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.
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.
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.
Equity agreements commonly contain the following components: Equity program. This section outlines the details of the investment plan, including its purpose, conditions, and objectives. It also serves as a statement of intention to create a legal relationship between both parties.
Qualifying for a HEA is relatively easy, too. The main requirement is to have built up some equity in your property. You don't need a super high credit score, and the income criteria are flexible.
Qualifying for a HEA is relatively easy, too. The main requirement is to have built up some equity in your property. You don't need a super high credit score, and the income criteria are flexible.
On the downside, HELOCs have variable interest rates, so your repayments will increase if rates rise. Another risk: A HELOC uses your home as collateral, so if you don't repay what you borrow, the lender could foreclose on it.
These agreements let you access funds in exchange for a share of your property's future appreciation. Some or all of the mortgage lenders featured on our site are advertising partners of NerdWallet, but this does not influence our evaluations, lender star ratings or the order in which lenders are listed on the page.
SAFE Example The SAFE investor would receive 6,250 shares under the 20% discount rate term in their agreement, or 15,000 shares if they had a valuation cap of $4 million. If an Investor had both features included in their SAFE agreement, the investor would likely choose the valuation cap and receive 15,000 shares.