As the Chief People Officer at residential equity agreement company Unison, Holly has put a significant emphasis on Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion. She has led the effort to build DEI into Unison’s culture by creating a dedicated DEI committee, discussing DEI
efforts at bi-weekly company meetings, and changing Unison’s internal policies and recruiting practices.
Some of the most notable changes Holly led Unison’s People team to implement include: 
Adding a clause to job descriptions encouraging candidates from all backgrounds to apply even if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. This change was based on studies that show women are less likely to apply for jobs for which they are not fully qualified. 
Ensuring that recruiting panels are diverse for each role, both in terms of gender and race, and also by department. This effort helps the team get diversity of mindset while hiring candidates.  
Running job descriptions through a gender decoder program that identifies any unconscious bias and informs the team if they’re weighting the job description towards a particular gender. Then they use this information to revise the descriptions accordingly. Ensuring that underrepresented talent, men, and women are interviewed for each open role. 
Implementing a structured immigration process and gladly paying for all visa sponsorship, immigration costs, and green cards for employees with a certain tenure.

All of this work led to 10 new DEI specific initiatives launched in
2021 alone, which helped Unison achieve an employee base of
46% female and 51% underrepresented groups – both of which
are well above average for high-growth fintech companies.

ChartHop: Unison Chief People Officer Holly Danko wins 2022 People Pioneers Award

Today, HousingWire announced the recipients of its 2020 Rising Stars award, recognizing industry professionals who have become leaders in their respective fields - those who are helping move markets forward, each and every day.

 We are proud to announce that Unison's Vice President of Portfolio Management, Brad Lookabaugh has been named one of HousingWire's 2020 Rising Stars.

 Since joining Unison four years ago, Brad Lookabaugh has led multiple programs that have enabled the company to partner with more customers, including the creations of Greenlight and its Equity Origination System. He oversees a unique combination of three teams at Unison: investment analysis, business systems and information technology, encompassing around 30 employees. When his team realized the company was scaling significantly faster than their software tools could keep up with, Lookabaugh saw an opportunity to challenge the status quo and develop processes and technologies to help the company skyrocket its growth. Without the tools that Lookabaugh spearheaded, Unison would still be approving investments by hand at a fraction of the speed, impacting the customer experience. The tools he was central in building have been instrumental in helping Unison achieve its impressive growth: The company has seen a 95% year-over-year increase in inquiries from consumers between January and June, and $4.2 billion in total value for the homes Unison has invested in as of December 2019. 

 Read more<a href="https://www.housingwire.com/articles/2020-hw-rising-star-brad-lookabaugh/" target="_blank"> here.</a>

090120 blog

Unison | HousingWire Rising Star Award

As part of ThriveGlobal's series, Big Ideas That Can Change The World,, Christina Warner sits down with Unison CEO, Thomas Sponholtz to chat about the career path and personal experiences that led him to create the idea of home co-investing. 

 When asked about the potential impact Unison could have, Sponholtz shares, "Until now, consumers only had one way to buy a home or access the equity in their home and that was to take on more debt. I saw the opportunity to create a solution where people do not have to compromise these goals by utilizing this available capital. The way we do things is rapidly changing, especially with the rise of the sharing economy. What we do now is bring the ability and the control that comes with equity to homeowners in a new and better way so they can really create the experience of home that they want." 

<a href="https://thriveglobal.com/stories/big-ideas-gain-a-partner-to-purchase-a-home-and-share-the-risk-and-reward-together-with-unison-ceo-thomas-sponholtz/" target="new">Read more about his opinion on future trends, career philosophies and "5 things I wish someone told me before I started" here </a>.

100819 blog

ThriveGlobal: Big Ideas | Unison Home Co-Investing

Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz recently sat down with Keane Ehsani from the <a href=https://medium.com/wharton-fintech/thomas-sponholtz-ceo-and-chairman-at-unison-home-ownership-investors-b24c17a9f042/"Wharton Fintech podcast.</a></pr>
 
 In this extensive interview, Sponholtz share about his start in Denmark, the experiences that compelled him to start Unison and the opportunity home co-investing has to make an impact on the way consumers buy homes without extra risk.

080719 blog

Unison | Wharton Fintech

Unison is proud to share our inclusion on the 2020 Forbes Fintech 50 list, highlighting our leadership in the home co-investment space! 

 This is Forbes’ fifth annual Fintech 50 list, a ranking of the world’s most innovative financial technology companies that are disrupting the way people spend, invest and save. 

 At Unison, we are thrilled to have our hard work recognized and honored to stand alongside other highly valued companies who are driving innovative change. 

 2019 has been one of immense growth for us that only helped further demonstrate the need for home co-investment. 

<h3>Highlights include:</h3>
<ul>
 <li>Expansion into 8 new states: We opened our programs to customers in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin, bringing our total footprint to 30 states plus Washington DC.</li>

<li>Unison has partnered with over 7,500 customers, allowing many to purchase their dream homes or access their home equity in a smarter, better way.</li>

<li>We have invested in homes worth $5 billion across America, opening up the asset class of residential real estate to investors in an even bigger way than ever before.</li>
</ul>

 We look forward to an even better 2020 with a renewed commitment to our mission of enabling optimal homeownership and remaining a trusted partner for customers and partners.

Unison | Forbes Fintech 50

Housing is the largest part of the US economy and its in need of major innovation. Thomas Sponholtz sits down with HousingWire to share his thoughts on the past, present and future of the industry. 

