Are Sober Living Houses Profitable? A Real Estate Agent's Perspective

Real Estate Agent Brian Wall explains how sober homes can be a lucrative business. Learn about profit potential for for-profit organizations and how to manage beds with Sober Living app.

Are Sober Living Houses Profitable? A Real Estate Agent's Perspective

Real Estate Agent Brian Wall has seen firsthand how sober homes can be a lucrative business. He explains that the perfect sober house has lots of bedrooms, and is far from nosy neighbors. This is because these houses can be turned into overcrowded pensions that no one wants to live in close proximity. Unfortunately, there are some houses that are only profitable and nothing else.

Some reported households do not have running water, no heating, no air, no electricity, and a bathroom, perhaps, to serve more than a dozen people. These homes are supposed to help the addict recover and enter society as a productive citizen. Homes of this type do not cover the bill. Operating the transitional house as a non-profit organization requires that the owners or the board of directors do not pocket profits. All proceeds must be reinvested in the facility or programs to benefit residents.

The real profit potential of a for-profit organization should be considered individually according to location, number of residents, cost of property and furniture, utilities, food, maintenance and what prospective residents can and are willing to pay. You don't need a license or certification to open a sober living home, but some states require that voluntary certification processes be met first. Jason, director of the Community Research Center at DePaul University, believes that well-managed sober homes can be a positive step for those trying to change their lives. The average cost of living in an Oxford home depends on where the home is, as the cost of living and rent vary by state. Sober living is mainly useful in cases where someone has already received treatment in rehabilitation or some other type of program. Next, remember that many people don't see a new sober home in their neighborhood as a positive development. Sober homes, in theory, are designed to provide the stability and drug-free living environment that keep recovery ongoing, especially when based on achievements made during long-term residential treatment and after the minimum of 90 days of drug rehabilitation recommended by the Center for the Disease Control (www.).

Investing in sober living homes is a unique real estate niche with its own pitfalls, but when done right, you'll have a cash-flowing investment to be proud of for years to come. Most people entering a sober home were in an inpatient rehabilitation program, and this is the first place they reside after rehabilitation. In your business plan for your sober living home, you should also explain how you plan to attract residents, how much you will charge, what services you provide, and how to raise operating capital. Regardless of their affordability, sober homes are not the place to start recovery; they are the destination before independent living. Often, these areas are residential in nature, and you may be faced with community reaction when you try to start a sober life in your neighborhood. Sober living homes, sometimes called social reintegration centers, are useful forms of aftercare, allowing patients to keep the focus on their sobriety around supportive partners after formal treatment.

There may be some sober living households that receive state funding or have some insurance coverage, but this is extremely rare. Remember that just because you have three bedrooms doesn't mean you can necessarily have six residents in your sober home. When it's time to manage all these beds, check out the bed management features of the Sober Living app to simplify and streamline the process, saving you time and money.

Cecilia Fukunaga
Cecilia Fukunaga

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