ORLANDO—CNL Healthcare Trust just wrapped up its first senior housing and healthcare spending spree. CNL snapped up five senior housing communities from affiliates of Primrose Retirement Communities for about $84 million.

The senior housing assets include Casper Senior Living in Casper, Wyo., Grand Island Senior Living in Grand Island, Neb., Sweetwater Senior Living in Billings, Mont., Marion Senior Living in Marion, Ohio and Mansfield Senior Living in Mansfield, Ohio. As of Feb. 12, 2012, the communities were 95% occupied.

“There are several things about these communities that made them attractive first investments for CNL Healthcare Trust,” Stephen Mauldin, president and COO of CNL Healthcare Trust, tells GlobeSt.com. “Primrose is a strong regional operator with a proven track record of strong performance. That is in line with our objective of partnering with strong regional operators.”

Mauldin also noted the age of the assets. The acquisition represents a total of 394 senior housing units, all of which were built between 2004 and 2007.

“The properties are newer, fully stabilized assets in markets where real estate has not seen the kind of oversupply that other markets and submarkets may have experienced,” he explains. “The properties also offer amenities and a ‘campus’ feel that are very attractive to today’s consumer.”

Mauldin says CNL will continue to position each of these properties as the provider of choice in its respective markets. That, he says, will include investing in ongoing capital needs and supporting Primrose, as the operator, in helping to keep the assets marketable and continually attractive housing options over time.