 
<a href="https://www.housingwire.com/podcast/unisons-thomas-sponholtz-on-alternative-homeownership-models-and-co-investing/" target="_blank">Unison’s Thomas Sponholtz on alternative homeownership models and co-investing</a>

012920 blog

Unison | HousingWire with CEO Thomas Sponholtz

HousingWire's annual Vanguard award list was published today, which celebrates the top C-level leaders in the housing and mortgage industry. <a href="https://housingwire.com/vanguard/" target="_blank">The HW Vanguard Award</a> recognizes leaders of businesses contributing to the growth of the housing economy and its various sectors, including lending, servicing, investments, and real estate. They come from diverse backgrounds, and may run established companies or start-ups, but share one common trait: an unmistakable impact on the industry at-large.

<h3>About Thomas</h3>
 Thomas Sponholtz’s focus is clear at Unison, and it’s changing how people buy and own homes and lowering the barrier to homeownership. 

 In 2004, Sponholtz founded Unison, where he invented home co-investing as an alternative to debt-only financing, which brings investors together with consumers to solve both of their problems. 

 The goal Sponholtz had in mind when beginning Unison was to launch a company whose model was focused on aligning the interests of consumers with those at the source of their capital. Sponholtz led the company’s change to a direct-to-consumer business model. This inspired the company’s brand re-launch. 

 In 2018, Sponholtz led Unison to a 370% year over year revenue growth, and a 308% year over year growth in customer transactions. Also in 2018, Sponholtz raised a $40 million Series B funding round for the company, which was the first time it had to seek outside investor funding since its launch. 

 This year, Sponholtz expanded Unison’s HomeOwner and HomeBuyer services to eight additional states in the nation to introduce the advantages of home co-investing to over 5 million more homes. As of July 1, 2019, Unison has helped more than 5,000 people and families, with a total of $3.5 billion invested into homes. 

 Sponholtz’s idea of “enlightened capitalism” and Unison’s “secret sauce” of patient capital provided by larger fund managers from pension funds and endowments enable Unison to design products that are in consumers’ best interests. Unison was designed to have interests fully aligned with its customers. 

 What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 

 “If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to truly believe in your mission. I have seen this advice come to life since launching Unison. There are many ups and downs when launching a business, and it is essential to be passionate and remember why you started initially.”

120219 blog

Unison | HousingWire Vanguard

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Insights about homeownership after a pandemic year.

The State of the American Homeowner: One Year Later

Trust the experts and discover what leading publications, podcasts, and experts have to say about Unison's innovative home loan alternatives.

In The Press | Unison Reviews And Mentions

Factsheet Unison

Company Fact Sheet

Article originally found on Forbes.com 

When Damien Vrana and his wife, who wed last year, began looking for a house in New Jersey, their lender suggested a rather novel approach to financing. For the down payment, they could co-invest with Unison, a San Francisco-based real estate company. Vrana, who owns a small business that rehabs and readies homes for sale, liked the idea. 

 “As much money as I can reinvest back into my own business as opposed to tying it all up in a large down payment on a house just made a lot of sense to me,” he says. 

 “We can keep our money in our own possession, which allows us to potentially do other investments and grow that money, whether it's into my small business or other possibilities as the years go by,” says Vrana, adding that the family has already undertaken a basement renovation. 

 <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dimawilliams/2020/02/23/moving-past-the-mortgage-how-startups-are-shifting-home-financing-from-debt-to-equity/?sh=566c8d403cd1/" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

022420 blog

How Startups Are Shifting From Debt To Equity | Forbes | Unison

The company hired one-time PayPal and eBay executive Ryan Downs as president, Silicon Valley Bank veteran Scott Case as chief financial officer and Joe Celentano from Wells Fargo Securities as global head of markets. Unison said Monday that it closed on a $443 million securitization, the largest such financing backed by the company’s residential equity agreements.

Read the full article https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/02/07/s-f-fintech-unison-makes-key-c-suite-hires.html

SF Business Times | S.F. fintech Unison makes trio of key C-suite hires and secures its $443 million residential equity agreement securitization

Residential equity agreement firm Unison announced a $443 million securitization that it claims is the largest bond issue of its kind, opening the door for greater investor involvement.

Read the full article [here](https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/unison-issues-443-million-residential-equity-agreement-securitization)

National Mortgage News | Unison issues $443 million residential equity agreement securitization

The San Francisco-based firm, which currently manages US$1.3bn in residential equity agreements, priced its inaugural US$443m deal in December. The deal, on which Nomura and Barclays were joint bookrunners, is callable in 36 months.

Read the full article [here](https://www.ifre.com/story/3241106/unison-eyes-up-to-three-home-equity-rmbs-in-2022-1dghryzjzg)

IFR | Unison completed its first $443 million residential equity agreement securitization

Home-equity investment pioneer Unison closed a $443 million residential equity agreement securitization
Unison recently completed a $443 million private-label offering backed by an emerging class of home-equity assets in which investors and the homeowners share in both the upside and downside of a property’s value over time.

Read the full article [here](https://www.housingwire.com/articles/home-equity-investment-pioneer-unison-taps-the-secondary-market/)

Housingwire | Unison taps the secondary market

<h3>Startups backed by deep-pocketed investors are looking at a new way to profit from rising home prices</h3> 

Some well-funded startups have an unusual pitch for homeowners strapped for cash: Let’s own this house together. 

