Ensign Makes Another Arizona Acquisition
Despite its stated strategy to own more of the real estate in its portfolio of over 230 healthcare properties, The Ensign Group shunned its recent practice and acquired just the operations of a 140-bed skilled nursing facility in Sun City West, Arizona. Reporting 87% occupancy at the time of the sale, the facility will be operated by Ensign’s Arizona-based subsidiary, Bandera Healthcare, while Ensign acquired the operations subject to a long-term lease. The deal brings The Ensign Group’s portfolio to 184 skilled nursing operations, 22 of which include assisted living services, and 51 AL/independent living operations. Of that total, Ensign currently owns the real estate at 67 of the 235... Read More »
The Price of Profitability in Skilled Nursing
For the fifth year in a row, there has been a perfect correlation between the average price per bed and the expense ratio of those skilled nursing facilities sold, according to the 23rd Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report. This makes perfect sense but does not always happen when you have skilled nursing facilities in good markets that are mismanaged, usually on the expense side, but often combined with low Medicare utilization. Even though the operating margin (the inverse of the expense ratio) is important and can impact value in the acquisition market, it is the absolute level of cash produced at the facility that is always the most important factor. If there is a low expense... Read More »
Grandbridge Goes Green, Again
Utilizing Fannie Mae’s Green Rewards financing product, Richard Thomas and Meredith Davis of Grandbridge Seniors Housing and Healthcare Finance Group arranged a $25.5 million acquisition loan to fund the purchase of a 93-unit assisted living/memory care community in Alpharetta, Georgia. Focus Healthcare Partners’ dedicated senior housing fund was the borrower and will retain The Arbor Company as the community’s operator. This type of transaction seems to have become a recent specialty of Grandbridge’s, as the firm so far in 2018 has closed nearly $300 million in financings through Fannie Mae’s Green Rewards program, across 13 properties, which is the most among Fannie Mae DUS lenders... Read More »
Capital One’s Tucson Transaction
A large healthcare campus in Tucson, Arizona recently refinanced through HUD, with the help of Joshua Rosen at Capital One. After originally opening in 1964, the campus has since expanded in 1977 and 1990 to currently feature 24 independent living, 19 assisted living and 270 skilled nursing beds (across 132 units). Its experienced owner/operator had also invested in a newly redesigned therapy center and is currently installing LED lighting to reduce energy consumption. Wanting to replace their bank debt, recoup their capital expenditures and retire partner debt, the owners received a $20.8 million HUD loan, provided by Capital One. Read More »
The CCRC Market
CCRCs are thriving in today’s market when so many other providers are struggling for census. But why? How many times have you heard that the CCRC market is a thing of the past? About as many times as you have heard that skilled nursing is dead? Well, I’ve got some news for you, neither is dead and they aren’t going anywhere. While so many providers are struggling with today’s occupancy or reimbursement issues, CCRCs are actually outperforming the entire senior housing and care sector, at least when it comes to occupancy. In addition, values in the CCRC acquisition market have been on an upward trend for the past four years. But what has changed since the Great Recession when people... Read More »
Two New Communities Trade In Arkansas
Evans Senior Investments closed out May by closing the sale of two private pay senior living communities in Arkansas for a combined $37.965 million, or $183,000 per unit. Located in the towns of Rogers and Bentonville (about 10 miles apart), the communities totaled 56 independent living cottages, 116 assisted living units and 36 memory care units, all with private bathrooms and modern finishes. Built a few years ago, the Rogers community was 77% occupied, with a 24% EBITDAR margin over the previous 12 months, while the Bentonville community had only just opened in 2017 and was still leasing up. The seller was a regional owner/operator (represented by ESI). A joint venture between... Read More »
Knapp Sells Specialty Assisted Living Community
It wasn’t the most straightforward of transactions, but Jim Knapp of Marcus & Millichap successfully sold an assisted living/memory care community in southeast Michigan for $6.5 million, or about $162,500 per bed, with an approximate cap rate between 9% and 10%. Built in 1991 and 1996, the community was owned by a family trust until the current sale. About 25% of its census (occupancy was in the high 90s) was derived from residents with traumatic brain injuries who were funded through catastrophic claims. Part of Michigan’s mandatory no-fault insurance, that particular income stream had to be underwritten differently and would also appeal to a unique set of buyers. They turned out to... Read More »
Austin-Area Assisted Living Gets HUD Financing
An experienced ownership group went through Housing and Healthcare Finance (HHC Finance) to refinance its conventional debt on its 32-unit assisted living/memory care community in Kyle, Texas. Located about 15 miles south of Austin, the community was built in 2014 (around when development was especially heating up in certain markets in Texas) and currently operates at occupancy in the mid-90s. It had in-place, higher rate and shorter term conventional and subordinated debt but was able to replace it with a $4.86 million HUD loan, arranged by HHC Finance. Read More »
Holliday Fenoglio Fowler Handles Atlanta-Area Sale
Ryan Maconachy, Chad Lavender and Jason Nettles of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) sold a brand-new senior living community in the Atlanta MSA, working on behalf of the previous owner, Village Park Senior Living. Built in 2017, the community features 66 independent living, 43 assisted living and 18 memory care units, with four housing options available for residents, including cottages, bungalows, flat-style apartments and dedicated memory care units. Its location is superb, within 20 miles of downtown Atlanta (in the suburb of Alpahretta), five miles of two medical centers and near a mixed-use, 86-acre development. Harbert Management Corp. acquired the community for an undisclosed price,... Read More »
Seniors Housing Expense Ratios Rise
With seniors housing (which includes independent living and assisted living) prices rising and cap rates shrinking in 2017, we would accordingly expect a decrease in the average expense ratio. That was not the case, as we recorded a 30-basis point increase from 72.1% in 2016 to 72.4% in 2017, according to the 23rd Edition of The Senior Care Acquisition Report. We are now approaching the average expense ratio seen during the Great Recession, when it averaged 73%. The industry has certainly improved significantly operationally since the Great Recession, but what has changed has been the increased acuity at both assisted living and independent living communities. Increased care costs, and... Read More »Schedule a demo
Gain access to the best healthcare and long-term care investment intelligence, data, and analysis.
