How a Confidential
Assisted Living Sale Works

The foundation of every successful senior housing sale is a thorough understanding of what is being sold — both the real estate and the operating business. Haven begins with a comprehensive analysis of your community's financial performance, physical condition, operational metrics, and market position.

We will request a specific set of documents and data to support this analysis. Everything you share is protected by a formal Advisory Engagement Letter, which establishes the terms of our relationship, confirms our role, and provides full non-disclosure protection before a single document is exchanged.

Upon completing our analysis, we present our assessment of current market value, a candid view of what drives that value, and — where applicable — specific recommendations to increase the asset's value before bringing it to market. Some sellers act on these recommendations immediately; others use this analysis as a planning tool years before they are ready to sell.

When you are ready to proceed, Haven and the seller develop a marketing strategy together — one that is tailored to your specific goals around timing, price, buyer type, and privacy. A state-regulated listing agreement is signed by both parties at this stage, establishing full transparency and accountability throughout the process.

Marketing plans vary significantly depending on what the seller needs. Some sellers require maximum confidentiality — discreet outreach to a curated list of qualified buyers, with no public marketing and no disclosure to staff or residents. Others want broad market exposure to maximize competitive tension and achieve the highest possible price. Most fall somewhere between the two.

Whatever approach we choose, every marketing plan accesses Haven's full ecosystem of resources:

• Registered buyer database: Haven maintains a database of pre-qualified buyers who have registered specifically to acquire senior housing — actively searching at any given time
• National digital reach: Haven's platform reaches senior housing investors, operators, family offices, and institutional buyers across all 50 states
• Targeted outreach: Direct outreach to specific buyer profiles — operators in adjacent markets, investors with stated size and geography criteria, platforms seeking expansion
• Confidential memoranda: Professional Confidential Information Memoranda (CIM) that present your asset compellingly while protecting sensitive information from unqualified buyers
• Off-market positioning: For sellers requiring full discretion, placement as an off-market opportunity accessed only by qualified buyers under NDA

Buyer offers are typically submitted as a Letter of Intent (LOI) — a non-binding document outlining the proposed purchase price, structure, timing, and key terms. Haven works with you to evaluate each LOI, weighing not just the headline price but the full picture: buyer qualification, financing contingencies, due diligence timeline, proposed terms, and the buyer's operational track record.

Not every high-price offer is the best offer. Haven's advisory team helps sellers understand the implications of each term — and negotiate toward the outcome that best reflects their actual objectives, whether that is maximum price, certainty of close, speed of execution, staff continuity, or resident care continuity.

Once an LOI is accepted, the seller engages a real estate attorney to draft and negotiate the formal transaction documents. These typically include:

Haven works alongside your legal counsel throughout contract negotiation — not as a substitute for it, but as an experienced industry resource ensuring that the deal terms reflect the operational realities of senior housing transactions.

Once contracts are signed, the buyer enters a formal due diligence period — typically 30 to 90 days depending on the transaction complexity. During this period, the buyer and their team conduct a comprehensive review of the community: physical inspection, financial audit, regulatory history, licensing review, staffing analysis, and market assessment.

Haven coordinates the due diligence process on the seller's behalf — managing document requests, facilitating site visits in a manner that maintains staff and resident confidentiality, and ensuring the buyer's investigation proceeds efficiently and without disruption to daily operations.

Haven also works to pre-empt due diligence friction during the analysis stage, identifying potential issues before they become contract-stage surprises. A seller who understands their own financial and operational picture thoroughly is a stronger negotiator — and closes more reliably.

The final stage of a senior housing transaction involves the regulatory, financing, and closing mechanics that distinguish senior housing from conventional commercial real estate transactions. Haven's advisory team guides both seller and buyer through this stage — coordinating with attorneys, lenders, licensing authorities, and the parties' respective teams.

Change of Ownership (CHOW): For licensed senior housing communities — including assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and any state-licensed care facility — the buyer must obtain a new license or license transfer from the relevant state licensing authority before assuming operational control. This process varies by state but in California, for example, the CDSS CHOW process typically requires 3 to 12 months from application to approval.

Financing coordination: Most buyers require third-party financing — SBA, HUD, conventional, or bridge. Haven coordinates with the buyer's financing team to ensure the lender's timeline aligns with the transaction structure and that due diligence requirements of the lender are met without disrupting operations.

Close and transition: Haven remains actively engaged through closing and into the post-close transition period — ensuring a clean handoff of operations, staff, and resident relationships that protects the community's census, reputation, and care quality.