A handful of companies, including those backed by marquee Silicon Valley names such as Andreessen Horowitz and Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropic organization, are experimenting with a product that essentially lets them take an ownership position in a house along with the homeowner. The agreements, called shared-equity contracts, provide a new way for investors to get exposure to rising home prices across the U.S. 

<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-explores-a-new-investment-your-home-1518955201" target="new">Read entire article</a>.

010622 6 blog

WSJ | Silicon Valley Explores A New Investment, Your Home | Unison Home Co-Investing

In prior generations, buying a home was considered the chief symbol of the American Dream—and this dream was often aided by states and cities. However, due to factors like housing scarcity in major U.S. cities, many millennials have been excluded from this so-called American dream—San Francisco being the perfect example. The Bay Area has enjoyed a significant increase in jobs without the same growth in home inventory causing an even higher barrier to purchase a home. The Atlantic explores the impact of existing housing policies that were implemented decades ago, alongside proposed policies by younger generations, resulting in generational warfare. 

 <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/why-millennials-cant-afford-buy-house/591532/" target="_blank">Read the full article “Why Housing Policy Feels Like Generational Warfare” in The Atlantic which cites several key housing statistics provided by Unison’s Home Affordability report.</a>

091819 blog

Unison | The Atlantic

For those that couldn't quite afford the down payment in the big city of their choice, there used to be a fool-proof solution: rent until you can save for that elusive 20% down payment.

 However, the cost of living is exceeding the growth of wages and coupled with millennials' massive debt, the hurdles are immense.

As Unison's VP of Partner Channel, Ayesha Dillon states that home co-investing is more timely and relevant than ever."Over the last years, we've homed in on segments of the population, but we found that millennial buyers are coming out with student debt and have a harder time with the down payment, so they are a natural fit," Dillon said.

<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gy4d5w/people-are-moving-to-smaller-cities-in-search-of-affordable-houses-that-dont-exist" target="new">Read the full Vice article here</a>.

100619 2 blog

Housing Finance Fintech Sees Soaring Growth As It Helps Americans Buy Homes

2018 was an exciting year at Unison. 

We expanded into new states, shared success stories featuring Unison HomeOwner customers and Unison HomeBuyer customers, announced our annual Home Affordability Report, released the results of a nationwide survey of home buyers, and attended conferences across the country. 

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/Unison-covered-in-NYT-e1528238924411.jpg">

Now, we have another exciting milestone to share. This past week, Unison was mentioned in <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/your-money/home-buying-shared-equity.html" target="new">a New York Times article</a> about the rise of shared equity programs for home buyers: 

<div>
<q>…a small but growing number of home buyers are trying something different: asking an outside investor to put down money alongside them… It is called shared equity, and Unison, a company based in San Francisco, is the largest of a handful of firms putting it to work.</q>
</div> 

<a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/your-money/home-buying-shared-equity.html" target="new">Click here to read the full story on The New York Times website</a>

010622 4 blog

Unison In The New York Times | Unison Home Co-Investing

Ozy, a news site "for the disruptive Change Generation" explores the phenomena of how long it takes to save for a 20% down payment across a variety of cities using Unison's annual Affordability Report.

 They look into the benefits of homeownership and the work Unison is doing to help potential homeowners get into the market. 

 <a href="https://www.ozy.com/acumen/where-saving-for-a-house-can-take-95-years/94924" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

081219 blog

This Company Will Double Your Down Payment | Unison Home Co-Investing

Article originally found on MReport.com 

A new report by Unison forecasts that it will take two years for home prices to recover from the effects of COVID-19. 

 Unison gave numerous reasons as to why the industry is in a better position to survive an economic depression when compared to the Great Recession more than a decade ago. The report said the industry is more prepared due to the current presence of more government support available to aid homeowners in particular versus in the past. 

 <a href="https://themreport.com/daily-dose/04-14-2020/report-home-prices-to-take-2-years-to-recover" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

060120 blog

How Long Could Home Prices Take To Recover? | Unison

<img src="https://d3jkudlc7u70kh.cloudfront.net/top-10-largest-cities-in-america.jpg"> 

Article originally found on Money.com 

A buyer looking to make a smart long-term bet in today’s volatile housing market should follow the jobs, according to a new report. That may mean avoiding cities too heavily reliant on a single industry for jobs and seeking out those with more diversified economies. 

 The research, from Unison, a San Francisco-company that co-invests with homeowners in 30 states, contends owner-occupied housing will recover slowest in areas with heavy job losses. The most vulnerable of the 20 cities analyzed? Las Vegas, Miami and Detroit because employment in those places is heavily concentrated in one or two hard-hit industries. 

 “Wages drive home prices. More people making more money means more demand for homes,” says Unison Chief Executive Thomas Sponholtz. “You have to ask: ‘How diversified is the demand side for housing in a certain market?” 

 <a href="https://money.com/coronavirus-housing-market-cities/?xid=moneyrss" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

063020 blog

3 Cities Where Coronavirus Could Hit Housing the Hardest | Unison

From the Los Angeles Times 

When Ricardo and Catherine Soto were looking to buy a home in Chula Vista, they knew that even after selling their old house in El Cajon they would be able to afford a down payment of only about 10%. 

But when buying a home, 20% is the magic number. It means not only borrowing less but also avoiding mortgage insurance, which can cost hundreds of dollars a month.

