What's Behind Medical Office Buildings' Strong Trajectory

Jason Signor

➤➤ Join the GlobeSt.HEALTHCARE (formerly RealShare) conference December 3-4 in Scottsdale, AZ. The event will cover the industry’s major issues as well as the prevailing and upcoming trends in regulations, space use, budgeting, and technology implementation. Through panel discussions and peer-to-peer networking opportunities, the attendees will gather expert insights on how these factors will affect the development, operation, investment and design of healthcare real estate. Also, be sure to get your nomination in for our healthcare influencer and senior housing influencer feature. Click here to register and view the agenda.

DALLAS—One of the US’ fastest growing industries, healthcare spending reached almost $3.5 trillion annually in 2017. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services anticipates national healthcare expenditures to grow to $5.7 trillion by 2026. With this growth, healthcare real estate, specifically medical office buildings, are poised for further success.

Medical Office Buildings

Medical office buildings comprise approximately 10% percent of the US office sector. These buildings are typically about 40,000 square feet and range from small physician offices to large healthcare systems. Investors are attracted to this asset class due to its stability and positive forecasts for a strong performance. On the rise for the last four years, medical office sales totaled $10.4 billion in 2018.

“Medical office buildings are so popular and are in demand as a renovation or as new construction,” says Jason Signor, CEO and partner of  Caddis Healthcare Real Estate. “The market is phenomenal and occupancy levels and rental rates are healthy.”

It is well-known that the the aging US population is directly correlated with the rising demand for healthcare as doctor visits dramatically increase with age. Individuals 65 years and older spend five times more on healthcare than those who are younger. Yet, even with the favorable demographic and economic backdrop, new healthcare construction has not kept up with demand.