NIC has answers.

When you need information about financing for development or acquisition,

IN A TOUGH MARKET, you need every competitive advantage to entice your lender to loosen the purse strings. Recent studies have shown that money still is available, hut will more likely go to experienced operators who can demonstrate market savvy and well-planned strategies. How can you, as an owner or operator, get the business information you need to gain the confidence of your lender or investor? One way is to turn to the NIC.

Since 1991, the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries has been an objective source of strategic business and financial information. Our mission--to facilitate efficient capital formation--is accomplished through research, networking and an annual conference, which has drawn more than 1,200 financiers and senior living executives. (The 10th annual conference will be held this September 13-15 in Washington, D.C.) Proceeds from the conferences are used to fund research on timely topics such as financing trends and consumer behavior. NIC also publishes directories, monographs, audiocassettes, and more.

This year, NIC launched a revamped and expanded Web sire, [less than]www.NIC.org[greater than], which gives owners and operators instant access to practical business information as well as the latest finance and industry developments. One new feature, Key Financial Indicators, provides operating and valuation benchmarks. This quarterly update gives capitalization rates, construction starts (for the most recent quarter), occupancy figures (by property type), move-in rates, loan volume, and loan performance. Other new features are a Lender Locator, which helps providers find lenders and investors who can meet their financing needs; and a StockWatch, which tracks the industry's publicly traded stocks and news about those companies.

In addition to the online information, providers who want to he "in the know" can turn to NIC's research and resource publications. They will help you to better understand the industry and your product type, current and prospective residents, and lender requirements.

Knowing how seniors housing and care stacks up against other real estate sectors can help you make the case for supporting your project, especially with financiers who may be less familiar with this industry. NIC's "Size, Scope and Performance of the Seniors Housing & Care Industry: A Comparative Study with the Multifamily and Lodging Sectors" compares three real estate sectors that have many similarities. Conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP for NIC, the study compares seniors housing and care with multifamily and lodging in terms of number of properties and units, value of new construction, revenues, margins, profits, and investment returns. Results will show your lender that seniors housing and care compares favorably--both as an industry and investment--to these other, better-known real estate sectors.

For specific information about the size of the seniors housing and care industry and your property type within it, the "NIC National Supply Estimate of Seniors Housing & Care Properties" answers key questions such as how big is the industry, what have been the growth rates, and how do the numbers break down between large and small assisted living properties and between combination products and freestanding communities?

UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMER

How about research to help you better understand what you need to do to attract and retain residents, so that you can demonstrate to your lender that you can achieve rapid fill-up and maintain a high occupancy rate?

To learn what seniors think about seniors housing, NIC's "National Housing Survey of Adults Age 60+: Opinions, Attitudes, Perceptions And Behaviors, Volume II," a follow-up to the 1997 report of the same name, reports results from 3,500 telephone interviews and compares households that will inquire about, investigate, and move into seniors housing with those that will not. The differences are summarized in NIC's Seniors Housing Prospect Qualifying Instrument: 18 predictors that can help you identify the most likely candidates for supportive seniors housing.

Assisted living operators can benefit from NIC's "National Survey of Assisted Living Residents: Who is the Customer?," a landmark study that reveals that income alone may nor be the best indicator of market potential; providers should also look at overall wealth and assets.

NEW TOOLS FOR A NEW CENTURY

NIC will soon release results from two national surveys. "National Survey of Adult Children: How They Influence Their Parent's Housing & Care Decisions" will help you market to the adult children of your prospective residents. For a comparison of business strategies in these turbulent times, "Survey of Seniors Housing & Care CEOs: Strategy and Operational Plans for The Industry's Top Companies" should be an excellent benchmarking document.

Before approaching your lenders, peruse our annual Lender and Investor Survey, the industry's most thorough review of financing preferences and trends. It includes company profiles, project types now being financed and plans for future investments, lending terms for permanent debt financing and construction loans, how projects are valued, how lenders view the industry, how lenders underwrite projects, and what to include in a financing package to get a favorable review.

By becoming familiar with the resources described here, you increase your chance for obtaining financing.

Robert G. Kramer is executive director of the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries in Washington, D.C.