• 60 Seconds with Swett: SNFs Get a Boost from CMS

    Support for the skilled nursing sector continues to flow from the government, both state and federal, and CMS finalized its FY2026 SNF Prospective Payment System rate increase of 3.2%, based on the final SNF market basket increase of 3.3% plus a 0.6% market basket forecast error adjustment and a negative 0.7% productivity adjustment, amounting to... Read More »
  • LTC Properties and Sabra Up Their Guidance

    With $400 million of new investments now included in its guidance, LTC Properties upped its forecast for the rest of the year. Its SHOP portfolio will more than double in size as the REIT transforms itself from a mostly triple-net lease orientation to a more diversified investor, taking advantage of improving operating metrics. Over the next 60... Read More »
  • SLIB’s Strong Start to August

    There is certainly no summer slump for Senior Living Investment Brokerage, which started off August well with three closings. That activity included a portfolio of three well-performing seniors housing communities in Montana and Oregon selling to a West Coast not-for-profit. The properties are located in Sweet Home and Cottage Grove, Oregon, and... Read More »
  • Ensign Adds to Its Footprint

    The Ensign Group announced three transactions, growing in Wisconsin, Iowa and California. First, through two separate transactions on the same day, Ensign acquired the real estate and operations of Pine Crest Health and Memory Care, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility in Merrill, Wisconsin (with 70% occupancy and a 19.5% quality mix), and Crystal... Read More »
  • Regional Owner/Operator Acquires Class-A Community

    Blueprint facilitated the sale of a Class-A, cash-flowing seniors housing community in Glendale, Arizona. Built in 2015, the 85-unit assisted living and memory care community reflects institutional-quality construction and design, and has benefited from consistently strong occupancy. There was a competitive bidding environment, with nine offers... Read More »
The REIT Recovery

The REIT Recovery

Back in mid-February, it looked as if the world of healthcare REITs had collapsed, with no end in sight. Almost every healthcare REIT hit a new low in a span of a few days, but it has been a vastly different story in the six months since then. The average healthcare REIT stock has jumped in price by about 50% since mid-February, with a range between 27% (Care Capital Properties) and 78% (Sabra Health Care REIT). While that means the higher-yielding REITs have dropped down from double-digit yields, the range of dividend yields is still a healthy range of 4.1% to 8.5% (at least for investors). Price pressure will certainly pop up again if the Fed does increase rates next month, but no one is... Read More »
Love in Carrollton

Love in Carrollton

A new independent living community is being developed in Carrollton, Texas, with the help of a $26.3 million HUD construction loan arranged by the team at Love Funding. Sitting on 5.5 acres in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this community will feature 183 apartments and five stand-alone cottages, as well as a clubhouse and other amenities. The 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church is also located across the street, which should provide a boost to occupancy. Laura Saull-Smith of Love secured the financing, which came with a 40-year term. An ownership group is behind the development, which includes principals Charlie Nicholas, Luke Harry, Steven Rumsey and Chris Willhite. Read More »

Minnetonka mania

Three seniors housing developments are breaking ground this summer in the Minnetonka, Minnesota area. First, United Properties started construction on its 100-unit community, which will include 72 independent/assisted living units, 22 memory care units and six care units. Then, Oppidan Investment Company and Minnesota-based not-for-profit Ebenezer announced the expected September groundbreaking of their newest community, a 136,000-square foot, 105-unit community that will feature independent living, assisted living and memory care. Finally, The Waters plans to break ground in nearby Excelsior on its new 110-unit independent living community by the end of the year. We will see how these... Read More »
Development for Denver joint venture

Development for Denver joint venture

A joint venture between three different parties enlisted the help of Aron Will from CBRE to help finance a to-be-built senior living community in Denver, Colorado. Blue Moon Capital Partners, MGL Partners and Leisure Care are set to break ground in September on a 163-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community located near the heart of the Denver Tech Center. Mr. Will secured a $28.7 million, non-recourse floating rate loan, with a six-year term and 48 months of interest only, provided by a regional bank. The community is set to open in Spring 2017. Read More »
Propero: Part Two

