From The Magazine

By Jane Adler Private equity firms are snapping up a bigger slice of the seniors housing market as investors seek healthy returns. The rationale for investing is increasingly clear: The long-anticipated baby boomer wave is arriving, bringing a growing need among these older adults for more appropriate housing and expanded care options.  Seniors housing occupancies and rental rates are rising. New development is still constrained. And other commercial real estate asset classes are not performing as well as seniors housing, which is generating decent returns.  Given these dynamics, it’s not …

By Hayden Spiess Christopher Metternich believes that senior living residents know more than the industry gives them credit for.  “Sometimes we think that we’re a little bit smarter than a resident,” muses Metternich. “Instead of thinking that way, we should be looking at the residents to tell us how we should do our business. They’re paying us money, and they are asking for services in a certain way.”  Metternich is founder and part owner of Viva Senior Living, a third-party seniors housing management company that incorporates a resident-centric attitude throughout …

By Matt Valley Rising demand for home care and home healthcare in seniors housing is primarily driven by a rapidly aging population, with over 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 daily. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the share of the population age 65 and older steadily increased from 12.4 percent in 2004 to 18 percent in 2024.  Moving up the age chart, the 80-plus population nationally is expected to climb from 14.7 million people in 2025 to 18.8 million in 2030 and 22.9 million in 2035, according to NIC MAP.  …

By Jane Adler Major urban areas tend to get most of the attention in the senior living industry. After all, these locations have large populations and submarkets with a sizable pipeline of income- and age-qualified older adults who potentially want or need independent living, assisted living or memory care.  But secondary and tertiary markets, occasionally overlooked, are generating solid investment returns and even outperforming big-city properties in many cases.  Smaller cities have less competition, say owners and operators. Existing senior living properties in secondary and tertiary markets refilled faster after …

By Hayden Spiess The old adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach can be aptly applied to seniors housing residents. Tim Bryant, president of StoryPoint Group, knows this firsthand.  Before ascending to his leadership role at one of the largest senior living operators in the country, Bryant served as the chef at Independence Village of Plymouth, a StoryPoint community in Plymouth, Michigan, roughly two decades ago. There, Bryant took a deep interest in the well-being of residents, even fostering a relationship with a particularly acerbic …

By Jane Adler The simple answer to who’s buying and selling is everyone. REITs are rapidly acquiring senior living properties. Global asset managers with long track records in the sector are bulking up. Private equity funds are deploying capital, and new investors are entering the space.  On the sell side, investment managers are repositioning portfolios to achieve regional synergies. Non-core assets are being shed. Single-property owners or those with small portfolios see rising prices as a good time to sell. Owners of truly distressed properties are eager to exit, though …