Seniors Housing: Long-Term Growth, Near-Term Headwinds

The Hampton at Meadows Place in Texas was part of a $195-million seniors portfolio CNL acquired last year.

ORLANDO—For CNL Healthcare Properties, 2015 was the busiest year so far in terms of acquisitions and development. The REIT said Thursday afternoon it had invested a total of $1.02 billion last year to acquire or begin building properties, with its single largest deal a $195-million buy of five seniors housing communities from AEW Capital this past July. “2015 was a very active and extraordinarily productive investment year for the company,” says Stephen H. Mauldin, president and CEO of CNL Healthcare.

The Orlando-based REIT’s experience was in keeping with the seniors housing sector’s overall track record last year. A report from CBRE Group says the sector saw a record-setting 514 institutional transactions totaling $18.7 billion, although momentum slowed in the fourth quarter.