Is “Price Per Unit” a Good Valuation Metric for Senior Living

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According to the Senior Care Acquisition Report 2016, the average price per unit for Assisted Living Facilities in 2015 was $189,200 and for Independent Living Facilities it was $192,900.   However, is this really a good metric for valuing a senior living community?

In 2015 the average price per unit for Class A Independent Living Facilities was $248,500 and Class B wa $138,300.   We currently have a Class C, 110-unit Independent Living Community under contract in the Pacific Northwest that will sell for less than $40,000/unit.  As a company, last year we sold Skilled Nursing Facilities from $10,000-$130,000+/bed and Assisted Living Communities from $20,000-$300,000+.  There are some older facilities in rural areas that have negative EBITDA which may not have any interested buyers and thus have little, if any value.  Additionally, there are facilities in downtown areas of San Francisco, Seattle and New York for example that would sell for $500,000+/unit if they were actively marketed by Senior Living Investment Brokerage, INC today.

Because of the wide range in prices, we strongly recommend that owners focus more on cap rates and internal rates of return when valuing their properties.   Ultimately, buyers are interested in a return on their investment and they will use these metrics to determine the price they will pay.   The price per unit then becomes the result of and not the cause of the price.

To discuss the value of your Senior Living or Skilled Nursing Facility please contact Jason Punzel at 630-858-2501 x 233 or [email protected]  or Joy Goebbert at 630-858-2501 x 230 or [email protected].

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Matthew Alley Speaks at InterFace Seniors Housing Texas Conference

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On November 19th, I participated in a panel entitled “Investment Market Update: Who’s Buying, Who’s Selling & Will Velocity Keep Going Up and Cap Rates Keep Going Down”. We had a lively discussion on the current market, and I wanted to share a few takeaways.

1. Who are the active buyers and sellers in today’s market? There is more variety in buyers now than in the past decade. REITs, private equity, owner-operators and even some “mom and pops” have been interested in purchasing properties and growing their portfolio.  The sellers have been more diverse than normal as well.  “Mom and pops” are still very active sellers, but we have seen more regional and national owners look to take advantage of the strong market and either sell their entire portfolio or divest of a couple of properties that don’t match their strategic vision.

2. Are there different buyers for different seniors housing asset classes? Yes, absolutely.  Institutional groups typically chase larger, higher quality assets with consistent cash flow.  Their low cost of funds has driven owner-operators down the acquisition spectrum to the smaller assets that may be underperforming.

3. What are the most important metrics that buyers are using in today’s market? Cap rates are the most important metric when valuing a cash flowing property.  The difficulty comes in valuing a property that is underperforming.  In those cases, a potential new operator will put together a pro forma and land on a rate of return that they’re comfortable with.  Those deals typically see a wide range in offer prices.

4. What is the optimal size for acquisitions? Typically, the larger the offering, the better.  Institutional groups have a lot of equity to deploy and if they can deploy it in 10 $30 million transactions as opposed to 25 $10 million transactions, groups will typically prefer fewer transactions.  One-off or small portfolio transactions have a different pool of buyers, which tends to be less institutional and requires a broker to have a greater knowledge of the individual market and its individual buyers.

5. With pricing so strong in today’s market, why are some owners making a decision to hold? The current market conditions have hastened the timeframe for owners that had a planned exit strategy in the next 12-24 months.  That being said, some owners are trying to increase their portfolio’s profitability and increase value in that way.  Even if cap rates see a modest increase, a major increase in profitability will still see the owner come out ahead by waiting to sell.

6. Should we be concerned about overdevelopment in the seniors housing space? I think it is the biggest risk to the acquisition market moving forward.  This is obviously a market-to-market (and sometimes, submarket-to-submarket) risk.  If the area that an owner has a seniors housing facility becomes overdeveloped in the future, census levels will obviously suffer and valuations will go down.

7. What does the increase in development do to cap rates moving forward?  It adds a level of risk moving forward.  Anything that adds risk – whether it be development, reimbursement or labor risk among others – will naturally push cap rates up.

