• Out-of-State Owner Divests to Investor

    A couple of assisted living and memory care communities in Eastern Tennessee recently traded hands. The two properties comprise more than 100 units. A Chicago-based investor aligned with the seller’s long-term vision for the communities acquired the assets, and partnered with a regional operator that was looking to grow their presence in the... Read More »
  • CFG Hit the Ground Running in Q1

    Capital Funding Group wasted no time in the first quarter, closing $428.9 million in total financing. The transactions spanned skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, memory care, behavioral health, multifamily and commercial lending on behalf of nationally recognized borrowers. Some highlighted transactions include: ● A $17.6... Read More »
  • Separate Borrowers Secure Financing

    Cambridge Realty Capital announced a couple separate closings. First, the company provided a $4.31 million HUD refinance of Elizabeth Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Elizabeth, West Virginia. Cambridge utilized HUD’s Express Lane, which enabled the loan application to receive its firm commitment just 18 days after being accepted. ... Read More »
  • Blueprint Brings on New Team Member

    Blueprint welcomed Peter Trazzera to the team as Senior Director, Capital Markets. Trazzera brings deep expertise in financing solutions and is set to further elevate Blueprint’s capabilities in the sector. He has an extensive background in institutional capital, and is joining following a 12-year tenure as Senior Vice President at KeyBank... Read More »
  • High-Priced Sale Closes in Chicago

    The bar keeps getting raised for pricing in the seniors housing industry, and we believe a new record has been set for a property sale in Chicago, Illinois. It was revealed that the seven-story Belmont Village Lincoln Park was bought by CBRE Investment Management for approximately $151 million, according to property tax records. Based on a lower... 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 »
Continued Uncertainty At HCP

Continued Uncertainty At HCP

Lauralee Martin is out as CEO, but who will be in remains a mystery. The only thing surprising about the “sudden” announcement that Lauralee Martin stepped down as CEO of HCP, Inc. was that the effective date of her departure was also the announcement date. Now, we don’t want to read too many tea leaves into the situation, but remember that she came into the CEO position from the Board nearly three years ago in a tumultuous dumping of the previous CEO. She already had a top job at another real estate company and didn’t really need the aggravation. But she steered the REIT through another tumultuous period with, first the two lease adjustments, and then the in-process spin-off of the $6... Read More »

Another Recession-hit CCRC sells

Nearly a decade on from the housing market collapse in 2007 and despite a relatively strong comeback in the sector, we are still writing about CCRCs just recovering from a drastic drop in entrance fee receipts in the throes of the Great Recession. That being said, three years after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a 223-unit CCRC located in the World Golf Village of St. Augustine, Florida, recently sold in auction to a partnership between LCS and HCP. Operated by LCPS Management, the not-for-profit CCRC opened in 2001 and reached 99% occupancy in 2006 and was 94% occupied in 2008 following a 15-cottage independent living expansion. However, during the Great Recession, more... Read More »
Continued Uncertainty At HCP

Controversy Among The REITs

Opinions and controversy are all part of the game, but sometimes it can go too far. Some people think I speak my mind a little too frequently, but after 30 years in the seniors housing and care sector, it is hard not to have a lot of opinions. I have always thought that with so much news out there, and so much rehashed news, people want to hear what someone really thinks. It may not be popular, but if it based on experience and a lot of thought, well, then maybe it is worth something. Controversial? Sometimes, at least I hope so. But perhaps not as controversial as the current spat among some healthcare REITs about their decisions to spin off their skilled nursing portfolios, or not. For... Read More »
Continued Uncertainty At HCP

Changes at HCP, Brookdale, Genesis

Earnings season brings more than just earnings to the surface for some companies. What can I say? It has been quite a week, and we are only at Wednesday. On Monday subscribers received my initial take on HCP’s announcement about spinning out its HCR ManorCare portfolio into a new REIT. Maybe management thought it was necessary, but I really think we are going to be hearing some negative news in the future, and if so, it will make HCP’s decision look better. Just look at the performance of Genesis Health in the first quarter, which sent its share price plummeting by 20% yesterday. One problem is that with the HCR portfolio representing more than 25% of HCP’s revenues, with it gone,... Read More »