Propero: Part Two

For those owner/operators that wish to grow their portfolio by development, but also limit the capital needed to get the project started, there is an unconventional option. Launched in 2012, Lancaster Pollard’s first Propero Fund invests in seniors housing properties as the sole owner and then triple-net leases them to an operator, which will then choose from a predetermined purchase option schedule when to acquire the community at a price based on Propero’s investment basis rather than the current fair market value. The success of the product means Lancaster Pollard has moved on to its second Propero fund, which approximately doubles the size of the first in terms of equity commitments.... Read More »
HJ Sims’ successful partnership

HJ Sims’ successful partnership

HJ Sims announced that it has co-invested $15 million its Merrill Gardens’ recently formed investment fund RDM V, LLC, which will be the third Merrill fund in which Sims has participated. RDM V will acquire and develop new seniors housing and multifamily properties, which Merrill Gardens and its affiliates will manage. It currently has investments in three seniors housing properties and one multifamily, but has four other seniors housing communities lined up as potential investments. To fund the initial capital call of its 19% interest in RDM V, Sims placed $9.375 million of taxable bonds, and has committed to raising the additional capital as required. Read More »
No Summer Vacation From Deal Flow

No Summer Vacation From Deal Flow

August used to be the month for vacations, but for some, not this year. August is supposed to be a sleepy month. But as soon as I left on a summer vacation, the biggest deal of the year was announced, and we had a series of uneven earnings reports from the few remaining public companies. The large acquisition by Welltower was a bit of a surprise because we thought that deal had died late last year. And it did, a few times. And with a sub-6% in-place cap rate with occupancy for the portfolio so low, Welltower is obviously counting on a change in management to spruce up the cash flow. Great locations yes, but we thought the Big Three were taking a break from the high-priced portfolios. I... Read More »

Meridian primes Continuum for HUD

Continuum Healthcare has been busy growing its portfolio and is now looking for permanent financing for the six of its skilled nursing facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania they acquired over the last three years. In the meantime, Meridian Capital Group has arranged $135.5 million in bridge financing for the facilities. The loan came with a four-year term, six months interest-only, under 15% recourse, and was provided by a balance sheet and mezzanine lender. Ari Adlerstein, Ari Dobkin and Josh Simpson of Meridian handled the transaction, and expect to take out the bridge financing with a HUD refinance in two years. Built between 1979 and 1999, the skilled nursing portfolio features 920... Read More »
A team effort

A team effort

We wrote in the August issue of The SeniorCare Investor of Birchwood Health Care Properties’ acquisition of four skilled nursing facilities and a hospice care and home health company in Oklahoma, and that HJ Sims had financed a $5.25 million subordinate loan to fund the deal. Now, RED Capital Partners has just announced that it closed a $12.7 million balance sheet acquisition loan for Birchwood’s take-over of the 361-bed portfolio. The transaction was unique, in that the ancillary home health and hospice business provided credit support for the bridge-to-HUD loan. Read More »

Leaving the Lone Star State

Civitas Senior Living is expanding its operations outside of Texas for the first time, as it is set to break ground on a senior living community in Louisville, Kentucky. Civitas has been one of the more active developers/acquirers in Texas (and that’s saying something). In 2015 alone, the company opened five new assisted living/memory care communities, and, after forming a new post-acute care division, also acquired two skilled nursing facilities plus an assisted living community in the town of Jefferson, Texas. Then, at the beginning of 2016, Civitas purchased two former Brookdale Senior Living properties in Harlingen, and currently has four communities set to open soon in Texas. After... Read More »

Rocky Mountain Expansion

Legacy Retirement Communities is slowly expanding out of its home state of Utah, where it already operates nine senior living communities. After opening its first out-of-state community in 2009 in Arizona, the company plans to open its second this fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, Legacy has its eye on another state, having just acquired 6.73 acres in Castle Pines, Colorado for $2.1 million, or nearly $7 per square foot. Legacy plans to build a 178-unit senior living community with independent living, assisted living and memory care services. Pamela Pyms of Pyms Capital Resources represented the seller, Pinark LLC, in this transaction. Read More »