Why Parking Still Matters in Healthcare Real Estate

It sounds simple — but parking is still one of the fastest ways to kill a healthcare real estate deal.

We’ve seen it time and time again. Perfect location. Beautiful building. Everything lines up… until you realize there’s nowhere for patients or staff to park.

And in healthcare, that’s a non-starter.

This isn’t retail. Patients aren’t window shopping. They’re often elderly, in a hurry, stressed, dealing with mobility issues, or bringing family along. If parking is tight, confusing, or a hassle — they won’t come back.

For healthcare operators, bad parking isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s lost revenue. It affects appointment volume, patient satisfaction, and even staffing (nobody wants to circle a lot for 15 minutes before a shift).

And from a valuation perspective? It absolutely impacts NOI.

Buildings with clean, accessible, and plentiful parking consistently trade better — especially in outpatient care, behavioral health, or senior-focused facilities where patient turnover is high and visit length is short.

A few things that matter more in 2025 than they maybe did a decade ago:

→ Clear signage and wayfinding

→ Covered drop-off zones

→ ADA accessibility right up front

→ Room for rideshare pickups (UberHealth is a real thing now)

→ Dedicated staff parking separate from patients

If you’re evaluating a medical office building or healthcare facility and parking hasn’t come up yet — it needs to. Because in this space, parking isn’t just part of the site plan… it’s part of the patient experience and part of the value.

📅 Book a call if you’re looking at a healthcare property and want a real-world valuation perspective.

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