Is selling and staying right for you?
An honest answer: not always. Selling your home is not the cheapest way to get money out of it, and it means parting with your largest asset. This guide covers the options you should rule out first, what the transaction actually is, and the questions to ask any company — including us — before you sign anything.
What actually happens
You sell your home at an as-is sale price — what a buyer will pay for it today, in its current condition. The deed transfers and is recorded at the county Register of Deeds, and the liens that have to be cleared (your mortgage and any judgments) are paid off at closing. What is left after those payoffs is your equity.
If you want to stay, you choose a term — 3, 6, 12, or 24 months. The lease for that term is prepaid at closing out of your equity, so you owe nothing monthly for the whole term, and you receive the rest of your equity as cash. If you would rather not stay, you take your full equity and move on your own schedule instead.
Either way you give up ownership and the home's future appreciation; in return you get speed, certainty, your equity in cash, and — if you want it — the right to stay on as a resident with no monthly payments. Whether that trade is worth it depends entirely on your situation.
Rule out the cheaper options first
If any of these doors is open to you, it is probably the better deal — and we would rather tell you that now than have you find out later.
Call your mortgage servicer first
If you are behind on payments, your servicer may offer a repayment plan, forbearance, or a loan modification. These options usually cost far less than selling, and you keep ownership of your home. It is an uncomfortable phone call — make it anyway.
Talk to a free housing counselor
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies advise homeowners at no cost, and they work for you — not for a lender and not for us. Find one at hud.gov before you sign anything with anyone, including us.
Refinance or a home equity line
If your credit and income qualify, a refinance or HELOC is almost always a cheaper way to turn equity into cash, because you keep ownership and the long-term upside of the home. Our program exists for homeowners this door has closed on — not as a substitute for it.
Sell on the open market
If staying in the home is not essential, a traditional listing typically yields the most money. Selling to us trades some of that value for speed, certainty, and the right to stay. Only make that trade if staying genuinely matters to you.
When the program is the right fit
Equity Funding makes sense when the cheaper doors are closed and time or circumstances are working against you. The homeowners we serve best usually recognize most of this list.
- A refinance or HELOC is off the table — the bank has said no, or your income and credit will not qualify
- You are working against a real deadline, and a listing, showings, and a financed buyer would take too long
- Staying in the home matters — schools, work, family, or simply not wanting to move on someone else’s schedule
- You have meaningful equity, so a sale can pay off what you owe and still put real money in your hands
Your protections under North Carolina law
North Carolina law sets specific requirements for transactions where a homeowner facing foreclosure sells their home and stays in it — including an appraisal of the home's fair market value by an independent certified appraiser, delivered to the homeowner before they are obligated to the deal, and a written contract that spells out every material term: the parties, the total amount paid, the appraised value, and the homeowner's rights to stay in or reacquire the property.
These protections exist because bad actors target homeowners under pressure. Our process is built around them — and any company that will not walk you through them, in writing, is showing you who they are.
Five questions
to ask anyone —
including us.
What is the offer based on, and is there an appraisal?
A sale price is what a buyer will pay for the home in as-is condition today — so it is not the same as the appraised value. You should still get an independent certified appraisal you can see, before you are committed to anything. Ask for both numbers, and ask who produced each.
Is every term in writing before I sign?
The purchase price, your equity, the prepaid lease and net cash to you, how long you can stay, who pays taxes and insurance while you rent, and what happens at the end of the term. If a promise is not in the written agreement, it does not exist.
Who handles the closing?
In North Carolina, a licensed closing attorney should conduct the closing — and you are always free to have your own attorney review every document first. Any company that discourages that is telling you something.
What does it cost me to walk away?
Until you sign, the answer should be nothing. No application fees, no cancellation fees, no pressure tactics tied to a deadline the company invented.
Will the transaction be recorded?
A legitimate sale and lease are real, publicly recorded documents at the county Register of Deeds — ones you, your attorney, or your family can look up and verify.
Ruled out the
cheaper doors?
Then it costs nothing to see your actual numbers — sale price, lease payment, and terms, side by side. No credit check, and no obligation to move forward.