In this guide
- The questions that matter most
- Valuation: how will you price it?
- Experience: how many care-home deals?
- Confidentiality: how will you protect the sale?
- Licensing: do you know the CHOW process?
- Buyers: how will you find qualified ones?
- The red-flag answers to watch for
Key takeaways
- Ask how they value the facility — the right answer is net operating income ÷ cap rate, not price per square foot.
- Ask how many care-home transactions they've actually closed, not just homes.
- Confirm they market confidentially and understand the state license transfer (CHOW).
- The wrong answers (MLS listing, price-per-square-foot, "just like a house") are red flags.
What questions should you ask first?
Lead with the five that separate a specialist from a generalist: how you'll value my facility, how many care homes you've sold, how you keep it confidential, how you handle the license transfer, and how you'll find qualified buyers. Everything else follows from those. For the bigger picture on choosing well, see how to choose an assisted living real estate agent.
How will you value my facility?
The right answer is income-based: net operating income divided by a market cap rate. If an agent reaches for price per square foot or recent home sales down the street, they're valuing it like a house, not a business. A strong agent will walk you through your NOI and the comparable deals behind the cap rate — the method in how assisted living facilities are valued.
How many care-home transactions have you closed?
You want real, comparable deals — not a first-timer learning on your facility. Ask specifically about assisted living or residential care homes similar to yours in size and type, and what the outcomes were. Volume of house sales doesn't transfer to a licensed care business.
How will you keep the sale confidential?
A good agent markets discreetly, under NDA, so residents, families, and staff aren't unsettled. A public MLS listing can disrupt operations and scare off census. Ask how they screen buyers before revealing your identity.
Do you know the state license-transfer process?
Confirm they understand the change-of-ownership (CHOW) approval in your state. The license transfer is where inexperienced deals stall; a specialist plans for its timeline and prepares the compliance records buyers will request during due diligence.
How will you find qualified buyers?
Ask where the buyers come from. A specialist has a network of operators and investors who can finance and run a care home, and will bring the opportunity to them directly rather than waiting on a public listing — the same advantage covered in assisted living business brokers.
What are the red-flag answers?
Watch for: pricing on price-per-square-foot or nearby home sales, "it's basically like selling a house," no experience with care homes, a plan to list publicly on the MLS, and unfamiliarity with the license transfer. Any of these means you're likely their training deal.
When you'd rather skip the vetting, get matched with a Buy Sell Assisted Living expert — we connect you with a specialist for your market and stay in the loop through closing.
Informational only — not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.