If you're strapped for cash and aren’t sure where to find the funds to get caught up, you may want to look at cashing out on your home equity.
Whether you’re looking to pay off credit card debts, make renovations to your home, or try to take care of an unexpected bill, tapping into your home equity can be the solution.
One of the best ways to use your home equity is to invest in a co-ownership opportunity with Balance. But what if you don’t know what a home equity investment is or how it works? In this guide, we will take a look at the basics of home equity investments.
A home equity investment is a financial strategy that involves converting your existing home equity into cash. Unlike a home equity loan or cash-out refinance, a home equity investment is not considered debt and has no interest rate.
Homeowners convert the equity in a property's value for cash to access the necessary funds to achieve their goals. It could be a great way to pay down debt, pay off your mortgage, pay for home improvements or unexpected expenses, or something else.
When you enter into a home equity sharing agreement, you’ll offer to sell a certain amount of your home's future value in exchange for cash, typically allocated towards debt consolidation, home repairs, credit improvement, or savings.
The buyer of the equity, also known as the investor, only shares in the part of the equity they've invested in - not all of it.
In most cases, you can “buy out” the investor (effectively repurchasing the equity you’ve sold previously) once you’ve built up enough money to do so. However, through home appreciation, the investor tends to make a profit on that sale as the housing market usually trends upward.
Most home equity investments work with a straightforward arrangement. You sell a percentage of your home’s future equity, such as 20%, in exchange for a lump-sum cash value, like $20,000. The appraised value of your home will impact how much you’ll get from this financial product.
You can buy back that equity in the future, but usually for a higher price (such as $30,000). This, of course, depends on the investment company and the future appreciation that they predict for the portion of your home equity they own.
The home equity investment process typically follows the following steps:
Balance is highly experienced and well-equipped to unlock the true potential of your home’s value and get you a good cash deal for your equity. Even better, we’re committed to helping create a path for homeowners to improve their credit and finances so they can successfully buy us out in the future.
When you participate in a home equity investment with Balance, homeowners remain in control, and make decisions on when to exit and how to use their home. We purchase your remaining mortgage from your mortgage lender and give you the cash equivalent of your equity.
You'll be able to revive your financial profile through debt consolidation, and you’ll also replace your mortgage payment with a monthly payment to Balance that covers your occupancy fee and share of the monthly expenses (such as taxes and insurance).
Partnering with Balance can be an excellent way to avoid financial stress after life events and emergencies, and gives you the chance to improve your credit and financial health. Balance gives their homeowners a fresh start and helps them rebuild their credit, improve their cash flow, and complete necessary repairs to the property.
Given its many advantages, a home equity investment could be an excellent idea.
Owning a home allows you to build up equity over time. That equity could be a valuable source of cash if you need to pay off another debt or build your financial health.
Another benefit is that home equity investments are relatively accessible. Compared to other home equity loan products, like home equity lines of credit or refinancing, home equity investors like Balance have no minimum credit score requirement.
On top of that, the investor in a home equity investment shares in your home’s depreciation. That means they have a vested interest in your home, and in a market downturn will share in the value loss on the property.
Balance could be the ideal way to get cash, reduce your monthly expenses, and stay in your home while avoiding foreclosure. With Balance, you can enter into a unique, effective, and budget-friendly co-ownership arrangement with the possibility of buying us out later on and regaining sole ownership.
Contact us today to learn more.
Sources:
Home Equity: What It Is, How It Works, and How You Can Use It | Investopedia
Need cash? Now you can sell the equity in your home to investors | CNBC
Equity Sharing Lets Homeowners Sell 'a Slice' of Their House. Should They? | Money.com
