Griffin-American Healthcare REIT II has acquired 21 healthcare-related buildings in five states for $141.3 million, pushing the REIT co-sponsored by American Healthcare Investors and Griffin Capital Corp. to an overall portfolio value of $1.6 billion.

Lakeway Center, a 1.2 million-square-foot office property in Metairie, La., just outside of New Orleans, has come under new ownership.

By Marcelo Bermúdez, President, Figueroa Capital Group, subsidiary of Charles Dunn Co.: Over the past 40-plus years, the U.S. government has enacted several discretionary benefit programs worth billions. Because of the complex structures, investors shy away from these investment alternatives. Don’t be too quick to judge the unknown.

By Kenneth P. Riggs Jr., Chairman & President, Real Estate Research Corp.: When the financial crisis began, most investors agreed that the economy needed the various stimulus programs initiated by the administration and the easy money policies provided by the Federal Reserve. However, a quick look at the debt clock shows us that several years later we are stuck with a $16.8 trillion national debt and a Fed balance sheet of $3.1 trillion, while job and economic growth remain tepid.

By Stuart Eisenberg, Partner & Real Estate Practice Leader, BDO USA L.L.P.: With demand for new homes increasing and confidence in the commercial real estate sector slowly being restored, the real estate industry seems to be poised for continued growth. In this environment, we analyzed the risk factors in the most recent 10-K filings of the 100 largest publicly traded REITs to determine the top emerging or ongoing risks concerning industry leaders.

By Andrew Ackerman, Associate Director, Stan Johnson Co.: C-store properties offer significant value to investors who may overlook the assets based on appearances or liability misconceptions.