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Healthcare Real Estate Execs Foresee A Big Year For Medical Office Buildings

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For the past several years, professionals involved in the medical office building (MOB) sector have been saying that, aside from an economic downturn or total transformation of the healthcare system, there is just one thing that could slow the growth and success of the product type: a black swan event.

Well, from a business and economic perspective, the COVID-19 pandemic is the very definition of a black swan: an extremely rare, unanticipated event that caused widespread and catastrophic economic damage.

However, not only has the MOB product type survived seemingly unscathed, but it has thrived and even become a more desirable investment property type among an ever-growing pool of capital sources.

“As we’ve now seen going through a … few black swan events, I mean, these are resilient asset classes,” said Christopher Merrill, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Harrison Street, a real estate investment firm he co-founded in 2005 and which has more than $32 billion of assets under management, with a strong focus on healthcare.

 

Source: HREI

Wall Street Analysts Laud Medical Office Building Sector During BOMA MOB Conference

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With medical office buildings (MOBs) continuing to show their resiliency amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it would only make sense that the product type continues trading at strong pricing and attracting an even wider range of investor types.

MOB sales volume in the first half of 2020, was $5.5 billion, “which was 10 percent higher than in the same period in 2019,” according to Mindy Berman of JLL. “This is really a ratification of medical office, and our sentiment at this point is (the volume) we will equal or exceed the 2019 level.” (PHOTO CREDIT: HREI)

Perhaps left out of the MOB buyer’s market of late have been the country’s healthcare-focused, real estate investment trusts (REITs). While their stock prices have rebounded in recent months from large drops at the outset of the pandemic, the REITs haven’t been as big of a buyer group as they normally are.

“But you know that puts the REITs undervalued right now, in our in our opinion, relative to their net asset value,” said Todd Stender, a senior equity analyst with Wells Fargo Securities. “That also is going to contribute to them maybe not growing externally as fast, if they don’t have access to the equity market. HTA (Healthcare Trust of America, NYSE: HTA), for example, does have some forward equity that they can tap, and they prudently tapped that market recently and I believe they have until June of next year to tap that equity.”

 

Source: HREI

 

Medical Office Buildings Have Remained Strong Through It All

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As was predicted, albeit with some caution, medical office buildings (MOBs) have held up very well from as an investment and property type since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This statement comes not just from an anecdotal point of view, but from one of statistics and data.

During the Healthcare Virtual Conference 2020 sponsored and webcast Sept. 24 by Seattle-based Colliers International, Mike Hargrave, principal with healthcare real estate (HRE) research and data firm Revista, provided the most recent data concerning the health of the MOB product type. Mr. Hargrave provided the virtual audience with a lot to chew on during the “Revista Lunch and Learn” presentation.

 

Source: HREI