<img style="max-width:80%;height:auto;" src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/Neighborhood.jpg">

Some cash-strapped home buyers might have opted to tap a relative or retirement savings, but the Sotos tried something new. When they bought their home for $650,000 in September, the couple came up with the 20% after all — thanks to an unusual arrangement with a newcomer to the mass mortgage market. 

Unison, a 12-year-old San Francisco company, offered to match the $65,000 that the Sotos brought to the table in exchange for what amounts to an ownership stake in their house. 

The Sotos don’t have to pay anything back — not for a while, at least. But when the couple sell their house they will owe Unison the $65,000 it invested, plus 35% of the value their home gains. Should the market suffer a setback, Unison will share in the loss. 

The company, formerly called FirstREX, is one of a handful of firms developing novel financial products aimed at helping buyers afford increasingly expensive homes now that the market has recovered from last decade’s housing bust. 

<a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-home-equity-investments-20170106-story.html" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

010622 blog

From USA Today 

If you have to a super-expensive housing market and you don’t have the accumulated down payment, shared appreciation mortgages offer an alternative. 

Lindsay and Trevor O’Keefe are early-30s parents to a growing family. In fact, just hours before Trevor was interviewed, Lindsay had given birth to their third child. Trevor sounded tired. Unsurprisingly, Lindsay didn’t come to the phone. 

<img style="max-width:80%;height:auto;" src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/First-Rex-now-unison.jpg">
 

Even before their family’s new addition, the O’Keefes were living in a yard-less condo and looking to move to a larger home. However, relying on one income — Trevor is a pastor at a suburban San Diego church — they were priced out of the city’s expensive real estate market. 

Then their lender suggested a third-party provider that would help them put more money down, borrow less and have a lower monthly payment. 

It sounded almost too good to be true. There is a catch, though. You generally give up more than a third of your home’s future value. 

<h3>Shared appreciation mortgages</h3>

The company the lender recommended was Unison, a home equity investor that offers “shared appreciation” mortgages. 

Companies like Unison — two others are Patch Homes and Point — allow homeowners to tap the equity in their homes without taking out a loan; the investment company takes a share of growth in the home’s future value instead. 

But the Unison Homebuyer program takes the idea a step further, by splitting down payments with homebuyers. 

“Shared appreciation mortgages have never really attracted that much attention,” says Anthony B. Sanders, professor of finance at George Mason University. However, a down-payment-assistance version of the strategy is likely to appeal most to jumbo mortgage borrowers, especially “if you have to go into a super-expensive housing market and you don’t have the accumulated down payment,” he says. 

“I think any time you first hear about an investment group who wants to help you out, you can be a little leery,” O’Keefe acknowledges. But he adds that Unison’s presentation made the couple aware of every aspect of the agreement. 

The deal also gave the O’Keefes the ability to have some money on hand to address maintenance issues in the aging house they wanted to purchase. 

<h3>How a shared appreciation mortgage works</h3>

Here’s how the Unison program works on a 20% down payment plan:
<ul>
<li>The company splits a 20% down payment with you. It’s an investment, not a loan. You make no payments to Unison until you sell the home, and the company has no ownership or occupancy rights.</li>
<li>Unison takes 35% of the future change in the home’s value.</li>
<li>A transaction fee, paid at loan closing, amounts to 2.5% of Unison’s investment. For example, if Unison is providing $50,000 — half of the 20% down payment on a $500,000 home — the fee would be $1,250.</li>
<li>You can buy back Unison’s interest before you sell.</li>
<li>Or, if you sell the home, you pay back Unison’s share of the down payment from the proceeds, as well as 35% of the home’s gain in value.</li>
<li>If you never move and eventually pay off the mortgage, you’ll still have to pay Unison’s share of appreciation, plus its portion of the down payment.</li>
<li>If the home doesn’t gain value, you simply pay back Unison’s share of the down payment.</li>
<li>If the home loses value, it’s deducted from the down payment reimbursement.</li>
 </ul>
If you remodel your home and it adds value to the property, a 100% adjustment of that value will be made at the end of the agreement. 

<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/03/13/company-double-your-down-payment-whats-catch/98727302/" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

010622 3 blog

This Company Will Help With A Down Payment | Unison Home Co-Investing

“Unison’s 2018 growth numbers point to a clear break from the debt-only status quo in residential real estate,” Thomas Sponholtz, Unison’s founder and CEO, said in a statement.

San Francisco-based Unison said it achieved triple-digit growth in revenue and doubled its employees in 2018 as the fintech gained traction in the marketplace.
Unison is among a crop of Bay Area companies eager to change how Americans buy, sell and finance homes.

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/thomas-sponholtz-unison_750xx1920-1080-0-0.png">

Unison helps people buy houses by purchasing stakes of home equity. Some customers use the money for larger down payments, which can allow buyers to shop for pricier homes than they could otherwise. Others reduce the mortgage debt they take on when they buy a home. Long-time homeowners can use Unison to turn some of their home equity into cash.

Since Unison’s stake in a home represents equity and not debt, there is no monthly payment. Unison’s institutional investors putting up the money to buy all these stakes of home equity ultimately share in the upside or downside of changes in a home’s value. 

<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2019/02/12/residential-real-estate-unison-san-francisco-rbc.html" target="new">Read the full article from this San Francisco Business times here</a>.

