The home improvement boom has been heating up for more than a year and doesn’t appear to be cooling down. Home improvement popularity grew immensely in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, largely due to Americans spending more time at home.

It’s no secret: U.S. home prices soared over the past year at the fastest pace in four decades. The result? Millions of homeowners are sitting on a record 22.7 trillion worth of home equity, 2.7 trillion of that gained in the last year alone.

If you’re in the position of most Americans, your home is likely your largest investment – by a significant margin. Some would call real estate a “passive investment”, but most of us know better!

Refinancing mortgage rates sounds as simple as paying off an existing loan and replacing it with a new one. Easy, right? Unfortunately, the mortgage refinance process can be more than a little intimidating, and making mistakes can cost you thousands.

The success of your homeownership journey largely depends on the company you keep. Having the right people by your side can help make your homeownership experience less stressful and more enjoyable.

Sherry M.* and her husband love their home in Damascus, Oregon. They have lived there for nearly 10 years, but are the first to admit that their home needs major renovations.

For those who are at least 62 years old, taking out a reverse mortgage is one way to supplement your income in your retirement years. As long as you live in...

Unison's redefining how to access their home equity. On this episode of Weaver: Beyond the Numbers Real Estate Podcast, Theo Haugen, Director, at Unison, sits down with hosts Rob Nowak & Howard Altshuler to discuss the unique partnership.

After a turbulent year, 2021 couldn’t have come fast enough for many of us. The new year brings with it a new chance for optimistic resolutions. For those resolving to ease some of the uncertainty that may have arisen in 2020, taking a fresh look at...

2020 is “the year everything changed” - and for many, retirement falls into this bucket. With businesses closing their doors and widespread layoffs and fu...

The same metropolitan allure that once attracted starry-eyed workers to Manhattan, in spite of the high cost of living, is now the force leading some to abandon it. In the age of COVID-19, the perks of a skyline view and easy commute (not t...

Thinking of renovating your space or just moving to a more suitable home all together? You’ve got your work cut out for you! Both options are considerable investments and require some serious decision making. There’s a lot to contemplate, f...

We’re approaching fire season in California. The combination of drought conditions and Covid-19 has homeowners questioning how wildfires may affect their home insurance. We've assembled a list of a few common questions to address some of the concerns.

How many quotes should you get when shopping for a mortgage? Terrance Odean, UC Berkeley professor, tells you the magic number.

Underwriting looks at the potential home buyer and the piece of real estate they're interested in purchasing to find out the degree of risk posed to the lending company.

A piggyback mortgage loan is a home equity loan or home equity line of credit (HELOC) issued to a home buyer simultaneously with a conventional mortgage. Learn why not all home buyers need a piggyback mortgage loan.

If you're serious about home buying, you'll need to show the seller that you intend to go through with the purchase, assuming you secure financing and the home inspection goes as planned. That's where an earnest money deposit comes in.

It's fulfilling to say goodbye to your landlord and move into your own home. Homeownership brings independence and privacy. More importantly, homeownership can be the ticket to wealth building that you miss out on as a renter.

Equity is how ...

If your house is your entire retirement plan, that’s putting your future in jeopardy. Check out our latest research on how American homeowners are putting their equity to work.

Lab results are a good measure of internal health. A personal trainer offers advice on muscular health. And a therapist can diagnose mental health.

But what's a good measure of financial well-being?

As a rule, mortgage lenders pref...

Most lenders expect a home buyer to be able to show a down payment amount equal to 20% of the home's value. But the National Asso...

If you’ve owned your home for at least 10 years, it’s likely that you think of it as much more than a part of your financial portfolio. After all, so much changes in a decade, and your house has been there through it all — if you moved into your home wh...

The problem with trying to save money is that there are just so many cool things to buy. It’s easier than ever to swipe your credit card at a store and leave with a new air fryer (or to just hit “add to cart” online), but this kind of casual consumerism can detrimentally impact your finances — especially if you’re managing debt while also trying to build your savings.

