Summary: In spring 2026, we helped a young family in Acworth and the wife's mother in Holly Springs move into one home in Woodstock, Georgia. We sold her townhome first, bought a four-bedroom house with a walkout basement on a sale contingency, then sold the Acworth house and closed both deals on the same day in late May. The basement in-law suite is now finished and the grandmother has moved in.
Why did this family need to move?
They had outgrown their Acworth house, and they wanted room for her mom. The house was a four-bedroom, two-bath on a tiny lot in a neighborhood where every lot was small. With two kids, ages 8 and 11, they wanted more space inside and a bigger yard outside, and they hoped to land closer to Woodstock or Canton.
At the same time, her mother was living in a townhome in Holly Springs. As she got older, she wanted to be closer to her grandkids. The goal became one home for all of them, with a suite where the grandmother could have her own space.
Why did it take two years to get started?
Because the grandmother wasn't ready yet, and that was her call to make. Our first conversation with this family happened about two years before closing. We didn't push. We stayed in touch, Greg had multiple lunches and connection points with the husband over those years, and we kept talking through what it could look like. When she was ready, we were ready.
Why did we sell the townhome first?
Her townhome had to sell first so the rest of the plan could move forward. The Acworth house also had to sell before the family could buy, and they did not want to rent in between or take out a bridge loan.
What made this order work was that the grandmother had a place to stay while her suite was being built. So we recommended this sequence: sell the townhome, write a contingent offer on the new house, then list the Acworth home.
The townhome took three weeks to sell. It was in great shape, but it backed up to a main road and there were other listings in the same neighborhood. It closed about two months before the Acworth house.
What does a multigenerational home actually need?
It needs privacy for the parent and an easy way to join the family. For this family, that meant a basement with its own entrance and room for a kitchenette, with the grandmother still close enough to come upstairs for dinner.
We looked at two homes that already had in-law suites built out. Neither was in good enough condition to make an offer. In total, we showed this family three homes, and they fell in love with the first one: a four-bedroom, two-bath in Woodstock with an unfinished walkout basement and a separate entrance. It had been on the market about two weeks.
How did we know the basement would work?
We brought a contractor in to quote the build-out before we made an offer. The basement wasn't stubbed for a bathroom, so plumbing had to be part of the budget. The family needed to know the numbers made sense before they committed.
The inspection turned up some mold, and the sellers remediated it while we were under contract.
How do you buy on a contingency when your house isn't even listed?
You show the seller you can sell it. Our offer was contingent on the sale of the Acworth home, which wasn't on the market yet. We wrote into the contract that it would be listed within two weeks.
To get the listing agent comfortable, we walked them through our marketing plan: the listing video, the social media content, and the approach we use to get our homes sold. The seller accepted.
How fast did the Acworth house sell?
It went under contract in less than 24 hours. We knew the house was in great shape and would move quickly. We launched it with professional photography, a listing video, and social content, and we had an offer over asking the first day.
How did closing day work?
We sold the Acworth house and closed on the Woodstock house on the same day at the end of May 2026. The family moved once, and the grandmother stayed where she was while the basement was finished.
Where are they now?
The in-law suite was completed last week, and the grandmother has moved in. Three generations now live under one roof in Woodstock, with a bigger yard for the kids and a private space downstairs for her.
What would we tell another family moving a parent in?
- The order of the sales matters. Map out which home needs to sell first before anything hits the market.
- Find a home that works for both households. Look for a separate entrance, room for a kitchenette, and privacy that still keeps everyone connected.
- Get a contractor in before you offer. Check basements for signs of flooding or water intrusion, and find out whether it's stubbed for a bathroom.
- Communication and timing are everything. Let the parent set the pace, and stay in touch until they're ready.
Frequently asked questions
Should we sell our parent's home or our own home first? It depends on your finances, so map out the order with your agent and lender before anything is listed. For this family, selling the mother's townhome first was the right call. It kept the rest of the plan on track.
Can you make an offer contingent on selling a home that isn't listed yet? Yes, if the seller agrees. We wrote into the contract that the Acworth home would be listed within two weeks, and we showed the listing agent our marketing plan so they could see how we would get it sold. It went under contract in less than a day.
Is it better to buy a home with an in-law suite or build one? It depends on the condition of what's out there. The two homes we saw with finished suites weren't in good enough shape to make an offer. An unfinished walkout basement let this family build what they wanted, after a contractor confirmed the cost.
What should you look for in a basement for an in-law suite? Look for a walkout or separate entrance, room for a kitchenette, and enough separation for privacy. Check for signs of flooding or water intrusion, and find out whether it's stubbed for a bathroom. If it isn't, plumbing goes in the budget.
About the team: Trails to Towns: North Georgia is Greg and Lauren Goad's real estate team with Real Broker, LLC, based in Woodstock and serving Cobb and Cherokee Counties from Marietta to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We help families plan sell-and-buy moves, including multigenerational homes like this one.
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