Articles
The library.
Educational articles across the whole business — licensing and compliance, housing models, creative acquisition, referral networks and operator economics.
General education only, not legal, tax or investment advice. Verify every requirement with your state and local authorities.
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Three articles that answer the questions we get most.
If you are new to the site, these cover the three things that most often decide whether a housing business gets off the ground.
Does your group home need a license?
The answer depends less on what you call the house and more on who lives there and what services you provide. A full walkthrough of the decision.
Read articleHow to master lease a house for shared housing
Why property owners consider master leases, why operators use them, and the terms that have to be handled correctly for the arrangement to hold.
Read articleThe empty bed is not the business. The referral network is.
Who actually places people into housing, how to build the relationships, and the line you cannot cross when working with referring organizations.
Read articleAll articles
Everything in the library.
Grouped loosely by topic — markets, housing models and acquisition strategy. Each one links to the deeper guide or tool that goes with it.
Starting a group home in North Carolina
State licensing, city and county zoning, building occupancy, fire requirements and the verification checklist that has to be answered in writing.
ReadStarting a shared-housing business in Raleigh
The Raleigh and Triangle market as an initial laboratory — referral ecosystem, property criteria, zoning considerations and operator training.
ReadHousing can be the difference between release and a real restart
How the pre-release housing pipeline works, who decides, and why the relationships inside the facility matter more than the house itself.
ReadRecovery housing is housing with accountability
Peer support, house managers, testing policies, resident rights, MOUD considerations and the distinction between recovery housing and clinical treatment.
ReadCo-living is not sober living
A side-by-side comparison of co-living, sober living, returning-citizen housing and licensed care — and why the terms are not interchangeable.
ReadWhen the seller becomes the bank
Purchase price, down payment, rate, amortisation, balloon and servicing — plus the risks that sit on both sides of a seller-financed deal.
ReadInstallment sales and contract-for-deed structures
How land contracts differ from seller financing, and the state-law variation in disclosure, forfeiture, title and consumer-protection rules.
ReadRent it today. Control tomorrow's purchase price.
How a master lease-option works, what the negotiation points are, and where the risk sits for each party.
ReadSafe shared housing for parents rebuilding stability
Family housing is not adult shared housing with children added. Property standards, bedroom configuration, child safety and insurance considerations.
ReadLooking for the deeper material?
The articles cover the concepts. The guides are checklists, worksheets and document sets you can actually work through — and the tools run the numbers with you.
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The complete starter operating system.
Group Home Secrets™ covers population selection, licensing, economics, referrals, intake, house rules, screening, staffing and acquisition.
Important disclaimer
Acquire Group Homes™ provides education, consulting, business systems and real-estate strategy. It does not provide legal advice, medical advice, clinical treatment, licensing determinations, tax advice or Medicaid eligibility determinations. Requirements vary by property, population, services, city, county and state — nothing on this page states or implies that any model is automatically legal in any jurisdiction.
Operators must verify zoning, licensing, occupancy, building/fire code, fair-housing obligations, insurance, resident-rights requirements and other applicable laws with qualified professionals before acquiring or operating a property. We do not promise "no license required," guaranteed Medicaid payment, guaranteed government contracts, guaranteed occupancy, "eviction-proof" agreements, or that any structure avoids zoning or lender requirements.
Full disclaimers