Mainstreet Property Group, one of the country’s largest developers of seniors housing properties, has announced their HealthLease REIT fund having acquired some 13 senior housing and care properties located in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia for $141.7 million.

According to the news, the buy is comprised of four nursing facilities consisting of 355 units, eight combination assisted living communities, and one standalone Alzheimer facility. Zeke Turner (above left), Chairman and CEO of Mainstreet and HealthLease, had this to offer on the company’s news:

“The acquisition of these newly-built or newly-renovated properties greatly enhances our scale and diversification with respect to health care product mix and geography, in addition to lowering the average age of our portfolio properties to approximately 6 years. It continues our expressed strategy of building a portfolio of high-quality care facilities, leased under triple-net structures, to leading national operators.”

On completion of the acquisition, HealthLease Properties REIT’s portfolio will have increase to a total of 28 facilities comprised of 2,909 units geographically diversified across five states and in two Canada provinces. The video below tells more ab out Mainstreet, but for even more information on the news please read the original press release, or contact: 

Kate Snedeker, 317-420-0205, KSnedeker@mainstreetcap.net

CEO of Malmaison, Gary Davis, offered this comment on the move via KSL’s release:

“We are delighted to welcome KSL as the new owners of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin brands and are excited to be working with them. They have recognised the significant potential in our business. We look forward to leveraging their considerable expertise, which combined with the talent in our own senior leadership team, will further develop our leading hotel brands.”

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin current portfolio consists of some 27 hotels making it one of the UK’s leading boutique brands. Richard Weissmann, a partner at KSL, had this comment to add about his firm’s further move into hospitality:

“At KSL, we look for unique travel and leisure businesses with strong management teams to help support and grow. Malmaison and Hotel du Vin occupy a strong position in the UK market. With an exceedingly loyal following, we believe each brand has tremendous potential for further growth and expansion.  We are pleased to be working with the company’s talented management team.”

For those unfamiliar, KDL Capital has a fairly vast portfolio of resorts and hotels some of which are listed here. Readers interested in more information may contact KSL via:

Heidi Baldwin, Murphy O Brien

310-586-7129

hbaldwin@murphyobrien.com

Tenant agreement – courtesy © Kenishirotie – Fotolia.com

The trio involved are scheduled to be sentenced on 17 May, according to the BBC report. Smith’s former partner, one Simon Jeremy Hindle, also plead guilty to the same charges. Whatever jail time the crooked agents face, they will be forced to repay any profit the garnered from their ill doings.

In another case before the courts in England two partners were accused the intent to commit a fairly large scale ( £2.5m) mortgage misrepresentation. Jason Omar is on trial with broker Paul Bradwell for misrepresenting certain facts in mortgage applications. According to the reports previous criminal convictions and some income incongruousness are at the heart of this case. However, despite Omar’s denial of any wrongdoing, another person in the case has already admitted to misleading information.

Finally, in still another case a landlord Fazool Gajraj, 42, is jailed over collecting deposits from potential renters for houses he did not own. In this one several veritable nightmare stories were revealed when Gajraj’s victims tried to move into their flats. One tenant actually did move in only to have the actual agent throw here out the next day.

Toronto Stock Exchange – courtesy nodomain.cc

Here is a brief synopsis of the top five rated stocks ranked fifth through first.

Five – Toronto Dominion Bank (TSE:TD.CA) — 3.8% YIELD

The Toronto Dominion Bank is a retail and commercial banking concern that also provides wealth management and other banking functions. With Canadian banking and global insurance businesses included the business has some C$1.49 billion in assets in total.

Toronto Dominion Bank Building Vancouver – Courtesy rommy ghaly

Four – Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB.CA) — 4.4% YIELD

Laurentian Bank is focused on small and medium sized enterprise, as well as various brokerages. Assets for the company were last estimated at just over C$42 million. Already this year Laurentian has reported (PDF) positive earnings from Q1 with Net income of $34.1 million.

As of this writing – courtesy http://globeinvestor.sympatico.ca

Three – Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM.CA) — 4.6% YIELD

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM), usually called CIBC, is one of Canada’s Big Five Banks. CIBC had significant exposure to U.S. capital and real estate markets and was hit hard by the property bubble bust having had write-offs of C$6.8 billion in 2008.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce – courtesy Wikipedia

Two – BCE Inc. (TSE:BCE.CA) — 5.0% YIELD

BCE is Canada’s largest communications service provider and serves as the holding company for Bell Canada. The company provides local and long-distance phone service for about seventy percent of Canada’s people. Wireless and other communications businesses are also key elements of the firm’s value.

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One – National Bank of Canada (TSE:NA.CA) — 4.3% YIELD

This is Canada’s eighth largest financial institution used primarily by French speaking citizens in Canada. The bank operates across basically three business segments; Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, and Financial Markets.

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By way of a little help in deciding, the infographic below lines up pros and cons you should consider. We hope the graphic is helpful in making your American Dream come true.

