Hometap Equity Partners Review

Hometap Equity Partners is offered by Hometap, a financial services company founded in 2017 and based in Boston, MA. Hometap Equity Partners is available in 15 states across the USA.

• 10-year term. The investment has a contract term of 10 years, at which time you'll need to settle up with Hometap. You can do so by paying them in cash, getting cash-out refinancing, selling your home, or partnering with Hometap for another term.
• Share of the home's future value. Hometap Equity Partners gets paid a 5% to 25% share of the home's value when the contract ends. The specific percentage is based on how much cash you receive up front.
• Cash-out only. Existing homeowners can access up to 15% of their property's value without taking on debt. Funds can be used for anything, from paying off debt, renovating or retirement.
• Only available in select states. Hometap Equity Partners is currently available in 15 states.
• Fair credit accepted. If you have a credit score of 620 or higher, you may qualify for a shared equity agreement with Hometap Equity Partners.

How does the Hometap Equity Partners product work?

A shared equity agreement (also called a shared appreciation agreement or shared equity contract) is essentially a way to sell a small fraction of the equity in your home to an investment company.

As a home equity loan alternative, the Hometap Equity Partners product allows you to tap into the equity in your home without the monthly payments that come from a traditional home equity loan or line of credit. This product is especially useful for those that have significant home equity available and are looking for a flexible way to access cash for uses such as a home improvement project or to eliminate debt.

The transaction is secured like a loan but you won't be paying Hometap a monthly loan payment with interest. Instead, if your home goes up in value, Hometap will share in the gain; if it goes down, they share in the loss.

How much will Hometap invest into a shared equity agreement?

The Hometap Equity Partners program offers equity investments that range from 5% up to 15% of a property's market value. As you might expect, Hometap has a cap on the amount of funding they will invest in a single home. For the Hometap Equity Partners program, the most Hometap can invest in a single home is $400,000.

While Hometap Equity Partners is not a loan product, the maximum "loan to value" rate is 75%. That means their investment in the property plus any existing mortgage balance cannot exceed 75% of its market value. Let's say you own a property with a current market value of $100k, but you still owe $60k on your mortgage. Your equity would be $40k. In this scenario, you may qualify for a shared equity investment of up to $15k. The math being $75k (or 75% loan to value of $100k) - $60k (existing loan) = $15k.

What are the costs associated with Hometap Equity Partners?

Unlike loans, the costs associated with shared equity investments are not based on an interest rate. There are no monthly payments or accrued interest. Instead, Hometap shares in the change in value of your property. If your property value goes up, Hometap gets a share. If the value drops, Hometap shares in the losses. They get their money back when you sell your home or the contract term ends – and they typically only make a profit if you also make a profit.

At the time your home is sold -- or when the term of the investment is up -- Hometap will receive the agreed-upon percentage of the sale price or current appraised value, which can range from 5% up to 25%.

The Hometap Equity Partners program includes a closing fee that ranges from 1%, up to 5% of their investment. The Hometap Equity Partners program includes an origination fee equal to 3% of their investment.

What are the terms for a shared equity investment via Hometap?

You can use the funds provided by Hometap Equity Partners for up to 10 years. After 10 years, you will need to either return the investment, sell, refinance, or try to partner with Hometap for another term. Once the contract term ends you can return the remaining investment, sell, refinance, or partner with Hometap for another term.

To buy Hometap out, you would need to pay back their agreed-upon equity stake in your home, which is based on the total value of your home at the time of settlement.

How long does it take to close a deal with Hometap?

Hometap Equity Partners will typically fund a deal within 31 days.

What types of property does Hometap consider?

Shared equity investors often have restrictions on the type of properties they will invest in. Hometap Equity Partners will consider shared equity agreements secured by the following property types:

• Primary home
• Secondary homes and vacation properties.
• Investment properties.