• 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 »
Ensign Makes Another Arizona Acquisition

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 »

Go West, Young Broker

The team at Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors continued their successful year, completing two transactions on the West Coast. First up, Chris Hyldahl, Gideon Orion and Amy Sitzman represented a California-based regional owner/operator in its sale of two Arizona skilled nursing facilities to The Ensign Group. Included in the purchase was an 88-bed facility in Mesa built in 1978 and renovated in 2011, and a 115-bed facility in Tucson that was built in 1965 but expanded in 1974. Combined, they were approximately 68% occupied. Ensign ended up paying $15.25 million, or about $61,250 per licensed bed, for both the real estate and operations of the facilities. Its Arizona-based operating... Read More »
Ensign Executes In Arizona

Ensign Executes In Arizona

Continuing its strategy to own more of the real estate in its portfolio of over 200 healthcare properties, The Ensign Group bought two skilled nursing facilities in Arizona for an undisclosed price. Included in the purchase is an 88-bed facility in Mesa (Phoenix MSA) and a 115-bed facility in Tucson, with a combined occupancy of about 68%. Ensign leased the facilities to its Arizona-based operating subsidiary, Bandera Healthcare, Inc. Including the operations and, of course, the real estate, the acquisition is expected to be accretive to 2018 earnings. Now, Ensign owns the real estate at 63 of the 229 facilities in its portfolio, but we imagine that 27.5% ratio will keep rising. That is... Read More »