• Brookdale’s Portfolio Stumbles in February

    Brookdale Senior Living reported its February 2026 occupancy numbers, and if the remaining cold weather months even closely resemble what the company has posted so far this winter, they will need to do some serious heavy lifting this summer to progress in its census rebound.  All of its reported occupancy figures, including consolidated and... Read More »
  • 60 Seconds with Swett: The State of the Healthcare M&A Market

    I attended the McDermott Will & Schulte Healthcare Private Equity Conference in Miami Beach last week, and the buzz mostly centered around increased investment in outpatient care, AI in healthcare and a persistent bid-ask spread that has kept healthcare M&A relatively steady, and down when comparing it to the seniors housing and care... Read More »
  • Newmark Reports Slew of February Deals

    The Newmark seniors housing team reported an active February, with six investment sales and four significant debt transactions. First, outside of Chicago, the team sold Clarendale of Mokena, a 156-unit seniors housing community featuring independent living, assisted living and memory care services. The community was built in 2015 by Ryan... Read More »
  • Improving SNF Sells to Newer Skilled Nursing Entrant

    A regional skilled nursing owner/operator divested one of its senior care facilities in western Nebraska after deciding to refocus its operational efforts in a more condensed regional footprint. The owner/operator engaged Michael Segal and Daniel Waldhorn of Blueprint to run the process.  Built in 1960, Monument Rehabilitation and Care... Read More »
  • AEW Capital Management Divests to Joint Venture

    Berkadia Seniors Housing & Healthcare handled the sale and financing of The Sheridan of Green Oaks, which Town Lane and Arcole acquired, marking the joint venture’s fifth seniors housing investment in their inaugural $1.25 billion real estate fund. Built in 2016 by Senior Lifestyle Corporation, the Class-A community comprises 78 independent... Read More »

Cash Flow Drives Record Skilled Nursing Prices

We have written several times in recent years that reports of the “death of the skilled nursing facility” have been greatly exaggerated. That is clearly evident in the record-high prices we have recorded in the sector, soaring to an average of $99,200 per bed in 2016 (up from the previous record of $85,900 per bed in 2015) and to a median of $94,660 per unit (from $66,500 per bed in 2015), according to the Senior Care Acquisition Report. But this pricing peak contradicts a normally reliable indicator of the market’s health. As we have always stated, it is the absolute level of net operating income (NOI, and interchangeable with EBITDA) that drives value in the market. From 2011 through... Read More »

Gross Income Multiple Falls For Seniors Housing Deals

A popular multiple that investors use to measure the value of a seniors housing and care property is the Gross Income Multiple (GIM). So, as prices have stayed consistently near record-highs for seniors housing (independent living and assisted living) properties, how much were buyers paying with respect to the properties’ revenues? In 2016, according to the 22nd Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report, the average GIM fell 15 basis points to 3.75x from the 3.9x recorded in both 2014 and 2015, widely considered the height of the seniors housing bull market. The median fell by a larger degree (30 basis points) and to a level not seen since 2011, when it was also 3.2x. Understandably,... Read More »
The Future of Medicaid Block Grants

The Future of Medicaid Block Grants

Our editor Steve Monroe moderated a webinar on June 8 called “Skilled Nursing Reimbursement Under Trump Care” with panelists Joshua Jandris of IPA Seniors Housing and Marc Zimmet of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, where they discussed Medicare reimbursement changes, the future of Medicaid managed care plans and the next shoe to drop on the reimbursement front under a Trump administration. If you are interested in hearing the 90-minute discussion, you can purchase the webinar here. During the webinar, Mr. Monroe brought in the audience to voice their opinion too, and here are the results: Do you think Medicare SNF payments should basically fund the shortfall of Medicaid payments, such as... Read More »

Cash Flow Is King

Many buyers prize a community’s cash flow over other factors. If a community is already making money, and avoids any major missteps, it is probably a safe bet for investors. Neither 2015 nor 2016 reached the record average NOI per unit set in 2014 of $14,200 per unit, but in a year when the average price per unit for seniors housing (including both independent and assisted living) increased, it makes sense that NOI per unit would increase in turn, by $500 per unit from 2015 (11,700 per unit) to 2016 ($12,200 per unit). Separating it out by sector, one would think that if independent living prices rose by $35,300 per unit, or 18%, one would see a corresponding increase in the NOI per unit... Read More »

The REIT Price for Seniors Housing

Last week, we looked at the price REITs paid on average for skilled nursing facilities in 2016, according to the 22nd Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report, compared with other buyers in the industry. But what about in seniors housing? REITs have been far more active buyers in the space, with many of the private REITs getting involved in a sector with less stroke-of-the-pen risk (in fact, they bought five seniors housing properties to every one skilled nursing facility in 2016). Also, most of the revenue collected by assisted living or independent living communities comes from private payers, and REITs tend not to purchase those assisted living communities with significant, if any,... Read More »
Deals Down So Far in 2017

Deals Down So Far in 2017

Long-term care has experienced a dip in M&A, but after nearly three straight years of 80+ transactions per quarter (starting in Q3:2014 with 83), with a couple exceptions, it is about time the M&A juggernaut slows down a bit. The first quarter’s volume fell to 76 deals, down from 93 in the previous quarter and from 84 in the year-ago quarter. And as of May 23, 2017, deal volume has so far not kept pace compared with the same period in 2016 with just 118 long-term care transactions recorded compared with 145 in 2016, a 19% difference. However, spending has nearly doubled (to $7.52 billion so far in 2017 from $4.37 billion in 2016), thanks to a few large deals that were announced in... Read More »