Buying a home isn't always a straightforward, linear process, but it's easier to achieve homeownership when you know what you're getting into and can anticipate the next move. In a competitive market, it's especially important to be one step ahead.

Terrance Odean is the Rudd Family Foundation professor of finance at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Odean had initially been interested in psychology, but was drawn to pursuing a Ph.D. in finance after lear...

If your adult child is late to leave the nest, you’re not alone: 36% of homeowners have an adult child currently living with them. Families are coming together to overcome financial barriers, and providing your child with free housing is a great way to ...

Set yourself up for success by making home improvements before putting your home on the market. The first impression is everything, and easy updates add value and can make a home more desirable to home buyers in a competitive market.

Simple ...

Down payments vary across conventional loans, FHA loans, and home co-investments. How much do you need? Short answer: It depends on the type of mortgage you use.

Private mortgage insurance (PMI) is a form of insurance home buyers pay on top of a conventional loan on a home. Generally, home buyers have to pay PMI if their down payment is less than 20% of the home's purchase price.

Private mortgage ins...

Understanding down payments makes all the difference for first-time home buyers. The down payment influences many aspects of the process, including loan eligibility and the overall cost of that loan.

Being a woman is expensive.

The gender pay gap costs women 21 cents on every dollar^[1] and the "motherhood penalty"² was recently priced at $16,000 a year. But what about the parental spend gap?

Five ways to cancel or reduce your PMI payments on a new home.

Some things we take for granted now seemed absolutely bizarre just a few years ago. Take Turo, for example: a decade ago, the concept of tapping a button on your phone to rent someone else’s car for the day—well, that would have seemed wild. But now ...

The Welcome Tower, a temporary public art installation, is a 30-foot tall reconceptualization of one of the most iconic symbols of San Francisco, Coit Tower. The Welcome Tower explores the relationship between the historic identity of San Francisco as ...

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a real-life Unison customer? Well, wonder no more because we’ve put together the most real, most raw, look at the lifestyles and cribs of Unison customers. That’s why we are proud to present: Real People Cribs.

The Winners Are In!

We’re excited to announce the official winners of the Unison Dream Home Contest! Our Dream Home Contest asked potential homebuyers to share their stories with the world to compete for a $25,000 prize to be used toward...

Whenever interest rates fluctuate, it’s news. And inevitably, a stern-looking financial analyst will be given a guest spot on the news to talk about how interest rates impact the country at large. But the bigger question is, how do changing interest ...

With the American Dream of owning a home more challenging than ever to achieve, aspiring homeowners are asking themselves if it’s worth it to buy or is it better to just rent?

Here’s our analysis on the current state of renting vs. buyin...

Buying your first home is an exciting time packed with fun decisions and new experiences. Our homebuyer glossary is here to help you feel confident and empowered by defining common real estate terms you’re likely to encounter as you navigate the home bu...

As the familiar saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.” But how about waiting 14 years to be able to put a down payment on your first home. According to the Unison Home Affordability Report, that’s the average length of time it takes someone ...

Life can be expensive. And unpredictable. We all find ourselves short on funds for something sooner or later.

Instead of taking out a loan or loading up your credit cards, if you’re already a homeowner with equity in your home, you have some opt...

In the U.S., we generally consider homes a bedrock investment. They’re a key anchor of many Americans' financial portfolios - and, increasingly, their retirement plans. But is that wise?

Today Unison I...

A visit to an open house can be intoxicating. Your anticipation builds with each step toward the door. This is the home that could realize your dreams — or dash them. And part of the thrill is not knowing which it will be.

If America is the land of opportunity, then everybody should have an opportunity to own a home. If only that opportunity were equally accessible.

Why isn’t it equal? Home prices are rising. Wages are stagnant. Personal debt is often stagg...

There’s an avalanche of conflicting information out there about millennials and the American dream of homeownership. So, we recently checked in with a bunch of them to see how they really feel about buying a place to call their own.