010622 2 blog

From LowestRates.ca

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/home.jpeg">
As home co-investing becomes more familiar with consumers, the idea is making its way up North. Canada-based LowestRates.ca dives deeper around Unison, the co-investment landscape and how it helps buyers get into homes with a smarter, better way. 

Read more <a href="https://www.lowestrates.ca/blog/homes/shared-equity-mortgages-are-they-good-idea" target="new">here</a>.

060519 blog

Shared equity mortgages are becoming big business. Are they a good idea?

The sharing economy has risen rapidly over the last few years, from ride share to co-working spaces. Brick Underground, a website The New York Times calls the "first step for New Yorkers getting ready to move" explores Unison's model thoroughly, chatting with a client, financial advisor and Unison itself. 

 Ayesha Dillon from Unison explains why it's such a great option for buyers looking to make a smarter financial decision around their home purchase, "We work with buyers who are looking for their primary home and could use our down payment cash to create flexibility with their home purchase, whether it's reserving cash for a rainy day or keeping their monthly payment low by not paying PMI."

<a href="https://www.brickunderground.com/buy/buying-with-co-investor-fintech-unison-nyc" target="new">Read the full Brick Underground article here</a>.

100619 blog

Buying in New York | Unison

From Reverse Mortgage Daily 

Nearly half of American homeowners, at 48%, say they plan to retire sometime in their 60s. An additional 9% plan to do so during their 50s, and 22% plan on their 70s. 5%, however, say they’ll never retire, and 11% don’t know if retirement is an option for them. These are the findings of a survey called <a href="https://www.unison.com/article/the_state_of_the_american_homeowner" target="new">“State of the American Homeowner,”</a> conducted by alternative equity tapping company Unison. 

 More than two-thirds (68%) of American homeowners express being either “confident” or “very confident” in the amount of assets they have saved to fund their retirements, by-and-large the numbers they report do not appear to support such optimism, according to Unison. 

<a href="https://reversemortgagedaily.com/2020/02/11/unison-senior-retirement-goals-unclear-savings-insufficient/" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

020320 blog

Reverse Mortgage | Unison

<img src=https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/blog/Couple-on-bench.jpg>

From Yahoo! Finance 

Some Americans are pinning their retirement hopes on their homes, betting that housing appreciation will continue and compensate for their lack of savings. But experts warn that adults shouldn’t bank on houses as their only retirement investment – even if real estate appreciation continues. 

One in 4 U.S. homeowners plan to use their home to fund their retirement, according to a <a href="https://www.unison.com/article/the_state_of_the_american_homeowner" target="new">recent survey from Unison</a>, a home co-investing firm. Of those, 1 in 6 said their home represents half or more of their retirement nest egg. 

“If someone thinks their home is going to fund 100% of retirement, that’s a little scary, but I’m not surprised,” said James Ciprich, advisor at RegentAtlantic, a financial planning firm. “We have a retirement savings crisis.” 

<a href="https://money.yahoo.com/home-to-fund-retirement-165957826.html" target="new">Read the full article here</a>.

012020 blog

Homeowner's Big Retirement Mistake | Unison

The company finishes banner year of growth with largest securitization of its kind.

 

<ul class="list-disc">
 <li>Residential equity agreement (REA) securitization creates an unprecedented opportunity for institutional investors to participate in the residential equity market.</li> 
 <li>The securitization is intended to drive favorable financial benefits for consumers including increased efficiency and better leverage in the markets.</li>
 <li>Expands C-suite with two seasoned executives.</li>
</ul>

 
SAN FRANCISCO, February 07, 2022 (<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/" target="_blank">BUSINESS WIRE</a>) -- <a href="https://www.unison.com/">Unison</a>, the leader in residential equity agreements (REAs), has closed a $443 million securitization, which supports residential equity agreements across the country and gives more access to institutional investors who want to participate in the sector. This milestone transaction is the largest securitization of REAs to date, rounding out a historical year of growth for the fintech company.

Home prices have been increasing rapidly over the past year, creating a record $24 trillion of wealth locked in the U.S. housing market according to the <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/OEHRENWBSHNO" target="_blank">Federal Reserve of St Louis.</a><a href="#ftn1">[1]</a> Unlocking trapped equity, however, has gotten harder as banks have tightened lending standards and traditional home equity solutions require a homeowner to take on additional debt and monthly payments. This transaction offers the opportunity for investors to access residential real estate equity and increases liquidity for homeowners across the country looking to monetize the equity in one of their most valuable assets—their homes.

 This transaction closed December 22, 2021 and included Nomura Securities International, Inc. as the structuring agent and joint bookrunner with participation from Barclays Capital Inc. as joint bookrunner. Mayer Brown, LLP served as the legal representative of the issuer, and Sidley Austin, LLP served as the legal representative of the initial purchasers.

 "The Unison securitization allows a wider range of investors to participate in the space of residential equity agreements," said Matthew O’Hara, Head of Portfolio Management & Research, Unison Investment Management. "It also increases the efficiency of the market, which should lead to wider adoption amongst homeowners, ultimately leading to a larger, more liquid marketplace that benefits homeowners and investors alike."

 "We are doing something truly innovative in a market that is ripe for change," Unison founder and CEO Thomas Sponholtz said. "This securitization adds a new component to our investment management arm and adds an important source of capital to fund consumer REAs across the country; we have the opportunity to utilize this funding mechanism to help our current and future consumers harness the power of the equity in their homes. I’m proud of the work the Unison Investment Management team has accomplished, and this is another important milestone that is helping to make residential equity more accessible for both consumers and investors seeking exposure to the market."