8. Where do you see the market headed over the next 12-24 months? In the near-term, it should be strong – cap rates are still higher than most other asset classes, interest rates are low and institutional equity needs to be placed.  Further into the future, overdevelopment, government reimbursement changes, interest rate increases, increased regulation, increased tax rates and the housing market could cause a bit of a pullback in pricing.  That being said, I still think the seniors housing space is better equipped to handle this uncertainty than other asset classes.

If you have any questions on the topic of this post or would like a confidential valuation of part or all of your seniors housing portfolio, please contact Matthew Alley at 630-858-2501 ext. 225 or [email protected].

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When is the best time to list a seniors housing or nursing home community?

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I’m often asked when is the best time of year to list a seniors housing or nursing home asset?  We are all used to residential real estate agents telling us to list in the Spring while the weather is starting to change (at least for us Northerners).

Does it matter for seniors housing communities?

Yes and no.  While there is not the seasonality in the seniors housing market as there is in the residential market, there are good and less optimal times for getting buyers’ (even institutional buyers’) attention.

I would argue that we are entering into one of those sweet spots as we get into the middle of September.  Typically, Senior Living Investment Brokerage, Inc. has its highest volume of listings in September and early October.

Why is that?

During the Labor Day / beginning of October time frame, Buyers have made it through the Summer and are looking to deploy capital before the end of the year.  They are hoping to make one last push to meet their aggressive beginning of the year expansion goals.

With a typical 3-4 month closing period, now is as good of a time as any to consider listing your property with Senior Living Investment Brokerage, Inc.  We can help you procure the right Buyer, who can close the transaction prior to year-end.  Many Buyers are looking to “get money out the door” by December 31st and this may give you an advantage in coercing those groups into making a more aggressive bid than they would in the middle of the year.

If you have any questions on the topic of this post or would like a confidential valuation of part or all of your seniors housing portfolio, please contact Matthew Alley at 630-858-2501 ext. 225 or [email protected].

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How to Sell Assisted Living Facilities Faster (part 2 of 2)

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Deciding when to sell your assisted living facility (Independent Living Community or skilled nursing facility) can be a daunting task and there are many factors to consider.   However, once an owner decides to sell, typically they want to close as quick as possible.   As a company, Senior Living Investment Brokerage, Inc has sold more senior living and skilled nursing facilities than any other brokerage company over the past seven years.  Over the years, we have found a number of things an owner can do to help sell their senior housing community faster, below is the second half of our top six things to do to sell your facility faster:

4. Have your attorney get a preliminary title report when you list the property – After an offer has been accepted and the buyer is going through their due diligence period, title issues can often cause delays in closing. If a property has been owned for a long time, and no recent debt has been placed on the property, the title probably has not been reviewed by an attorney for years.  Old liens, mortgages, improper zoning are just a few issues that could come up.   By having an attorney review a title policy early on in the process, many of these issues can be resolved prior to the buyer’s attorney examining the title policy.

5. Have an ALTA survey completed ahead of time – An Alta survey, in conjunction with an attorney review of the title policy can help reduce possible delays in closing. A survey can reveal encroachments, easements and other issues on the site that a buyer may or may not have an issue with.   Having a survey that is already completed that a seller can show to a potential buyer will save time and make the closing process go smoother.

6. Fix any major capital items – All buyer’s will perform some type of building inspection and expect that the roof, foundation, mechanicals, etc are in good working order. As a seller, if you know there is something that needs to be fixed, it makes sense to do it ahead of time and not wait and hope a buyer won’t find it.

Many of the above suggestions will cost the seller both time and money ahead of time.  The seller must weigh the risk of spending their time and money with helping the closing go quicker.  Ultimately, if the seller is committed to selling, these expenses will be a good investment to ensure the smoothest closing possible.

For more information on selling your seniors housing property, please contact Jason Punzel at 630-858-2501 x 233 or [email protected].

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