• Brookdale Boosts Short Term Stability

    Brookdale Senior Living completed a series of financing transactions totaling approximately $600 million that refinanced all of its remaining 2026 mortgage debt and maturities, around $350 million, and a portion of 2027 mortgage debt maturities, approximately $200 million. The company also secured more fixed-rate debt, helping to cut rate risk.... Read More »
  • Ikaria Announces $1 Billion in Q4 Volume

    Ikaria Capital Group closed out a successful 2025, announcing several significant transactions in the fourth quarter that exceeded $1 billion in volume. The activity comprises financings in the seniors housing, skilled nursing and behavioral health sectors across multiple states and borrowers.  The largest deal was a $595.5 million senior... Read More »
  • PE Group Enters Oklahoma after Medicaid Rate Bump

    A skilled nursing facility in Oklahoma that recently benefited from the state’s Medicaid rate bump sold to a national private equity firm looking to enter the state. Built in 1967, Maplewood Care Center features 180 beds on over three acres in Tulsa. It is located close to several major hospitals and healthcare campuses, but occupancy was sitting... Read More »
  • Community Purchased through HUD Assumption

    Chad Mundy of the Knapp-Stahler Group of Marcus & Millichap sold an 82-unit assisted living/memory care community in Lewiston, Idaho. Built in phases in the early 2000s, the community featured five separate buildings, one of which was vacant after sustaining damage from a flood. As a result, occupancy was lower, based on the 89 licensed beds,... Read More »
  • The Zett Group Rounds Out Q4

    The Zett Group closed out Q4 with several closings in the Pacific Northwest. First was the sale of Fox Hollow, a 58-unit seniors housing community in Eugene, Oregon. Built in 1988 and renovated in 2003, the community features 51 assisted living units and seven independent living “cottage-style” units. Set in a nice area of Eugene, it was owned by... Read More »

As prices fall, IL cap rates stay

The average price per unit for independent living had the most dramatic change of the other acuity classes (a 13% drop from 2014 to the 12-months ending June 30, 2015, compared to a 0.4% increase for assisted living and a 3% drop for skilled nursing in the same time period), so one would expect some move in average cap rate, presumably a move up. But, the average IL cap rate for the 12-months ending June 30 did not budge from its 2014 level of 7.4%. Perhaps the quality of IL transactions hasn’t changed, with owners of high-quality communities still tempted by the high valuations, but there just have not been as many of those ultra-high end sales this year. Read More »

Average SNF prices fall

Prices continue to drop off from their record highs seen in 2014. As with independent living, the same holds true for skilled nursing, which fell 3% from $76,600 per bed in 2014 to $74,100 in the 12-months ending June 30, 2015, according to a supplemental report to The Senior Care Acquisition Report. Still, skilled nursing prices have risen significantly since 2011 (when the average price paid was $51,100 per bed), and have seemingly plateaued at around $75,000 per bed. With SNFs taking on higher acuity (thus higher paying) patients while also trying to increase Medicare census, the average facility value will most likely not come close to those 2011 levels again. Read More »

Average price for IL communities falls

How low can average independent living prices go? When the 2014 seniors housing M&A market hit unprecedented heights, in both value and volume, it was driven largely by an especially pricey independent living market, with the average price paid for independent living at $246,800 per unit, compared to $191,950 per unit in 2013. However, in the 12-months ending June 30, 2015 (according to a supplemental report to the 20th Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report), the average IL price fell to $214,500 per unit. What can explain this 13% drop? Either sales so far in 2015 have not reached the values seen in 2014, or many of the high-priced transactions of 2014 happened in the first... Read More »

Assisted Living prices hold steady

After the average price paid for assisted living rose from $150,600 per unit in 2013 to $188,700 per unit 2014, a 25% increase according to the 20th Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report, who would have expected that in these heady times in seniors housing, there would be virtually no change in the average price for the last two four-quarter cycles? Indeed, for the 12-months ending March 31, 2015, the average price per unit was $188,900 (up 0.1% from the 2014 Calendar Year), and for the 12-months ending June 30, 2015, the average price per unit was $189,500 (up 0.4% from 2014). Is this evidence enough that we have reached the top of the roller coaster? Or is demand still so strong... Read More »

How are SNFs managing costs?

With all the talk of rising acuity in skilled nursing, how are operators going to manage the resulting rise in revenues and, of course, costs? Based on SNF sales in 2014 (according to The Senior Care Acquisition Report), the average expense ratio has fallen to a five-year low of 88.2%, or 50 basis points lower than in 2013. With this significant fall coming in tandem with the rise in average price per bed paid for SNF acquisitions in 2014, it is clear that buyers will pay a premium for a facility that better manages its expenses, especially in this higher acuity, higher cost market. Read More »

Prices vs. Expenses

With the average price for independent living increasing at a faster pace than that of assisted living for 2014 sales, it makes sense that the spread between the expense ratio for IL and for AL would also widen. However, the change was bigger than expected. The expense ratio for IL decreased from 64.4% in 2013 to 61.0% in 2014, while for assisted living, the expense ratio actually increased by 260 basis points from 70.6% in 2013 to 73.2% in 2014, effectively doubling the basis point spread between AL and IL, from 620 basis points to 1,219 basis points. What could account for the higher average expense ratio for AL are the higher acuity levels and more memory care services. Read More »