• 60 Seconds with Swett: Senior Care’s PR Problem

    Recently, we have seen stories circulating about the connection between REIT ownership and the way skilled nursing facilities provide care, stemming from a study written by the nonprofit journalism outlet KFF Health News. We’ve seen this before, headlines like “real estate investors profit while patients suffer,” usually with graphic cases of... Read More »
  • Blueprint Sets Pricing Record in New York State

    Blueprint advised a repeat private equity client in a record-setting sale of two standalone memory care communities in high barrier-to-entry submarkets in New York State. Combining for 104 units, these assets were purpose-built in the late 1990s and were stabilized at the time of the deal. Not only that, they were generating cash flow in excess... Read More »
  • CareTrust Keeps Its Foot on the Gas

    CareTrust REIT has deployed nearly $1 billion in closed transactions so far this year, after closing around $1.8 billion in investment activity in 2025, and its pipeline includes $450 million of near-term, actionable opportunities, excluding larger portfolio transactions. The REIT announced that it closed a few separate transactions in mid-April,... Read More »
  • VIUM Capital Announces Slew of HUD Closings

    VIUM Capital closed four HUD 232/223(f) financings in March totaling more than $63 million across a mix of skilled nursing and seniors housing communities. Two of the financings involved skilled nursing facilities in Oklahoma totaling 176 beds. The assets were originally acquired as part of a larger portfolio and refinanced following a... Read More »
  • Lument Secures HUD Express Lane Transaction

    Lument closed a refinance through HUD’s Express Lane for a 120-unit seniors housing community in Lincoln, Nebraska. Built in 2017, Pemberly Place Senior Living features 132 licensed beds and offers independent living, assisted living and memory care services. It also has an on-site medical clinic to offer a range of other healthcare services. The... Read More »
Investor group expands in Michigan

Investor group expands in Michigan

The owner/operator of a senior living community in Saginaw, Michigan is set to open a second location next month in nearby Hampton Township, at a cost of $13 million, or around $185,000 per unit. Founded by K. Rumi Shahzad and a team of 19 local investor/doctors, the Saginaw community has already expanded to include a 60-unit independent living community, and has a $15 million addition planned for its assisted living portion. So there is an apparent need. The investor group’s move into Hampton Township seems to be well founded, with 40% of the AL/MC units already preleased. In addition, there are plans to add independent living. Monthly rents at the new community are on the high side,... Read More »
Reflections on NIC Conference

Reflections on NIC Conference

Change is coming, and while some people will be prepared for it, others will struggle. With a record turnout at last week’s NIC Conference, we wanted to see what the mood was, and whether there was any primary theme. The mood was decent, perhaps not as upbeat as in years past, but it really depended on whom you asked. The old-timers are a bit nervous, the newcomers more bullish. On the skilled nursing side, going from fee for service payments to bundled payments and ACOs is going to be more painful than many believe it will be, and could result in many small providers hanging it up and selling. It will not cause the value disruption that came after the PPS change to Medicare in the late... Read More »
An Affinity for HUD

An Affinity for HUD

Affinity Living Group’s latest acquisition of two senior living communities in North Carolina was met with more complications than usual. Already with a senior lender on board, Affinity had to find supplemental debt that not only satisfied their own requirements, but also those of the senior lender and of a future HUD refinance. So, HJ Sims provided a $2.475 million mezzanine loan under its “HUD Plus” program, which allows a borrower to leverage up to 92.5% of the market value of a project with HUD-approved secondary financing. Sims funded the subordinate loan by placing $2.475 million of corporate taxable bonds. The communities included a total of 176 assisted living units and 40 memory... Read More »
Leaving with Grace

Leaving with Grace

While attending the NIC conference in Washington, D.C. last week, I learned that Gene and Mari Jo Grace of Grace Management are retiring after nearly 33 years in the seniors housing and care business. I have known them for most of that 33 years, and I feel like the industry is losing not only two very top-notch professionals, but two friends. The respect they command, and the friendship they have shown to so many over the years is unparalleled, not to mention the depth of their industry knowledge and history. They have seen it all. Two years ago, they sold their company to Chicago Pacific Founders (CPF) but continued on in their roles. In those two years, with the help of John Rijos and... Read More »

