• Public REIT Lands Portfolio in Competitive Sale

    A portfolio of Class-A seniors housing communities sold in the Southeast to an undisclosed publicly traded REIT. Featuring six assets in Georgia and South Carolina, the portfolio totaled 156 independent living, 200 assisted living and 70 memory care units. The communities were built between 2017 and 2022 by a Southeast-based developer. Occupancy... Read More »
  • Regional Owner/Operator Acquires Ocala AL Community

    The third and final asset in the Hampton Manor portfolio has sold with the help of Brad Clousing and Dan Geraghty of Senior Living Investment Brokerage. Hampton Manor Deerwood in Ocala, Florida, was built in 2005 and expanded in 2016 to now feature 61 units of assisted living. The property is stabilized, so the new owner can hit the ground... Read More »
  • Second Generation Operator Divests SNF Portfolio to PE Firm

    A Northeast-based private equity firm engaged Daniel Morris of Plains Commercial Real Estate in its plan to enter a new state. The firm has an existing skilled nursing footprint, and had specific acquisition criteria, which narrowed the focus down to a few potential targets.  The company ultimately acquired a five-facility, 506-bed skilled... Read More »
  • CIBC Springs Ahead with Deal Flow

    CIBC has been hard at work this Spring, successfully closing several acquisition financings for senior care clients across the country. The largest was a $51.5 million term loan that supported the purchase of four skilled nursing facilities in Illinois totaling 586 beds. Historical performance trended positively over the last two years across the... Read More »
  • National Healthcare Properties Kicks Off IPO Push

    National Healthcare Properties, Inc. launched its public offering of 38.5 million shares of its Class A common stock pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-11 filed with the SEC. The initial public offering price is expected to be between $13.00 and $16.00 per share, and the company expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to... Read More »

Seniors Housing Occupancy Hits A New Low

NIC wrapped up its virtual conference this week, and it’s safe to say that those in attendance got a good education on what it’s like to close a deal during the pandemic, to operate communities safely and successfully, and (hopefully) when business will be back to normal. At the end of the conference, NIC also released its third-quarter occupancy numbers, and they showed the industry has a long road to recovery. Across the 31 primary markets, seniors housing average occupancy fell from 84.7% in the second quarter to 82.1% in the third quarter, a drop of 260 basis points. That followed a 280-basis point decline in the second quarter.   Clearly, COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns... Read More »
The Virtual NIC

The Virtual NIC

This year’s NIC Conference will certainly be different, but let’s make the most of the digital social experience. As you can see, I am not Steve. Ben Swett here, filling in while Steve is out of the office. Next week is the start of the first virtual NIC Conference, and even though we would obviously rather see all of you in person, we hope to still see you virtually. Over the next two weeks, there will be plenty of educational sessions on finance and the impact of the current pandemic on operations, census and, of course, cash flow. And if you are into nursing homes, where else can you find a former CMS administrator and the current CEO of AHCA at the same place? I know we’re... Read More »
Average Assisted Living Occupancy Falls To New Low

Average Assisted Living Occupancy Falls To New Low

The latest occupancy numbers from NIC are in and hit another low that the industry will be spending months and probably years to rebound from. Perhaps most notably, in the three months ending in August, the assisted living market fell below an average of 80% occupancy for the first time ever, to 79.5%. That is a 60-basis point drop from July’s trailing-three month level, which may have shocked us in the past, but after the nearly 170-basis point fall from June, it could be worse.   To be fair, that is just across the 31 Primary Markets that NIC tracks for its quarterly results, but with COVID-19 affecting most localities nationwide and its economic ramifications even more widespread, we... Read More »
When in Need of Renovations

When in Need of Renovations

How often have you heard that the vast majority of skilled nursing facilities need substantial renovations in order to compete? Now, we are hearing it about all those assisted living communities built in the 1990s, and even the early 2000s. All of the new development in the past six or seven years has really caused owners and operators to take a hard look at their real estate and decide what to do. What needs to be done to compete and how much will it cost? One of the nice things about going to a NIC conference is meeting new companies and people. One of the companies we met with, South Coast Improvement Company, specializes in renovating senior living buildings while the residents are... Read More »
The Virtual NIC

Of Ventas, Welltower and NIC

I know as one gets older, confusion can become more common. And today, I am a little confused about the state of the senior living industry. -Sponsored by The Senior Care Acquisition Reports   NIC MAP has reported that maybe we have hit bottom in the third quarter, and that new construction starts are starting to decline, even though new openings remain high. Assisted living occupancy, while posting a small sequential increase, still remains far too low to get excited, but bottoming out would be welcome news. Then, Ventas reported its third quarter earnings, painting a not-so-pretty picture. Their RIDEA operating portfolio has not been performing well, posting a 5.0% decline in... Read More »