Better.com has launched a new product for employees with vested equity in their companies.
The program, Equity Unlocker, is designed for potential buyers who work and have vested equity they cannot access. It is currently just available for Amazon employees in Florida, New York, and Washington state, but Better is planning to extend it to 26 more states in Q2 2023.
Equity Unlockers allows these buyers to finance their homes without selling their shares. Instead, they can pledge their shares rather than sell them in order to afford a home. Amazon shares will be valued at the same time as a home appraisal. The rate and term will then be locked on Better.com.
It is non-mark-to-market and non-recourse, so the loan terms won’t change alongside the stock market. Second homes and investment homes are also eligible, according to leaders at the company.
Better leaders said a recent Schwab survey found that 43% of millennials have exercised or sold equity compensation, preventing them from participating in the growth of their companies.
“For young professionals burdened with student debt and lack of savings, we know how hard it is to buy a home. This problem is exacerbated when many of the best and fastest growing companies increasingly reward their employees with equity rather than cash,” said Better CEO & founder Vishal Garg.
“Even though equity is a valuable asset, it is considered ineligible by most banks and financial institutions when calculating the necessary down payment on a home. Today, we are very excited to announce that we have created Equity Unlocker to help Amazon employees unlock their equity, their homes, and their futures.”
Equity Unlocker was built on Amazon Web Services. Better.com has been an AWS customer 2015, and its loan origination system is powered by AWS.
“Better collaborated with AWS and Amazon leaders to find new ways to engage customers in the home-buying journey,” said Chandan Sharma, Managing Director, Worldwide Business Development, Enterprise and Industry Verticals at Amazon Web Services.
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