• Berkadia Secures Large Portfolio Refinance

    Berkadia closed $627.2 million in agency financing for Project Raven. Project Raven is a 35-asset seniors housing portfolio with 4,395 independent living, assisted living and memory care units. The portfolio spans 15 states. Austin Sacco, Steve Muth, Garrett Sacco and Alex Rosenfeld handled the financing on behalf of an institutional borrower.... Read More »
  • What Does Brookdale’s Proxy Fight Cost?

    It seems that hardly a day goes by without yet another SEC filing by Brookdale Senior Living detailing why its slate of Board candidates is far better for shareholders than the slate submitted by activist investor Ortelius Advisors. But how much are they spending on this? It would be nice to know, and we are sure shareholders would rather have... Read More »
  • Do We Hear $30 Per Hour as the New Minimum Wage?

    We know we have the People’s Republic of California, and after New York’s Democratic Party primary, we may have the People’s Republic of New York City by November. The surprise winner of the primary was 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani. He is a self-professed Socialist, and more. In addition to free bussing, freezes on apartment rents, higher taxes on... Read More »
  • BMO and TCG Refinance Florida CCRC

    BMO’s Healthcare Real Estate Finance group acted as sole lender on a real estate term loan refinancing for La Posada, a Class-A, 333-unit CCRC in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Originally opened in 2014 and with a major renovation and addition completed in 2018, the campus offers independent living (245 units), assisted living (30 units), memory... Read More »
  • The Lenders Roundtable: A Capital Markets Update

    On Thursday, June 26th, Managing Editor of The SeniorCare Investor Ben Swett sat down with a group of expert panelists to dive into the evolving financing process of M&A deals. Panelists included Dave Boitano, EVP & CIO of LTC Properties, Cary Tremper, President & CEO of Tremper Capital Group, and Patrick Gilbreath, Sr. Relationship... Read More »
What Did the Experts Say on Seniors Housing’s Occupancy Woes?

What Did the Experts Say on Seniors Housing’s Occupancy Woes?

Occupancy issues have spared few senior living operators in the past year, and signs are not good for the next year either. An overactive development market and declining absorption rate made for a relatively abysmal year for census figures in seniors housing and care. With that increased competition, sales and marketing are even more crucial to the success of every community. New communities have to fill their units without the aid of resident reviews and an established local reputation. Older communities have to convince seniors why their communities are better than the shiny new competitor down the street. But how do you reach those potential residents? How do train your sales staff to... Read More »
Berkadia Finds a Way in Federal Way

Berkadia Finds a Way in Federal Way

Tim Cobb of Berkadia Senior Housing Investment Sales sold an assisted living/memory care community in Federal Way, Washington, working on behalf of the seller, Columbia Pacific Advisors. Built in 1997, the target comprises 87 units and 104 beds. It will be taken over by a joint venture involving Harrison Street Real Estate Capital and Gencare PMB. The latter is a new partnership between Gencare Lifestyle (founded by co-founder of Merrill Gardens, Leon Grundstein) and Pacific Medical Buildings (a medical office building developer based in San Diego). PMB had an existing relationship with Harrison Street, which provided 90% of the equity for both the Federal Way acquisition and a new... Read More »
KeyBank Refinances Citadel Acquisition Loan

KeyBank Refinances Citadel Acquisition Loan

KeyBank Real Estate Capital headed back to the Bronx to take out a previous financing they had closed for a 199-bed skilled nursing facility. Built in 1994, this facility is subject to a ground lease with an unrelated third party. It was acquired a number of years ago by the borrower, Citadel Care Centers, thanks to a term loan arranged by KeyBank. Now, John Randolph, Henry Alonso and Brandon Taseff have arranged a $33 million HUD refinance, which includes $500,000 for repairs and improvements to the property. The loan came with a 35-year, fully amortizing term. Read More »
Greystone Goes Big on Long Island

Greystone Goes Big on Long Island

A huge skilled nursing facility on Long Island, New York just refinanced through HUD, with the help of Fred Levine of Greystone. Totaling 588 beds, this facility provides clinical care, physical, occupational and speech therapies, amputee rehabilitation, and pulmonary, ventilator, cardiac and memory care. It also received multiple significant renovations to its five inter-connected buildings. In June 2016, the borrower had obtained a high-leveraged bridge loan also from Greystone to finance its purchase of the facility. To take out that loan, Mr. Levine arranged $78.53 million in HUD financing, with a 30-year term and amortization schedule. Read More »
BMO Harris Bank Finances Watercrest’s Latest Senior Living Development