 As a part of its growth, Unison has also <a href="https://www.unison.com/press/unison_president_cfo/">added new talent</a> to its executive team, naming PayPal/eBay veteran Ryan Downs as President, Silicon Valley Bank growth expert Scott Case as Chief Financial Officer and Wells Fargo Securities Joe Celentano as Global Head of Markets. 

 Unison Investment Management (UIM) delivers efficient and scalable investment opportunities into the largest asset class in the world: owner-occupied residential real estate. Unison Investment Management has been investing in homes since 2006, currently manages $1.3B in residential equity agreements, and has a 10+ year track record of 16.3% annualized net returns since 2010. Unison Investment Management’s portfolios provide low volatility and high risk-adjusted net returns relative to other major asset classes.

 
About Unison

 Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through Unison residential equity agreements, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit <a href="https://www.unison.com/"> www.unison.com</a> or follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/" target="_blank"> Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/myunison/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Unison" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.

 

<div id="footnotes">
 [1]
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (US), Households; Owners' Equity in Real Estate, Level [OEHRENWBSHNO], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis;<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/OEHRENWBSHNO" target="_blank"> https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/OEHRENWBSHNO</a>, January 13, 2022.</a>
 
 
</div>

 <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220207005168/en/" target="_blank">View source version on businesswire.com</a> 

 
Press Contact
 <a href="mailto:mediadesk@unison.com">mediadesk@unison.com</a>

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Doors-two-tone

The company finishes banner year of growth with largest securitization of its kind.

Unison | Securitization

SAN FRANCISCO — March 16, 2022 - Unison, the leader in residential equity agreements, today announced the grand opening of a new office in Omaha, Nebraska. This new office expansion enables Unison to accelerate growth in sales, technology, financial services and customer experience. 

The pandemic has fundamentally changed how and where Americans work. As Unison continues to scale, expanding its US footprint remains an important part of its growth plans. In-person collaboration is core to Unison’s culture, while also offering the flexibility for remote and hybrid work, when needed. The new office capitalizes on Omaha’s diverse financial services and technology talent pool. 

“Omaha is the natural choice for Unison’s expansion,” said Unison President Ryan Downs, who will also be leading the Omaha office. ”The city has a highly skilled and educated workforce as a result of its world-class colleges and universities and numerous Fortune 500 and fintech headquartered companies.” 

To support its growth, Unison has hired Lynette Ryan as VP of Operations; she will be based in Omaha where she will oversee the growth of the office, which will ultimately have more than hundreds of employees as the company expands its team in the region. Her role also extends as the leader of the sales, acquisition and investment underwriting teams. 

"I am thrilled to bring meaningful employment opportunities to the dedicated and loyal employee,” shared Lynette Ryan. “ There is something to be said about the work ethic and loyalty of employees in the heartland. There is something really special about joining a company that is dedicated to grow in Omaha where you are one of the first couple employees that will help to create and build the future of our company literally from the ground up here in Omaha." 

Lynette Ryan is an Omaha/Council Bluffs native with nearly 15 years of experience overseeing operations and process improvement at PayPal. Additionally, as principal of LLR Operations Consulting, she helped businesses scale and launch new operations. 

“We are excited to launch our second office in a rapidly growing city that is frequently named one of the best places to live in America. Omaha is a top destination for young professionals and families, and the vibrant culture provides opportunities to advance our commitment to diversity and a healthy work/life balance,” said Holly Danko, Chief People Officer. 

“Nebraska is thrilled to welcome Unison, an outstanding innovator and industry leader, to our exciting and growing ecosystem of global fintech firms,” said Nebraska Department of Economic Development Director Anthony L. Goins. “Investments such as this one further prove that Nebraska is emerging as a national leader in the fintech sector. We are honored to be selected as Unison's number one choice for expanding its company's bright future. We look forward to the incredible contributions Unison will bring to the city of Omaha and Nebraska as a whole." 

To learn more about Unison’s expansion to Omaha or to apply for employment, please visit <a href='http://unison.com/omaha-office'>unison.com/omaha-office</a>. 

About Unison
Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through residential equity agreements, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit <a href='https://www.unison.com/'>www.unison.com</a> or follow us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/' target='_blank'>Facebook</a>, <a href='https://www.instagram.com/myunison/' target='_blank'>Instagram</a>, <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/company/19100900' target='_blank'>LinkedIn</a>, <a href='https://twitter.com/Unison' target='_blank'>Twitter</a> and <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA' target='_blank'>YouTube</a>. 

Press Contact
<a href='mailto:mediadesk@unison.com'>mediadesk@unison.com</a>

omaha office (1)

Growing fintech hires new VP of Operations to join President at second location

Unison expands with a new office in Omaha, Nebraska

SAN FRANCISCO — March 07, 2022 - Unison, the leader in residential equity agreements, has been named to the <a href='https://www.housingwire.com/articles/2022-housingwire-tech100-real-estate-honorees/?utm_campaign=2022%20Tech100&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=205488864&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9ojT1K8CZtx6K4UuVHelLc5u1x540vyCKOVwpIzkle-vQ7wz-REgTeW67fa87Re505EoSQCNFluSg8xWwtxr-nPQS7ZA&utm_content=205488864&utm_source=hs_email' target='_blank'>2022 HousingWire Tech100 Real Estate</a>, which honors the most innovative companies in the housing economy. 

