Care homes are becoming an increasing necessity and will continue to be into the future. As the population ages, the demand for care homes grows. Investing in a business that provides care for this ageing population is going to reap rewards in the future as long as you find the right business to invest in.
Read on to find out why a care home business should be an investment option for you.
Increased demand
The population in the UK has a much higher life expectancy than in the past. This means that there are more people that will be looking for beds in care homes. In conjunction with this, there have also been significant cuts to social care spending
Those who are able to are supplementing their care options with personal savings, if not paying completely for private care options. Care options have become increasingly privatised over the recent decade which has extended the options for the private sector.
Of course, some of your residents may be funded by the local authority. When you are looking for a business to buy, you will need to consider how many residents this will apply to. How many other private residents are there in your care home?
Find the right business to buy
The staff that you have working for you are a vital part of any business, but this is particularly true however for a care home. Buying an existing care home will mean that you will already have employees that know how the business runs. Before you decide on which business to buy, ensure that they have the training to give the exemplary care to your residents that is needed to run a successful care home.
You do not need to have a qualification to work in the care industry, but you do need to have background checks to make sure you don’t have a criminal record. And, of course, you have to have the correct disposition. Giving your staff training will also improve their service and the reputation of your care home. Investing in your employees will pay great dividends in this industry.
Have the right premises
The premises of your care home needs to be in tip-top shape. Cleanliness is key as is safety. It can be costly to renovate a property in order to make it suitable for the purpose of a care home.
There are strict regulations when it comes to care homes. If you are hoping to change the nature of a property to be suited to care homes, be sure that it meets requirements such as minimum floor space, ceiling heights and adequate access. Care homes that are most in-demand are also easily accessed from towns or cities.
However, if you are buying an existing business, you will need to do your due diligence and ensure that you don’t pay for a business that will need a lot of capital to make the necessary upgrades because it has become run down over the years.
It is usually wise to buy the property freehold, or you are at the mercy of the landlord which can make running your business problematic.
Buying a care home
While there are advantages to both, buying a care home will mean that you will be able to hit the ground running. Your due diligence will be able to assess what changes will need to be made to the business before you take it over but then you should be able to get going on a business that has the necessary components in place.
Make sure that you spend time finding the right business that has the potential for expansion so that you will be able to increase your profits. It is great to find a business that has a lot of its beds occupied but remember that a business that has no empty beds has less room for you to expand through better marketing and services.
By Matthew Hernon is an Account Manager at Dynamis looking after Business Transfer Agents and Franchises across BusinessesForSale.com and FranchiseSales.com.