Writing your own contracts is perfectly possible, and legal. But it's also an incredibly bad idea. There's two reasons for this: Property law is complicated. Because it's such a fundamental part of legislation, it's often lots and lots of different laws layered on top of each other.
Let's say your home has an appraised value of $250,000, and you enter into a contract with one of the home equity agreement companies on the market. They agree to provide a lump sum of $25,000 in exchange for 10% of your home's appreciation. If you sell the house for $250,000, the HEA company is entitled to $25,000.
Equity agreements allow entrepreneurs to secure funding for their start-up by giving up a portion of ownership of their company to investors. In short, these arrangements typically involve investors providing capital in exchange for shares of stock which they will hold and potentially sell in the future for a profit.
Equity's dues structure has two components: Basic dues: $176 annually, billed at $88 twice a year each May and November. Working dues: 2.5% of gross earnings under Equity contract, which are collected through weekly payroll deductions.
The Equity Membership Candidate Program (EMC) permits actors and stage managers in training to credit theatrical work in certain Equity theatres towards eventual membership in Equity. Candidates must complete at least 25 creditable weeks of work at any of the participating theatres.
These agreements provide minimum salaries, benefits, job security and numerous other provisions to ensure safe working conditions and a work environment where actors and stage managers are protected. Equity contracts for individual members usually cover jobs in three categories: Principal, Chorus and Stage Manager.
Unlike HELs and HELOCs, home equity agreements aren't loans. That means there are no monthly payments or interest charges..
A company provides you with a lump sum in exchange for partial ownership of your home, and/or a share of its future appreciation. You don't make monthly repayments of principal or interest; instead, you settle up when you sell the home or at the end of a multi-year agreement period (typically between 10 and 30 years).
Home equity sharing may also be wise if you don't want extra debt reflected on your credit profile. "These agreements allow homeowners to access their home equity without incurring additional debt," says Michael Crute, a real estate agent and operations strategist with Keller Williams in Atlanta.
Average HELOC rates by market Your potential HELOC rate also depends on where your home is located. As of January 1, 2025, the current average HELOC interest rate in the 10 largest U.S. markets is 8.36 percent.