New or Used? Exploring Your Options When Buying a Home infographic

The start of the new park – courtesy The University of Sheffield

The largest urban park inside London in over 100 years is being developed right next to the Westfield Stratford shopping centre. Inspired by Londoners and Olympic attendees warming to the meadow theme at London 2012, landscape project sponsor Phil Askew and the man responsible for The New York High Line, James Corner, are among a team intent on not only transforming this space, but many others around the UK.

The move builds on the wonderful work of Nigel Dunnett and Sarah Price who created the meadow theme for the games. But more significantly than the names, the ecological impact of a meadow in this urban landscape is what is inspiring. A meadow like that being described puts back a bit of what is lost in cities like London. Slated to be the world’s largest sown perennial meadow, what starts as 50 acres will later become 100 hectares of flowers, grass, and some 4,000 trees and 127,000 shrubs – a 24 hour-a-day paradise that will attract the birds and the coveted bees back to London. And therein lies the best part of the story. Bees are dying out everywhere, and the planners of this meadow have specifically taken their plight into consideration.

The Olympic park now – courtesy The University of Sheffield

While the soil in this part of London is just not suited to growing much, it is perfect for wildflowers. These bits of nature’s paintbrush attract bees like no other plants. And then there are those dainty cousins of bees, the butterflies. Insecticides and massive development have nearly wiped those colorful friends off the Earth too. Now East of London will be a Springtime and Summer home for not only fascinating insect inhabitants, but children, cyclists, retired people wanting some sunshine, lovers, young athletes, and the weary of the city out for some solace.

As a matter of fact large segments of this wonderful park already exist out of the development and landscaping for the Games of 2012. The land surrounding those Olympic venues was transformed from degraded land into a biodiverse park that would “wow” the world as it arrived at London to see the Olympics. If you go here you’ll find a developmental and lecture series by the University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape that tells a lot more of this fascinating development.

Those Brits, like other species they do a lot that’s wrong in the world, but then they sure do shine at other things. What a nice story.

The people behind the development of Trump Towers Rio de Janeiro, MRP International, have just appointed Cushman & Wakefield as leasing agents for the property. The 38 story skyscraper, the largest ever office development within a BRIC country, will be opened in 2016.

38-floor Trump Towers Rio – courtesy MRP

Cushman & Wakefield are slated to be the sole leasing advisers to the property according to the news. The five stellar towers of the Trump development will offer almost 600,000 square feet of office space. The estimated cost of the project is said to be in the neighborhood of $2.6 billion.

Construction of the towers is scheduled to be completed in phases, the first two of five towers to be completed in advance of the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Interestingly, Cushman & Wakefield just won Cushman & Wakefield today won five of seven awards at the Boston Commercial Brokers Association (CBA) the other day.

Trump Rio conceptual – courtesy MRP International

Enjoy the infographic and let us know if you find a cheaper place to live via the adventure. Comparing real estate markets was never so much fun.

Surfers Rowers – Courtesy Facebook

According to the news, this hot spot of nightlife as recently as New Year’s Eve (see image below) ceased operations upon instructions from the receivers of Brisbane-based property owners Alfanian Pty Ltd. Purchased back in 2006 for some $2.88 million, the hotel, bar, and restaurant are all local fixtures along the legendary Gold Coast, but despite a fight by the current owner to keep the establishment open, the owner and his 35 employees may have seen their last trendy all night party.

Mario Sherri told Goldcoast.com that despite seven figure loses over the course of a little over a year, he wanted to keep giving the club and hotel a go. According to that story the property actually does not belong to Sherri, just the business there. Westpac, the receiving entity, refused his suggestions to keep the business open while the property went on the sales block. From an observer’s perspective here, not too many packed nightclubs with Facebook followings above 5,000 just up and fail. It’s hard to imagine this place actually losing money.

A packed Surfers Rowers

The 150 Bundall Road property sits on 3,145 square metres of riverfront just two kilometres from the Surfers Paradise CBD. The hotel, a split level public bar, a covered alfresco deck area, and a  formal restaurant, with two commercial kitchens and other function rooms go with several riverfront parcels attached. The property will reportedly be listed with CBRE Hotels.

While this listing is not intended to be all inclusive of properties within Kentucky, the selected ones are representative of key growth areas in the region. Viewers will note the comprehensive way the space is covered from state incentives for development, through the minute details of certain properties, not to mention superb graphics (see below).

You’ll find existing offices to planned developments showcased very nicely. The brochure reveals everything from available industrial buildings to land data for suitable development. With hard copy of the data available too, it’s clear Tri-ED wants business to migrate to that part of the state. Taking a snapshot from NAI Isaac of Lexington from mid-year 2012, the job situation there indicates a relative growth spurt with ensuing vacancy positives in office space and elsewhere. Zoliath reports further on vacancy falls even  more recently here.