Guides
Straight answers for adult family home owners.
No fluff and nothing sold to you sideways. My family runs an adult family home in Lynnwood, so these are the things I wish somebody had explained to us plainly when we were trying to fill a bed.
How to start an adult family home in Washington
The whole path in order, with real costs and the two requirements that actually decide your timeline. Written from our own family's experience of doing it.
Read the guide →AFH license requirements in Washington
Every requirement the state checks, in the order it happens: 1,000 caregiving hours, the 54-hour course, certifications, inspections and the application steps.
Read the guide →The 54-hour administrator training, compared
Highline, North Seattle, Green River and Spokane on price, format and schedule. Identical certificate, $156 spread. Prices verified August 2026.
Read the guide →Is AFH Council membership worth it?
$624 a year, or $52 a month, plus a 4% card fee you can avoid. What you actually get, and an honest read on who should join and who can skip it.
Read the guide →Room & Care, explained
Medicaid openings list free, private pay is $199 a month, and there are no commissions or referral fees. What it does well, what it will not do, and how to list your open beds.
Read the guide →Placement agencies vs listing your own beds
A placement agency's standard commission equals your entire first month of care, roughly $6,000 on a $6,000 room. The honest comparison, including when the agency is still worth it.
Read the guide →Home Care Aide certification in Washington
Every caregiver has 120 days to finish training and 200 days to be certified, both counted from their hire date. The full requirements, and how to stop it becoming a fire drill.
Read the guide →eMAR and care software, compared
The $300-a-month minimum that makes "$10 per resident" a myth for a six-bed home, the Washington-built option, and the five questions to ask on every demo.
Read the guide →What it really costs to open an AFH
Training is $729 to $885 and is the cheap part. The costs that catch operators are building-code work and the empty months after licensing, at $5,000 to $8,000 per vacant bed.
Read the guide →What A Place for Mom actually costs a provider
Free for families, not for you. Reported at 85% to 100% of the resident's first month of rent and care, with reports up to 120%, and single referrals as high as $12,000.
Read the guide →Getting your home on Google Maps
Free, takes an afternoon, and it decides whether a family searching at 9pm considers you at all. How to claim it, verify it, and fill it in so it converts.
Read the guide →Does an adult family home need a website?
Not every home does, and we say so. What a website is actually for in this business, what it should cost, and the domain-ownership trap that catches people.
Read the guide →