Where Medical Office Acquisition Opportunities Are

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Healthcare real estate in the US is in a state of absorption and expansion, as networks and organizations battle it out to claim the best practices and locations.

There is flux within the sphere, reported NAI Global last week, with medical REITs among the most active buyers in 2021, looking for product and paying big numbers.

One acquisition opportunity are point-of-access clinics, located within diverse communities. Another increasingly popular acquisition target are independent specialty practices—regardless of size—which are being absorbed by large systems. Meanwhile, other clinics are looking to break away, creating real estate disposition opportunities.

Buyers And Sellers In State of War

Additionally, off-campus, multi-specialty clinics and ambulatory surgical centers are seeking strategic locations for expansion and geographic reach, representing more opportunities. The current and foreseeable climate is one of “war,” according to one commentator to NAI Global, as firms compete for market share and dominance.

Medical office buildings have been incredibly stable throughout the pandemic with occupancy rates remaining unchanged and asking rates increasing. Their stability compared to other classes continues to draw interest from investors who see it as a “safe” investment despite construction costs increasing in 2021.

Finding Historically Low Cap Rates

Fully leased MOBs with credit tenants are expected to continue to trade at historically low cap rates in 2022. Large institutional owners have maintained their rentals, concession packages, and the like, while local landlords with mixed tenant profiles are more willing to offer competitive lease packages and incentives to attract and secure medical tenants.

The sector does face specific challenges though, NAI Global also says. Staffing shortages, including burnout of healthcare workers, will continue in 2022, resulting in pressure to both provide care and remain profitable. Additionally, costs for care will outpace inflation, as the overwhelming demand requires additional expenses.

 

Source: GlobeSt.

Nothing But Good News Abounds In The Healthcare Real Estate Sector

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At a time when U.S. and international headlines have been full of bad news, there seems to be nothing but good news to report about the healthcare real estate (HRE) space.

To start with, medical office building (MOB) sales in 2021 – despite the lingering of the COVID-19 pandemic – broke the all-time record for volume at $17.4 billion, topping the previous record of $15.4 billion set in 2015.

In addition, occupancy rates increased significantly last year, absorption of MOB space is as strong as ever, MOB construction starts are on the rise, and third-party owned MOB projects made up a larger share of projects than any of the previous seven years.

This data and more was presented during a session at last week’s Revista Medical Real Estate Investment Forum 2022, which was held at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort from March 2-4. The annual event is put on by Arnold, Md.-based Revista, which gathers a wide range of HRE data for its subscribers.

Kicking off the agenda on the second day of the conference, March 3, Revista Principals Mike Hargrave and Hilda Martin provided the audience with a wide variety of data from 2021 during a session titled “Medical Real Estate Trends & Top Markets.”

 

Source: HREI

New Medical Office Building Pitched For West Orange County In Apopka

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A new medical office building has been proposed for west Orange County.

Longwood-based Dafflyn Property 2 LLC plans to construct a new 11,500-square-foot medical office building at 2106 Plymouth Sorrento Road in Apopka on 1.31 acres, according to city documents. A project that size could cost $1.13 million to build, according to industry standards.

The property, which totals 8.95 acres, already has an Apopka Storage location that was built in 2021 on the site. The medical office building is slated to be built adjacent a 0.68-acre lot that would be preserved for future development. The project will go before Apopka’s development review committee on March 2.

Dafflyn Property 2 LLC bought the vacant site in March 2018 for $1.4 million from a trust, according to the Orange County Property Appraiser. The 2021 appraised value for the property is $1.21 million.

Representatives with the developer were not available for comment. The Dafflyn entity is managed by Central Florida dentists Dr. Robert Bliss, Dr. Bobby Garfinkel and Dr. Dennis Horanic.

Meanwhile, the medical office building market has remained steady during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is more than 16 million square feet of properties that include some sort of medical office under construction, according to CommercialEdge, which is part of Santa Barbara, California real estate data company Yardi Systems Inc.

The changing demographics of the U.S. also will create more medical office demand. About 12.8% of Apopka’s population is comprised of people age 65 and older, compared to 12.3% for Orange County.

By 2030, the U.S. is projected to have more people age 65 and older than those age 18 and younger, according to the Census Bureau.

“As the aging population seeks health services closer to home, we expect to see increased demand for medical office buildings in non-campus settings,” said a CommercialEdge report.

That demand could draw conversions for some suburban office buildings outside of health campus settings, but they would have to fit specific development standards when compared to regular office space, like improved HVAC and different ceiling heights.

 

Source: OBJ