- Accepts partial payments during the term
- No monthly payments
- Get an online cash estimate in just 2 minutes
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 5 years ago
- Excellent (1,970+ Trustpilot customers)
- Access your equity quickly and flexibly
- No monthly payments
- Assigned a dedicated Investment Manager
- Get an online cash estimate in under 2 minutes
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 1 year ago
- Excellent (6,400+ Trustpilot customers)
- No payments for up to 30 years
- Funds can be used on anything you need
- No income requirements
- Get an online cash estimate in just 60 seconds
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 2 years ago
- Excellent (4,600+ Trustpilot Clients)
- Request a free estimate now
- No monthly payments
- No payments for up to 10 years
- No income requirement
- Excellent (25,300+ Trustpilot customers)
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Reviews of the best home equity solutions
Unlock
- Accepts partial payments during the term
- No monthly payments
- Get an online cash estimate in just 2 minutes
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 5 years ago
- Excellent (1,970+ Trustpilot customers)
Unlock Customer Reviews
Unlock has excellent ratings from its customers across multiple platforms. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has assigned the company an A+ rating for customer interaction.
| LendEDU | 4.7 out of 5 |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 out of 5 (1,497 reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau | 3.9 out of 5 (48 reviews) |
| 4.8 out of 5 (1,162 reviews) |
Hometap
- Access your equity quickly and flexibly
- No monthly payments
- Assigned a dedicated Investment Manager
- Get an online cash estimate in under 2 minutes
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 1 year ago
- Excellent (6,400+ Trustpilot customers)
Hometap Customer Reviews
Hometap has excellent ratings from its customers across multiple platforms. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has assigned the company a B rating for customer interaction.
| LendEDU | 4.8 out of 5 |
| Trustpilot | 4.8 out of 5 (5,675 reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau | 4.3 out of 5 (87 reviews) |
| 4.9 out of 5 (4,997 reviews) |
Point
- No payments for up to 30 years
- Funds can be used on anything you need
- No income requirements
- Get an online cash estimate in just 60 seconds
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 2 years ago
- Excellent (4,600+ Trustpilot Clients)
Point Customer Reviews
Point has excellent ratings from its customers across multiple platforms. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has assigned the company an A+ rating for customer interaction.
| LendEDU | 4.6 out of 5 |
| Trustpilot | 4.7 out of 5 (3,526 reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau | 3.8 out of 5 (69 reviews) |
| 4.8 out of 5 (3,090 reviews) |
JG Wentworth
- Request a free estimate now
- No monthly payments
- No payments for up to 10 years
- No income requirement
- Excellent (25,300+ Trustpilot customers)
JG Wentworth Customer Reviews
JG Wentworth has excellent ratings from its customers across multiple platforms. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has assigned the company an A+ rating for customer interaction.
| Trustpilot | 4.8 out of 5 (22,285 reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau | 2.9 out of 5 (222 reviews) |
| 4.8 out of 5 (20,347 reviews) |
What Is a Home Equity Agreement?
A home equity sharing is an agreement between you and an investment company in which you receive a lump-sum cash payment in exchange for a portion of your equity. It isn’t a form of debt, so there are no monthly payments, and the eligibility requirements are more lenient.
How Does a Shared Equity Agreement Work?
A shared equity investment allows you, the homeowner, to pull equity from the home in cash without taking out a loan. In return, the investing company gets a percentage of the future value of your home. The company collects its equity share when you buy out the agreement or sell the property.
There are two repayment models that most home equity sharing companies follow:
- You pay back the initial amount borrowed plus a predetermined percentage of any appreciation
- You pay back a predetermined percentage of the new appraised value of the home
Contract terms may last 10 to 30 years. Should your home lose value during the contract term, the investing company shares in the loss. The amount you repay will be less than what you’d owe had the home maintained the same value throughout the term.
How Much Money Can You Receive?
Companies advertise you can get up to a specific amount through a home equity sharing agreement. But the real amount you’ll receive is determined by a combination of factors:
- Your home’s current value. The more your home is worth, the more money you can access.
- Your remaining mortgage balance. Equity is the difference between your home’s current value and your remaining mortgage balance. If your home is worth $500,000 but you owe $300,000, your equity is $200,000 or 40%.
- The company’s maximum loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. Each company has its own maximum LTV ratio you need to meet to qualify for a home equity sharing agreement.
- The length of the investment. Many home equity sharing agreements last 10 to 30 years. Longer terms may allow you to access more funds, but you’ll be sharing a portion of your home’s appreciation for longer.
- Your credit score. Your credit score will also determine your maximum borrowing limit. Many home equity sharing companies have credit score requirements as low as 500, but you’ll stand the best chance of borrowing the maximum amount if you have excellent credit.
- How you use your property. Many home equity sharing companies will only invest in primary residences—investment properties and second homes don’t count.
Getting estimates directly from lenders is the most accurate way to know how much you could get.
How to Choose the Best Home Equity Agreement
Ask yourself these questions to help you narrow down which one is best:
- Which company can provide me with the necessary funding?
- Does the length of the contract fit my timeline?
- Do I meet the eligibility requirements?
- Can I get an estimate without affecting my credit scores?
- Does the company have limitations on the use of funds?
- What are my responsibilities as the homeowner during the contract?
- Does the company put a cap on buyback costs?
- Will I pay a prepayment penalty to buy out the agreement early?
- Does the company charge any other fees? If so, will I need to pay them out of pocket?
- Does the company impose any restriction periods that might affect buyout costs?