• Interview with Arnie Whitman and Meredith Oppenheim on VITALS

    The SeniorCare Investor’s Ben Swett recently sat down with Meredith Oppenheim and Arnie Whitman to discuss their new framework for seniors housing operators to improve the quality of life for their residents, but also to position the sector for greater success and wider appeal in the future. Watch the conversation here. Read More »
  • Michigan-Based Owner/Operator Expands in Tampa MSA

    American House Senior Living Communities added Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care in Wesley Chapel, Florida (Tampa MSA), to its operating portfolio and renamed the property American House Wesley Chapel. The community features 67 assisted living and 33 memory care units with studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans, some with balconies... Read More »
  • Seniors Housing Community Near Chicago Gets New Owner

    SVN Chicago Commercial sold McKenzie Falls, an affordable seniors housing community in Bolingbrook, Illinois, roughly 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. The building was constructed in 2010 and spans 74,047 square feet across one story.  An undisclosed buyer acquired the 105-unit community for $6.7 million, or $63,800 per unit. Reid... Read More »
  • Healthpeak Properties Provides Janus Living Updates

    Healthpeak Properties’ recently formed seniors housing REIT, Janus Living, which will manage Healthpeak’s 34-community seniors housing portfolio, has filed a registration statement on Form S-11 with the SEC relating to a proposed initial public offering of its shares of Class A-1 common stock, which the company intends to list on the NYSE under... Read More »
  • SLIB Handles Senior Care Campus Deal in Missouri

    A Maryland-based owner/operator looked to expand its Missouri senior care portfolio with the purchase of Kingdom Care Senior Living in the town of Fulton. Built in 1980, the campus includes four independent living units, 26 assisted living units and 36 skilled nursing beds. It currently holds a five-star rating at the SNF and is the only... Read More »

Mourning Granger Cobb

We mourn the passing of Granger Cobb, the former CEO of Emeritus and Board member of Brookdale Senior Living. Granger spent almost his entire career serving the needs of the elderly, starting with his first company, Cobbco, Inc. While he lost his fight against cancer, his spirit will live on in the senior living professionals he nurtured over the past 30 years. He is survived by his wife of 31 years and two daughters. A celebration of his life will be on October 24. Read More »

Berkadia originates $366 million financing

Working with both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Berkadia arranged two loans totaling $366.7 million for Brookdale Senior Living to refinance 39 of its seniors housing properties in two separate portfolios. The first portfolio, including 21 properties with 1,924 units and an average occupancy of 91%, is made up of 5.7% IL, 15.9% MC and 78.4% AL units. It was refinanced with a $226.4 million, 10-year loan through Fannie Mae arranged by Managing Directors Heidi Brunet and Christopher Fenton of Berkadia. The loan come to $117,700 per unit. The pair also closed a $140.3 million (or $117,900 per unit), seven-year loan through Freddie Mac for a portfolio of 18 properties, which consists of 1,190... Read More »

Being Large In Seniors Housing

Size isn’t all its cracked up to be, and it does matter whether you own or operate the real estate. We always hear that size matters, but it can also work against you. While no one has claimed to be able to define the optimal size of a seniors housing company, I have yet to hear anyway say that they would be comfortable running a company with more than 500 properties. Most would say that 250 would be tops, with many of them even much smaller. I am talking about owning and operating, with the emphasis on operating. For REITs, I don’t know if there is a real number where their efficiencies get maxed out. They are not hiring the staff and serving the food. And they are not trying to... Read More »

Senior Care Market In Confused State

Stocks are gyrating wildly, sometimes for good reason and other times not so much. Okay, I have to admit that I am confused now. When Brookdale came out with poor second quarter results, its stock tanked, as it should have. But then Capital Senior Living came out with a very upbeat quarter, and its stock jumped 10%, as it should have, but then dropped by 15% over the next several days, for little reason, other than perhaps in sympathy with Brookdale shareholders. Genesis Health announced a good quarter, and its stock jumped by 10%, as it should have, and kept on rising to a 26% gain in a week when the market as a whole tanked. Hell, it didn’t even budge when China devalued its currency. ... Read More »

A tale of two earnings

What a difference a day can make. After Brookdale Senior Living’s meltdown in the market, when it ended Tuesday with a 7.1% drop in value on trading volume that was eight times the normal level, Capital Senior Living reported much more optimistic numbers. Occupancy was up 70 basis points from both the first quarter this year and the second quarter last year. June occupancy alone was up 40 basis points sequentially and was continuing to increase in July and August with some of their best move-in and deposit weeks ever. Its 2013 acquisitions are at 93% occupancy, and both the 2014 and 2015 acquisitions are at 95% occupancy. Apparently, they saw this coming with their activity in late March.... Read More »