Welcome to Unison, Together You Can.
Home co-investing is based on a straightforward yet radical idea: with a partner in home ownership, you can go further than you can go alone.

Welcome to Unison, the world’s first home co-investing...

Saving money for anything—especially a down payment on a house—is the ultimate in adulting. It’s challenging, it’s daunting, and it’s definitely not fun.

But if you can save for a home down payment, you’ll be making one of the best investments o...

Lately, big things have been happening here at Unison. We’re excited about expanding into new states and reaching more and more consumers who are interested in using a home ownership investment.

As we continue to grow and as more people ...

Buying a home is tough, owning one is a big responsibility, and all of it is part of the American Dream. At Unison, we believe we can go further together than alone by being partners on your homeownership journey.

That’s why we’re ple...

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

We don’t have to tell you how tough it is to buy your own home. Stagnant wages, mountainous student debt, insane home prices th...

HomeOwner Agreements are structured as Option Contracts. This is the legal framework that allows us to give you long-term cash without monthly payments or interest. An option contract gives the buyer of the option the right to buy a specific asset at...

Many people looking at Unison HomeOwner also check out HELOCs and other traditional options. Because no two individuals or situations are exactly the same, you need to know your options and make the decision that best fits you and your needs.

A question we often get at Unison is "where do you get your funds?" People want to have confidence our investment in their home is coming from someone focused on the long-term.

At a fundamental level, Unison connects homeowners and home...

Imagine you want to buy a home priced at $500,000. That may sound like a lot of money — and it is! — but in many real estate markets, it’s only an average price tag.

That makes it tough for the average buyer to save up the recommended 20% dow...

A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is a financial product that allows you to tap into your home equity. You can use the money to fund home repairs, pay for large expenses, or whatever else you like. However, you need to make monthly payments to ...

If you put down less than 20 percent in cash on your conventional mortgage loan, chances are that you should plan to pay private mortgage insurance.

Private mortgage insurance, or PMI, sounds like it might be a helpful protection agains...

When people think about buying a home, one of the first places they often look is Zillow.com. It’s a very helpful website that lists homes for sale in cities and towns all across the U.S. One usef...

In determining the price of a home, many people only consider the listing price of a home, without considering the cost of interest on a loan used to finance the home. The truth is that you will probably pay a significant amount of interest over the ...

If you’re looking at buying a home, there are three little letters you’ll probably hear a lot about in the process: PMI.

PMI is private mortgage insurance, which lenders use when borrowers request a loan but look risky due to their low down p...

If you ask people what is necessary to buy a home, most experts will tell you a cash down payment of at least 20% is a key factor. Lenders will see you as a stronger borrower who brings less risk to the table, and that can increase your chances of ge...

We’re only human—sometimes we miss our bill due dates, possibly get charged a late fee, and then are more careful to pay it on time the next month. But what happens if you’re delinquent in paying something big, like your mortgage?

While ...

Getting ready to buy a home? Then you’ve probably heard that you need to save for a down payment. When it comes to figuring out how much your down payment should be, most people advise 20% of a home's purchase price.

A cash out refinance has become a popular way to tap into your home’s equity in recent years. In fact, more than 50% of homeowners used this method in 2017, according to a report conducted by Black Knight Financial Services. The process of getting ap...

PMI stands for private mortgage insurance. It’s an insurance policy your mortgage lender will take out to cover a portion of the amount you borrow in case you ever default on your loan.

This means if you stop paying what you owe on your mortg...

If you’re looking to use the equity in your home through a home equity loan or HELOC, you probably want to get the money fast. Whether you’re doing a home remodel, paying for a college education, or using the money for something else, you don’t want ...

Imagine a world where millennials didn’t have their beloved iPhones, Instagram or Chipotle…

Despite popular opinion that millennials can’t live without technology, about 29% would be willing to give up their iPhone forever, nearl...

The 3 best ways to buy a home in 2019 – from Grant Sabatier, founder of Millennial Money. Grant says that Unison is a great alternative for those who cannot afford a 20% down payment and don’t want PMI.