again. Late last week, The Ensign Group reported its fourth quarter and full-year earnings for 2022, and the company continues to outshine its competitors. While we realize the entire senior care business is on the rebound from the depths of the pandemic, some like Ensign seem to be beating the odds. The company achieved record operating results for the fourth quarter and for the full year, and it has had eight consecutive quarters of occupancy increases. Same-facility occupancy was at 77.8% in the fourth quarter, not far behind its pre-COVID level of 80.1%. To their credit, they do take over a lot of nursing homes with underperforming operations and relatively low... Read More »
Brookdale Senior Living Reports December Occupancy

Brookdale Senior Living Reports December Occupancy

Sometimes no news is good news. After two straight months of declines, Brookdale SeniorLiving reported that December’s month-end occupancy remained flat with November at 78.1%.That can be considered good news since we are in the beginning of what could be a terrible fluand COVID season. In addition, weighted average occupancy remained flat from November to December at 77.0%,after dropping by 20 basis points in November. If they can hold the line for the next threemonths, the company could start to see some improvement in the second quarter. Weightedaverage occupancy peaked in October at 77.2%, while month-end occupancy peaked inSeptember at 78.4%. So far this year, after a dismal 2022,... Read More »

Spotlight on Senior Care M&A

The seniors housing and care industry has witnessed incredible growth so far in the 21st century, surviving the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic among other bumps along the way. Despite the headwinds, investors continue to pour money into the space in search of higher returns and to capitalize on demographic trends. But post-pandemic, where did valuations settle across the senior care sectors and why? Check out the just-published special report, Spotlight on Senior Care M&A to see the latest M&A stats and market analysis. Read More Read More »
Brookdale Occupancy Stumbles

Brookdale Occupancy Stumbles

Last month’s capital raise caused Brookdale Senior Living’s shares to plunge 40%, and now November occupancy is on a downward path as well. Perhaps that is why they needed the new capital, and we are just barely in the flu season. Weighted average occupancy dropped by 20 basis points in November to 77.0%, and month-end census fell by a smaller 10 basis points to 78.1%. But month-end occupancy has now dropped two months in a row. These are small declines, but symptomatic of problems. The company needs some help. It has been offered in terms of refreshing the Board, but to no avail…. Perhaps it is time that Brookdale finally hires Second Act Financial Services to help its customers move... Read More »
AlerisLife Sees Healthy Occupancy Boost in Q3

AlerisLife Sees Healthy Occupancy Boost in Q3

AlerisLife announced its third quarter earnings results, and the good news was that its owned portfolio including 20 senior living properties saw a 290-basis point increase in quarter-end occupancy from 75.5% in Q2:22 to 78.4% Q3:22. Its managed portfolio of 120 senior living properties increased a more modest 160 basis points to 77.0% over the same period, but both figures are healthy increases. Operators need to make the most of third quarter occupancy gains before winter weather and the flu season hamper their efforts, so this is good news for Aleris. But average occupancy still falls below 80%, so there is a long way to go. The company reported a net loss for the third quarter of 2022... Read More »