Just Released: How to Buy a Sober House—A Game-Changing Guide Authored by Dr. Hunter T. Foote

If you’re searching for more than just financial return in your next real estate deal—if you’re looking to create real impact through your investments—then you’ll want to grab a copy of the newest release from our Executive Director, Dr. Hunter T. Foote:

How to Buy a Sober House: An Investment Property Acquisition Guide

This practical, insightful guide is the first volume in the Developing Sober Living Real Estate series, a three-part resource created to support real estate professionals, nonprofit leaders, and mission-driven investors as they enter the specialized world of recovery housing.

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A New Niche in Real Estate: Recovery Housing Investment

What if your next investment could generate meaningful income and change lives?

In How to Buy a Sober House, Dr. Foote shares over a decade of experience developing sober living homes across the East Coast. Drawing from dozens of successful projects, this book outlines the key steps to acquiring the right property for recovery housing—including evaluating neighborhoods, assessing building layouts, estimating renovation needs, and avoiding costly missteps.

Whether you’re a first-time investor or an experienced operator looking to expand into sober living, this book offers a comprehensive blueprint to make smart, values-aligned acquisitions in one of real estate’s most impactful sectors.

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What’s Inside

Readers will learn how to:

• Understand the unique operational and regulatory needs of recovery housing

• Conduct an effective Area Survey to evaluate location suitability

• Analyze a home’s layout, occupancy potential, and renovation requirements

• Perform due diligence with sober living in mind

• Avoid the most common mistakes made by new entrants in the space

Case studies throughout the book bring these strategies to life, illustrating how mission-driven investors have successfully navigated each phase of the property acquisition process.

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What You’ll Learn from Book 1

How to Buy a Sober House covers:

• 🏘️ How recovery housing differs from traditional rentals—and how that changes what you look for

• 📍 How to conduct an Area Survey to assess neighborhood demand and regulatory fit

• 🧮 How to evaluate layout, renovation scope, and occupancy potential with a 5-step framework

• 🚧 How to avoid the mistakes that derail good deals in recovery real estate

• 📚 Real case studies that walk you from discovery to deal closing

 

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A Sneak Peek at the Full Series

This release is the first installment in a three-part blueprint for mission-driven real estate development:

• 📘 Book 2: How to Finance Recovery Housing
  Learn how to build a sustainable capital stack using grants, loans, seller financing, and philanthropic tools. This book is essential for anyone navigating the challenges of funding transitional housing and securing long-term sustainability.

• 🛠️ Book 3: How to Upfit Properties for Recovery Housing
  Master the renovation and compliance process—from fire codes to ADA accessibility and layout design—so your homes are inspection-ready and supportive of recovery.

 

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Who Should Read This?

This book is for:

• First-time investors who want to buy their first sober living home with confidence

• Real estate agents and brokers exploring niche housing opportunities

• Nonprofits and recovery community leaders seeking to own or operate supportive housing

• Impact investors ready to balance mission with cash flow

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Get Your Copy Today

Start building purpose-driven profits—and transforming overlooked properties into homes of hope.

 

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About the Author

Dr. Hunter T. Foote is a nationally recognized leader in recovery housing development and the Executive Director of Vanderburgh Sober Living (VSL), a charitable initiative focused on expanding access to safe, supportive sober living homes across the United States.

A social entrepreneur, real estate developer, and impact investor, Dr. Foote has spent over a decade building systems that align capital with community needs. His work has helped launch dozens of certified recovery residences in underserved markets, creating sustainable housing solutions for individuals in early recovery. He is also the architect behind the VSL Developer Partnership Model, which connects real estate investors with trained sober living operators through long-term lease structures that generate stable, hands-off income while transforming lives.

Dr. Foote holds a Master’s in Business from Harvard University and a PhD in Social Franchising from Salve Regina University. His academic and professional background spans global health, education, missions, and real estate development—an intersection that informs his mission-first, market-smart approach to social impact.

Through his work with VSL and his writing, Dr. Foote equips both nonprofit and for-profit stakeholders with the tools, knowledge, and partnerships they need to succeed in the growing field of recovery housing. Whether walking a property with a contractor or developing policy guidance with national housing leaders, he brings clarity, conviction, and a collaborative spirit to every project.

His goal is simple: to help developers build portfolios that generate more than income—they build homes that heal, communities that restore, and legacies that last.