Before you sell a share of your home, price both options.

Home equity agreements (Point, Unlock, Hometap, and others) advertise cash with no monthly payment. The payment isn't gone — it's deferred, and it's a share of your home's future value instead of a rate. Sometimes that trade makes sense. Often, a HELOC delivers the same cash for far less. This page shows you the honest math on both.

A HELOC's cost is a rate you can see — an HEA's cost depends on your home's future value

With a HELOC you keep 100% of your appreciation, always

Check your HELOC rate in minutes — soft pull, no SSN, no obligation

Side-by-side mathA worked 10-year example below

Keep your upsideNo share of appreciation given up

Cost known in advanceA rate, not a bet on your home

As fast as 3 days*If the HELOC wins for you

Your HELOC comparison is 60 seconds away 0%

How much cash are you comparing offers for?

Use the same amount an HEA company quoted you, if you have one. Check your rate as of .

$100,000

As a HELOC: a flexible line of credit

$15K$750K

Secure ~60 seconds No SSN needed

Let's estimate your available equity

Your best guess is fine — no documents needed yet.

Estimated home value $500,000

Remaining mortgage balance $250,000

ESTIMATED AVAILABLE EQUITY$150,000

What's your credit score range?

Your best estimate is fine — it's confirmed later in the process.

What's the cash for?

This helps tailor your comparison.

What's the property address?

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Property type

Unit / Apt # — if applicable

Unit number is required for condos & townhomes

How do you use this property?

Address is verified against official U.S. records

Where should we send your offer?

Please use your full legal name (as it appears on your government-issued ID) and an email and mobile number you control — these details are verified and used in the underwriting process. Inaccurate information can delay your offer.

Legal first name

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Date of birth — required for verification

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How your information is protected: encrypted in transit, used only to prepare your offer and verify your identity, and never sold to third parties.

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Congrats — you're a fit!

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Requested line$100,000

Estimated equity$150,000

Property—

See My HELOC Offers →

5 min No docs required No SSN

Fit is based on the answers you provided and is not a loan approval. Offers are subject to verification, credit approval, and underwriting.

What each product actually is

Both put cash in your account. They are completely different contracts.

HELOC — you borrow against your equity

A loan with a rate. You pay interest on what you draw, and the cost is visible on every statement
Your home's future appreciation stays 100% yours
No balloon: no contractual deadline forcing a sale, refinance, or six-figure buyout
Requires ability to make payments — that's the honest tradeoff

HEA — you sell a slice of your home's future

Cash now, no monthly payment — genuinely helpful if payments are impossible for you today
In exchange, the company takes a share of your home's change in value — often calculated from a "risk-adjusted" starting value below your appraisal
The full amount comes due as one lump sum at the end of the term (or when you sell) — settled by sale, refinance, or cash buyout
The faster your home appreciates, the more you owe — your upside is exactly what you traded away

A worked example: $100,000 for 10 years

Hypothetical $500,000 home, $100,000 of cash, home appreciating 4% per year. HEA terms modeled on typical published structures (a ~35% share of value change from a risk-adjusted starting value ~10% below appraisal) — every provider differs, so read your actual contract.

HELOC: interest paid over 10 years (8.99% illustrative, interest-only)≈ $89,900 — paid monthly as you go

HELOC: owed at year 10$100,000 principal (no forced deadline)

HELOC: share of your appreciation owed$0

HEA: payments during 10 years$0

Home value at year 10 (4%/yr)≈ $740,000

HEA: lump sum due at year 10 (typical structure)≈ $200,000+

The HEA figure: original $100,000 plus ~35% of the ≈$290,000 change in value measured from a risk-adjusted base of $450,000. If your home appreciates faster than 4%, the HEA costs more — the cost is uncapped. If your market stays flat, the HEA can be the cheaper option. That's the real decision: a knowable rate vs. a bet against your own home. Figures are illustrative and rounded; not a quote or offer; actual HEA terms vary significantly by provider — read your contract's investment percentage, risk adjustment, term, and settlement triggers.

Checking the HELOC side takes 5 minutes

You can't compare offers you haven't seen. The HELOC side of your comparison is three steps, 100% online.