“It’s an honor to be named in this year’s HousingWire Tech100,” said founder and CEO Thomas Sponholtz. “Unison is focused on providing forward-thinking solutions to help more homeowners finance their goals without taking on debt, and we’re incredibly proud for our work to be recognized through this award. We’re looking forward to taking this momentum into Q2 and the remainder of the year.” 

This award continues Unison’s exciting kickoff to 2022 as the company has also announced a groundbreaking $443 million securitization through its Investment Management arm. The deal enables the company to support more residential equity agreements across the country and provide greater access for institutional investors that want to sustainably invest in owner-occupied residential real estate. 

“This year’s list of Tech100 honorees proves once again that innovation within housing is vital in differentiating the organizations who will thrive and those who will be left behind,” said Clayton Collins, CEO of HW Media. “This list spotlights the innovators that are making the housing sector better and more sustainable by increasing efficiency, improving user and borrower experiences and bringing elasticity and improvements to age-old processes.” 

About Unison
Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through residential equity agreements, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit <a href='https://www.unison.com/'>www.unison.com</a> or follow us on <a href='https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/' target='_blank'>Facebook</a>, <a href='https://www.instagram.com/myunison/' target='_blank'>Instagram</a>, <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/company/19100900' target='_blank'>LinkedIn</a>, <a href='https://twitter.com/Unison' target='_blank'>Twitter</a> and <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA' target='_blank'>YouTube</a>. 

Press Contact
<a href='mailto:mediadesk@unison.com'>mediadesk@unison.com</a> 

About HW Media
HW Media is the leading digital community for real estate, financial services and fintech professionals to engage, connect and gain knowledge. Founded in 2016 through the acquisition of HousingWire, HW Media is based in Dallas, TX with team members across the country. HW Media is owned by Riomar Capital. 

About HousingWire
HousingWire is the most influential source of news and information for the U.S. mortgage and housing markets. Built on a foundation of independent and original journalism, HousingWire reaches over 60,000 newsletter subscribers daily and over 1.0 million unique visitors each month. Our audience of mortgage, real estate and fintech professionals rely on us to Move Markets Forward. Visit <a href='http://www.housingwire.com' target='_blank'>www.housingwire.com</a> or <a href='http://www.solutions.housingwire.com' target='_blank'>www.solutions.housingwire.com</a> to learn more.

housing wire

Unison continues momentum through the first quarter of 2022

Unison named 2022 HousingWire Tech100 Real Estate Honoree

SAN FRANCISCO — December 16, 2021 

 <a href="https://www.unison.com/">Unison</a>, the leader in residential equity agreements, has added significant talent to its executive team, naming PayPal/eBay veteran Ryan Downs as President and Silicon Valley Bank growth expert Scott Case as Chief Financial Officer.

“With investments in almost 8,000 homes across 30 states and the District of Columbia, and over $1.2 billion in assets under management, Unison has clearly demonstrated both the value and viability of residential equity agreements to homeowners and institutional investors,” said Thomas Sponholtz, founder and CEO, Unison. “Now, Ryan and Scott will help us strategically scale this solution that will strengthen homeownership—enabling more people to benefit from the equity they’ve built up without taking on debt. Ryan and Scott’s experience and expertise will enable Unison to bring this solution to more homeowners across the country and we’re excited to have them on board.” 

 As President of Unison, Downs will be responsible for managing and scaling the company’s day-to-day operations. He joins Unison after a decade as President and CEO of Proxibid, a leading platform for buying and selling highly valued assets online. Proxibid experienced tremendous growth under his leadership, reaching $6B in annual transaction volume and resulting in an acquisition by a private equity group in 2020. Prior to Proxibid, Downs held a number of leadership roles on PayPal and eBay’s executive teams where he oversaw global operations. He was instrumental in the growth of both companies; his work included launching operations in Europe and Asia, as well as leading PayPal through the IPO and eBay acquisition. 

 “I’m thrilled to be joining Unison at such a pivotal time. Residential equity agreements are truly a gamechanger for homeowners in helping them achieve their financial goals—whether it's to reduce debt, plan for retirement, or even start their own business,” said Downs. “Unison is very much a mission-driven company, and I’m looking forward to working with Thomas and the team to help expand on that mission and bring this solution to more people.” 

 Case brings over 25 years of experience to the Unison executive team. He recently spent more than seven years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he launched and transformed several of the bank’s core businesses such as the Private Bank, Global Fund Banking, and Leverage Finance. His executive experience includes the CFO role at security software giant Actiance, and President of Silicon Motion, before the graphics semiconductor and memory technology firm became a public company. 

 “It’s an incredible time to be at Unison,” Case noted. “The residential equity agreement market hasn’t seen anything new in decades, and with home prices having surged, equity is at a record level. I think there’s a huge opportunity for Unison to expand and serve a much wider market and I’m excited to be part of that.” 

 About Unison

Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through residential equity agreements, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit <a href="https://www.unison.com/">www.unison.com</a>,or follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/myunison/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/unison-home-ownership-investors">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Unison">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA">YouTube</a>.


