• New 1031 Exchange Platform Launches

    A new 1031 exchange platform designed to provide advisors and their clients with access to institutional-quality real estate investments through Delaware Statutory Trusts has launched. A Fortress Investment Group affiliate, Fortress Real Estate Exchange, will initially target investments in seniors housing, student housing and multifamily... Read More »
  • Regional Operator Acquires Large Multi-State Portfolio

    Senior Living Investment Brokerage announced a couple of portfolio deals this week totaling 15 separate properties. The larger deal featured 13 assisted living/memory care communities spread out in Georgia and South Carolina. Built between 1989 and 2014, the buildings have a combined 672 units, with 492 assisted living and 180 devoted to memory... Read More »
  • Oregon and Idaho Communities Sell

    Blake Bozett and Spud Batt of The Zett Group sold a 48-unit independent living community in Pendleton, Oregon, on behalf of a local owner/operator who was exiting the business. Built in the 1970s, the community was well occupied but could improve its overall operations. Still, there was positive momentum in the NOI, which rose from $320,000 in... Read More »
  • Owner/Operator Purchases AL/MC Assets from Public Company

    A publicly traded company sold its portfolio of eight assisted living/memory care communities located throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, engaging Blueprint’s Kyle Hallion, Lauren Nagle and Ben Firestone to handle the deal. Each community included a smaller footprint, with 153 units total across the portfolio. The S&P 500 company owner... Read More »
  • Inland Acquires Class-A Asset

    Inland Real Estate Acquisitions announced its acquisition of a high-end seniors housing community in Monument, Colorado (between Colorado Springs and Denver). We heard about the Class-A transaction about six weeks prior, when Vince Viverito, Jason Punzel, Jake Anderson and Taylor Graham of Senior Living Investment Brokerage announced their... 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 »