BMO Harris Bank Finances Watercrest’s Latest Senior Living Development

Watercrest Senior Living Group’s latest development in Florida just obtained a construction loan courtesy of BMO Harris Bank’s Healthcare Real Estate Finance group. The community just broke ground last August and is anticipated to open in Summer 2020 with 72 independent living, 96 assisted living and 30 memory care units. Watercrest is developing the community in partnership with United Properties, after previously collaborating on a senior living development down the coast in Naples, Florida (expected to open this year). BMO arranged a $46.5 million loan to fund the Sarasota construction. Read More »
REIT Buys Boston Senior Care Property

REIT Buys Boston Senior Care Property

National Health Investors picked up a senior care campus outside of Boston, Massachusetts for a purchase price over $50 million. The REIT also immediately leased it back to the previous operator, Wingate Healthcare, for a 10-year term with three 5-year renewal options and an initial annual lease rate of 7.5% plus annual fixed escalators. Located in Kingston, this campus features three separate buildings with 34 independent living units, 69 assisted living units and 164 skilled nursing beds. Funding the acquisition with a draw on its revolving credit facility, NHI plans to spend up to $1.9 million in capital improvements over the next two years, which will be added to the lease... Read More »
The Good and the Bad of NIC’s Latest Occupancy Numbers

The Good and the Bad of NIC’s Latest Occupancy Numbers

Fourth quarter occupancy may have been flat, but it is sure to decline in the early part of this year. We need to find new ways to deal with it. What great timing, with NIC’s occupancy and construction numbers just released for the fourth quarter, given our webinar tomorrow. Here’s the good news. Occupancy was stable in the fourth quarter, and new construction as a share of existing inventory, while still high at 6.0%, is 130 basis points off its recent high in the fourth quarter of 2017. And, at long last we seem to be reaching equilibrium between new supply and demand. The bad news is that assisted living occupancy is still low at 85.4%, and while unchanged from the third quarter, was... Read More »
Capital Senior Living’s New CEO

Capital Senior Living’s New CEO

The day after it was announced that Kim Lody had been appointed as the new CEO of Capital Senior Living, we had the opportunity for a little one on one with her. Since she has been a director for the past four years, she was obviously well versed in the company’s issues and opportunities. But when asked why shareholders should be confident in her moving forward as CEO when she was a director during the largest collapse in shareholder value ever for the company, she had a decent response: “I wasn’t the CEO, so I had limited influence.” Well, now she is, and the buck will stop with her. The good news for shareholders is that she has a very strong background in sales and marketing, which is... Read More »
Heavenrich & Company Announces Oklahoma Sale

Heavenrich & Company Announces Oklahoma Sale

Brian Clark of Heavenrich & Company sold a pair of Oklahoma senior living communities for a price of $12.25 million, or just over $90,000 per unit. Located in Oklahoma City and Mustang, the communities were previously owned by Bridge Investment Group and total 135 units, including 113 assisted living, 16 memory care and six independent living units. Both were built in the late-1990s and combined for 79% occupancy (all private pay) at the time of the sale. One of the communities also accepted VA residents. An undisclosed private equity firm emerged as the buyer and will look to improve operations and add value to the properties. Read More »
Berkadia Bags Four HUD Financings

Berkadia Bags Four HUD Financings

Berkadia jumped out of the 2019 gates with four HUD closings totaling $40 million. Ed Williams secured the largest loan, $14 million in financing for a skilled nursing facility in Pennsylvania. The loan proceeds were used to retire existing bank and related partner debt for the borrower. Next, Mr. Williams and Jay Healy headed to Michigan to arrange a $9.06 million loan on behalf of a SNF there. The Midwest-based owner/operator borrower purchased the 139-bed facility in May 2017 from a not-for-profit seller. Back then, Berkadia provided the bridge financing to fund 100% of the acquisition costs plus a significant renovation. The HUD refinance retires that Berkadia bridge loan. Mr. Williams... Read More »