5 Things to Think About Before Investing In Assisted Living Facilities
The assisted living business is booming as the baby boomer generation finds they need a little more help. Everyone gets old and often needs help as they age. This is what makes assisted living such a solid investment.
The boomer population is so large that as they age assisted living facilities are becoming more necessary than ever before. The fact that assisted living is a necessity for many people makes it a good investment to look into. The growing population of people who need assisted living is growing which means the value of investing in assisted living facilities is growing.
Assisted living seems like a sure bet to make money. This is true because of the obvious need for the facilities and the fact that people who need assisted living are always around. Still, it is important to know all the facts before you decide to invest.
The Property
Investing in an assisted living facility is basically making a real estate investment. You need the property and facilities before you can move any of the elderly into your facilities. This means you need to start by finding a piece of land that will work for your purposes.
Properties are not cheap. It is important to be realistic and understand that you must spend money on real estate to make money. This will be true of any investment you make that requires land. The great news is there are many assisted living facilities already built that you can purchase.
If you intend to invest in an assisted living facility you need to have property. Whether you intend to allow someone else to manage the facility or intend to do it yourself, you need a place to house your residents. The first thing you need to think about before you invest is what type of property you want and how much that is going to cost in this market.
The Staff
Investing in an assisted living facility might start off as a normal real estate investment, but it certainly gets more complicated as you go. Unlike many real estate investments, an assisted living facility is going to require staff at all times of day and night. Running a facility to help people means there always needs to be people around who can help your residents.
The second thing you need to think about before investing in an assisted living facility is how you want to run your facility. You must have a staff but you do not necessarily need to be in charge of them. If you would rather be more of a landlord then you can rent out your property to an already established team.
Another option is hiring a team to run your facility for you. This might cost more money but it also allows for more control over your investment. The final option is running your facility yourself and managing your own staff.
State Laws
Every state has different rules on how assisted living facilities must be run. It is important that you know the laws of the state you intend to operate in backwards and forwards. This will allow you to know what paperwork you need and what your facility must have to run.
This is less of a concern if you intend to lease the property or hire a team to manage your facility. They will know what to do in your state to make sure your facility is run correctly. Still, knowing the laws will assure you things are above board and your facilities are functioning properly.
If you intend to operate the facility yourself then the laws and regulations of your state should be the first thing you look into. If you buy a property that does not comply with the law then you will have wasted your money. Being prepared to invest means knowing exactly what the law requires of your investment.
Be a Partner
If you are looking for a more hands-off way of investing in senior living then becoming a partner with someone else intending to invest is a great idea. This method of investing allows you to help pay for someone else to start an assisted living facility without you having to do much work at all. The drawbacks of this method are the lack of control it provides.
If you are not running the facility or do not own the whole facility then you are depending on someone else to do the right thing for your money. You will obviously have a say in all financial decisions but some people are not capable of giving up complete control over their money. This method means being very thorough and careful with who your trust.
This investment method still offers great return on investment without the work of running or owning your own facility. If you can find someone you trust to take your money and increase it then you will be set. The trick is finding the person you trust enough to invest in or with so that you can both make money.
Different Facilities
One of the great things about investing in assisted living is all the different types of facilities available. Assisted living can consist of one building with a few rooms or a huge property with many buildings. Even the types of assistance you are offering can be different and change the type of people you will be helping.
This means the size of your investment can change drastically. If you intend to invest in a small facility then you are looking at significantly less money than a person trying to invest in an established, large facility. Doing your research and deciding what exactly you want your facility to be before you invest could save you a lot of money in the long run.
There are facilities that offer special care that might require expensive equipment. Decide what type of people you want to be assisting and find out what you will need in your facility to be able to properly house people. This will help you know how much money you need to get your investment started.
To Conclude
Assisted living is a great investment. If you choose the right type of assisted living for you then you will be in a position to make quite a lot of money. Make sure to do your research and decide how hands-on you want to be before you start spending money.
Never start spending money on an investment before you have all of the information. Those are five things you need to know before you invest in an assisted living facility.