Check your rate

A few quick questions, a soft credit pull, no SSN — see what you may qualify for with zero obligation and zero cost to your comparison.

~5 minutes

Compare with real numbers

Put your actual HELOC offer next to your HEA quote: cost over 10 years, what happens if you sell, what happens if your home appreciates faster than expected.

The honest math

Take the better deal

If the HELOC wins, close 100% online with eNotary and get funded in as little as 3 days after approval.* If the HEA genuinely fits better, take it — now you know.

Your call

HELOC vs HEA vs cash-out refi

Line by line. "HEA" here means the typical home equity agreement / shared appreciation product — exact terms vary by provider.

	HELOC or HEA?RECOMMENDED	HEA (Point, Unlock, etc.)	Cash-out refi
Monthly payment	Yes (interest-only ok)	None — deferred	Yes
You keep 100% of appreciation	Yes	No — they take a share	Yes
Cost known in advance	Yes — it's a rate	No — depends on home value	Yes
Lump sum due at end of term	No balloon	Yes — buyout, refi, or sell	No
Keeps your current mortgage rate	Yes	Yes	No
Typical term pressure	Draw + repay on schedule	10–30 yr deadline to settle	New 30-yr clock
Credit flexibility	Full credit spectrum shown	Very flexible (priced in)	Strict
Ongoing ownership stake	100% yours	Shared economics	100% yours

Frequently asked questions

What is a home equity agreement (HEA)?

An HEA — offered by companies like Point, Unlock, and Hometap — gives you a lump sum of cash today in exchange for a share of your home's future value, settled as one payment at the end of a term (commonly 10–30 years) or when you sell. It is not a loan: there's no interest rate and no monthly payment, and its cost depends entirely on what your home is worth later.

HELOC or HEA — which is actually cheaper?

In most appreciating markets, the HELOC. An HEA's cost is a share of your appreciation — often measured from a risk-adjusted value below your current appraisal — and it's uncapped: the better your home performs, the more you owe. A HELOC's cost is its rate. In flat or declining markets an HEA can come out cheaper. The worked example on this page shows both sides with real arithmetic.

When does an HEA genuinely make sense?

When a monthly payment is truly not possible — for example, on fixed income with major expenses, or credit that no lender will approve — and the alternative is worse (high-interest debt, or losing the home). HEAs approve situations lenders won't, and 'no payment' is real. Just understand you're paying for it with your home's upside, and there's a lump-sum settlement at the end.

What's the 'risk adjustment' in HEA contracts?

Most HEA providers don't measure your appreciation from your home's appraised value — they discount it first (often 10–20%+), so their share is calculated from a lower starting point. That means they earn a return even if your home doesn't appreciate at all. It's disclosed, but it's the term most homeowners miss. Always find the adjusted starting value in your quote.

What happens at the end of an HEA term?

The agreement settles: you owe the original amount plus the company's share of the value change, as one lump sum. You settle it by selling the home, refinancing, or paying cash. If you can't do any of those, you may be forced to sell — which is why comparing against options with no balloon, like a HELOC, matters before signing.

Can I use a HELOC to buy out an existing HEA?

Often, yes — if you have an HEA today and want your appreciation back, a HELOC or other refinance can fund the buyout, converting an open-ended equity share into a fixed, knowable balance. Your specialist can run the numbers on your specific settlement amount.

Does checking a HELOC rate here hurt my credit or obligate me?

No and no. It's a soft credit pull with no score impact, no SSN is required to check, and there's no obligation — the entire point of this site is that you should see both sets of numbers before signing anything.

What are the HELOC's terms here?

Lines from $15,000 to $750,000, 100% online, income verified from bank statements (no tax returns or W-2s), no in-person appraisal on loans under $400,000, eNotary closing, and funding in as little as 3 days after approval.* Your existing first mortgage stays untouched.

Who is behind this site?

This comparison site is operated by the team at Honest Casa (NMLS #1566096), an Equal Housing Lender headquartered in Irvine, CA — we broker HELOCs, so that's the side we offer. The HEA analysis reflects typical published contract structures; we have no affiliation with any HEA provider. Verify licensing at NMLS Consumer Access.