Do you have a lot of equity in your home but not enough cash? This may leave you feeling as though you have no choice but to sell your house and move to come up with the money for a big expense, such as paying off medical bills or funding retirement.
Rentback provides an alternative—one where you can both sell your home and keep living in it. It’s a different way of tapping into your home equity that doesn’t involve moving or taking out a home equity loan or HELOC.
This Rentback review will help you to understand more about how Rentback works, what the requirements are for selling your house and renting it back, and how this process might help you tap into your home’s equity.
In this review:
- How to Sell Your House and Rent it Back with Rentback
- Rentback by the Numbers: Rates, Terms, Fees & Limits
- The Benefits of Rentback
- The Downsides of Rentback
How to Sell Your House and Rent it Back with Rentback
The process of selling through Rentback typically moves quickly, and Rentback does most of the work. First, Rentback will estimate the fair market value of your property and act as a broker to investors who want to buy property in your area.
After you have been matched with an investment company, Rentback will schedule a closing appointment. You’ll sign all the closing documents to transfer the ownership of your home to the new owner. Then you will begin renting your home.
Selling with Rentback is free, and the company even pays most of the closing costs associated with the sale of the property.
The rental price you will pay when you rent your home from Rentback is similar to the market value rent for other rental properties in your area.
If you think you’ll struggle to pay rent in the short-term, you could opt for the Prepaid Sale Leaseback option. This allows you to use your home equity to cover rent costs for 12 and 36 months. However, this might not be a viable option if you need to the money tied up in your equity for other purposes.
Eligibility
Currently, Rentback is only available if your home is located in the following cities:
- Nashville
- Tampa
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Denver
- Washington, D.C.
- Phoenix
No credit check or income screening is required to sell your home on Rentback and rent it back from the new owners. However, after your prepaid rental period is up, you may need to submit to income verification and a credit check if you want to stay in your home.
Rentback by the Numbers: Rates, Terms, Fees & Limits
Here are some of the key things that you need to know before you decide to sell your home through Rentback.
- Rentback does not charge sellers and it pays most closing costs.
- Sellers can prepay their lease for 12 to 36 months using their home equity, and many investors allow sellers to renew their lease for additional years.
- Equity minus prepaid rent is deposited into your bank account shortly after the closing process is complete.
- Homeowners typically will not be able to sell on Rentback if they owe more than their home is worth.
The Benefits of Rentback
There are some significant benefits to Rentback that you should be aware of if you are considering this option:
- You can access the cash tied up in your home without having to take out a loan against the home and without having to make monthly payments.
- You can sell your home and continue to live in it.
- You can use equity to prepay rent so you won’t have to worry about housing costs for up to three years.
- You will no longer be responsible for the costs of homeownership, including property taxes and structural maintenance.
- You can sell your home and have closing costs mostly covered by Rentback. Closing costs can be very expensive for many home sellers.
The Downsides of Rentback
You also need to be aware of significant downsides associated with using Rentback:
- You no longer own your home or benefit from its appreciation. With other alternatives, such as home equity sharing agreements, you can continue to benefit from appreciation but simply share some of the value of the property value with investors.
- You typically cannot buy back your home if you decide that you want to.
- You may not get as much for your property as you would if you sold it to a private buyer.
- You may not be able to stay in your home for as long as you would like to if the investor decides not to continue to rent to you.
- You have to pay rent, which means you still have monthly costs.
Before you move forward, think very carefully about whether you are willing to give up ownership and control over your home to a Rentback investor.
Rentback Alternatives
- Turn your home equity into cash while remaining in your home
- No specific income or debt-to-income requirements
- Three different sale-leaseback options to ensure you have a solution for your needs
EasyKnock is another home sale-leaseback company worth considering. The company offers three programs, MoveAbility, Sell & Stay, and ReLease.
Depending on the program you choose, you’ll be able to receive up to 100% of your home’s value in cash in less than 30 days. After EasyKnock purchases your home, you’ll be able to remain in the home for as long as you’d like with the option to repurchase the home under the Sell & Stay program.
- Get up to $300,000 in cash
- No monthly payments, no interest, and no prepayment penalties
- Minimum credit score of 500
Although it’s not a home sale leaseback option, Hometap is another alternative to consider. This home equity sharing agreement option has a 10 year investment term, and you may choose to sell your home or settle the investment at any time before then.
>> Read More: Best home sale leaseback companies
Bottom Line: is a Rentback Residential Leaseback Right for You?
When you want to stay in your home but you need to sell it, Rentback is a good option. However, you should make sure to find out what rent you’ll pay before you move forward with the deal. You should also know that you may not be able to stay in your home indefinitely if you take this approach.
Since you give up control over your home, using Rentback is a very big decision and it is not one you should take lightly.