Cogdell Spencer Names a New CEO

Cogdell Spencer's search for the captain's position is over. Ray Braun,  former president of Health Care REIT, gets the nod.

Mr. Braun abdicated his position as president of Health Care REIT in 2009 and signed a consulting agreement with the company that lasted until December 2010.

We're glad that the Penn alum (JD, 1983) was able to land on his feet with this new opportunity at Cogdell.

What is a healthcare REIT?

What is a REIT?
A real estate investment trust is a fund created

exclusively for holding real properties

and mortgage-related assets. Publicly traded

REITs make it possible for small investors

who normally would not be able to purchase

a diverse property portfolio to trade properties

in the stock market. An investor can buy

REIT funds with the intention of buying a

pool of real properties and mortgages. Investors

can then sell their investment on the

open market, the same way they would sell

a share of stock.

REIT Structure
Since their creation by Congress in the

1960s, the structure and specialization of

REITs have changed dramatically in response

to new laws and shifting market conditions.

Today, three general types of REITs

(mortgage, equity, and hybrid) exist as either

private or publicly traded entities. Many

of these REITS specialize in various property

types. REITs that have a diverse profile

of properties are traded alongside REITs

that specialize in one specific property type,

such as hotels, self-storage, multifamily residential,

or health care properties.

Health Care REITs
Health care REITs are a specific subsector

of REITs that invest in real estate primarily

serving the health care industry. The most common

property types that health care REITs invest

in are senior housing, independent living, assisted

living, hospitals, skilled nursing, medical

office buildings, rehabilitation facilities,

and life science facilities.

Top Health Care REITS

About Me

My name is David Heywood and I am the sole author of this blog. This blog is a personal project I will try to update in my spare time. I currently work in health care real estate development. I have been interested in health care REITs ever since I worked on my undergraduate honors thesis entitled IPO and SEO Waves in Health Care Real Estate Investment Trusts. (If you ever need a powerful sleep agent, the thesis can be found here.)

I graduated in accounting in 2008. I worked for Ernst and Young in its Transaction Real Estate group for about a year and a half and I am now working for a small health care real estate development company.

I am a Certified Public Accountant and I root for the BYU Cougars, the Phoenix Suns, Andy Roddick and Serena Williams, and any team that is playing the Lakers.