The Blueprint Buzz

We hope the team at Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors has found some time this NIC to celebrate their busy end to the summer, having announced four deals during the Fall conference. First up, with the help of Steve Thomes, Christopher Hyldahl, and Gideon Orion of Blueprint, as well as acquisition financing provided by Private Bank, Brick, New Jersey-based Tryko Partners LLC added to its already-strong eastern Massachusetts skilled nursing facility portfolio with the acquisition of a 107-bed facility in Methuen for $7.5 million, or $70,093 per bed. It was built in 1960 and renovated in 1995, but Tryko is planning, through its affiliate, Marquis Health Services, a $2.5 million... Read More »
Mainstreet growth

Mainstreet growth

Mainstreet Health Investments (Mainstreet) is adding seven seniors housing and care properties to its portfolio from several sellers, representing a total purchase price of approximately $152 million. First, the company bought four Mainstreet Property Group (MPG)-developed transitional care/assisted living facilities, which are scheduled to open between November 2016 and March 2017 in Texas and Kansas, for $92.8 million, or almost $247,000 per bed, with a year-one cap rate of 7.7%. The Ensign Group will manage the facilities. Second, Mainstreet is acquiring one transitional care/memory care facility in Evanston, Illinois from its existing operating partner Symphony Post-Acute Network for... Read More »

Brookdale divests, big

We reported back in July that Enlivant was the rumored buyer of 44 assisted living/memory care communities in 12 states that Brookdale Senior Living was looking to sell. On September 15, it was announced that Enlivant was indeed the buyer, together with its PE backer TPG, except that the number of communities had increased to 48 in 14 states. This deal represents a nearly 40% increase in Enlivant’s portfolio, assuming all communities close. Sixteen of the transactions have already closed, and the remaining 32 are expected to be effective over the new few months. Read More »
Reflections on NIC Conference

Welcome to NIC

As we all descend upon D.C., please take some time to stop and chat with us at the conference. So, the 26th annual NIC Conference is upon us. I wonder what the big topic will be this year, if any. In years past there have been exciting developments right before or during the conference, such as Sunrise Senior Living’s share price plunging, or Formation Capital’s billion dollar plus sale of SNFs to GE, or last year the spin-off of skilled nursing assets by Ventas into a new REIT. Will people be talking about Welltower’s billion-dollar acquisition of Vintage Senior Living? Or will it be the upcoming skilled nursing spin-off by HCP? Whatever it is, we will be listening and trying to discern... Read More »
CBRE doubles down

CBRE doubles down

CBRE pulled double duty with its last transaction, arranging and funding an acquisition of a 76-unit assisted living/memory care community in the Philadelphia area. Lisa Widmier and Matthew Whitlock handled the sale on behalf of the previous owner. This was built in 2013 at a cost of about $250,000 per unit, and a joint venture between Sage Senior Living and an institutional partner acquired it for just over $400,000 per unit. Aron Will arranged a non-recourse, five-year floating-rate loan, with 36 months of interest only, from a regional bank. Sage Senior Living will take over management. Read More »

Grandbridge hits the Town…Village

It was recently announced that Grandbridge Real Estate Capital closed $125 million in financing to assist in the acquisition of four Town Village-brand independent living communities in four states. A joint venture between Chicago Pacific Founders and Grand Park Capital Management (owned by former Brookdale Senior Living executives John Rijos and Bill Doniger, respectively) was the buyer. According to some media outlets, the properties sold for $180 million, or approximately $220,000 per unit. Grandbridge provided $25 million in supplemental loans and also closed $100 million in assumption loans for existing Fannie Mae debt that Grandbridge had previously originated. Read More »
Divest in Dallas

Divest in Dallas

A West Coast-based private equity group is divesting itself of a 30-year old independent living community in Garland, Texas (Dallas MSA). Built in 1984, the 111-unit community had received numerous renovations over the years and was in good shape. Its occupancy (around 83%) and operating margin (approximately 18% on $1.7 million of revenues) however could be improved. Rod Llanos and Heidi Castiglione of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, a regional Texas owner/operator looking to add to their holdings in the area. The seller will maintain a handful of properties in the state despite this sale. Mark Myers, Ryan Fleming and Joshua Jandris of Marcus & Millichap represented the... Read More »