Press Contact
mediadesk@unison.com

Unison-Leaders

Residential Equity Agreements Leader Unison Appoints President and CFO | Unison

SAN FRANCISCO, February 10, 2022 (<a href="https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/">Inside Mortgage Finance</a>)

Having recently completed its first securitization of residential equity agreements, Unison is already working on a second deal, a hopeful sign for this nontraditional business. 

 Company portfolio manager Matthew O'Hara said the San Francisco-based Unison closed its first securitization – not exactly an MBS – in late December, an offering sized at $443.0 million.

 Nomura Securities acted as the structuring agent and joint bookrunner with Barclays Capital serving as joint bookrunner. Mayer Brown was the deal's legal adviser while Sidley Austin represented investors.

 The “A” bond on the securitization pays investors 4.5% while the subordinated bonds carry a yield of 6.5%. There are residual tranches as well. 

 O’Hara is careful to point out that residential equity agreements should not be confused with traditional mortgages. A lien is recorded, he said, but “it’s not considered a debt.” That’s good news for the consumer. 

 The borrower gets into a home with little in the way of a down payment but agrees to share the upside on the property’s appreciation with Unison. 

 Depending on how much money Unison brings to the table, the equity share can range from 40% to 70%. The company, licensed in 29 states and Washington, DC, originates and services the loans as well.

 Unlike some REAs, Unison caters to prime credit borrowers. “Our average FICO score on the ($443.0 million) securitization is 760,” O’Hara told Inside MBS & ABS.

 He is uncertain when exactly the second transaction will hit the market, though it is in the works. “We’d like to do more of these,” he noted.

 To date, there have not been many REA securitizations and Unison believes its late December transaction is the largest one ever. 

 In a statement, the company said the transaction “offers the opportunity for investors to access residential real estate equity and increases liquidity for homeowners across the country looking to monetize the equity in one of their most valuable assets – their homes.”

 The privately held Unison gets its cash from private investment funds and there’s a real estate investment trust component as well. 

 <a href="https://www.insidemortgagefinance.com/articles/223746-one-rea-securitization-done-unison-readies-another?v=preview">View source version on www.insidemortgagefinance.com</a> 

 
Press Contact
 <a href="mailto:mediadesk@unison.com">mediadesk@unison.com</a>

pexels-kampus-production-8815826 1

Unison | Inside Mortgage Finance

SAN FRANCISCO — June 23, 2021 — Unison, the leader in home co-investments, has raised an additional $210 million to help consumers access the record equity they’ve accumulated in their homes.
 
Home prices have been increasing rapidly over the past year, creating a record $7 trillion of new “tappable” equity as of 2020 year end, and Americans homebound during the pandemic are eager for expansion and improvement, from renovated kitchens and bathrooms to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Tapping that equity, however, has gotten harder, as banks have tightened lending standards, and traditional channels tie a homeowner to additional debt and monthly payments, with interest. “Home prices have surged, and we enable people to smartly and prudently harvest a slice of the gain without adding more debt to pay for retirement, diversify investments, pay bills or pay off debt, or make home improvements. With many homeowners now owning too much home as a percentage of their net worth, using Unison for liquidity without having to sell the house in order to diversify and pay off debt is a really smart move,” said Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz.
 
Home co-investments offer many benefits that debt cannot offer and can be superior to traditional cash-out refinances or home equity loans. Homeowners are offered a cash payment of up to 17.5 percent of their home’s current market value - up to $500,000. Because a Unison home co-investment is not debt, there are no monthly payments or interest attached. When the house is sold or 30 years pass, the owner pays Unison an amount equal to the initial co-investment, plus/minus a percentage of the home’s change in value since the transaction was initiated—in partnership with the homeowner. Homeowners are free to use the cash received for anything, but purchases of long-term value tend to be popular (e.g., retirement planning, debt payoff, medical expenses, home remodeling, or investing in diverse stocks and bonds).

Unison is backed by institutional investors who benefit from gaining exposure to the asset class of owner-occupied residential real estate (OOR), which is the world’s largest, with a value of over $160TN<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>. In addition to its huge size, OOR offers substantial diversification benefits due to its low correlation with equity and fixed income indices<a href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2">[2]</a>. OOR is also a powerful long-term hedge against inflation, as housing is the largest component of CPI (42% of representative household basket of goods).

 
Unison Investment Management has invested in almost 8,000 homes across 30 states and the District of Columbia, with over $1 billion in assets under management.<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3">[3]</a>

“This is a win-win for institutional investors and homeowners alike as we’re creating new investment opportunities and helping homeowners tap their growing home equity to meet important financial needs without accumulating more debt,” said Thomas Sponholtz, Unison’s founder and CEO. “Access to a multiple of home price appreciation is one of the few investments that institutional investors can make at scale to seek to increase expected returns while lowering overall risk of their portfolios. Given the funding demands created by the current rate environment and longevity, it is a critical addition.” 
The company has also bolstered its Investment Management team with the recent addition of Matthew O’Hara, Head of Portfolio Management & Research, and Joe Celentano, Global Head of Markets. Previously Head of Investments for Blackrock’s multi-asset target date portfolios, O’Hara is now responsible for all investments at Unison across the investment lifecycle, working closely with both the origination and capital raising teams. Celentano is responsible for raising investment capital from institutional investors for Unison’s funds and structured products. He previously served as a Western Regional Manager for Wells Fargo Securities and was also a Managing Director and Senior Managing Director at JP Morgan and Bear Stearns. 

 <a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a> "https://www.valuewalk.com/2016/01/global-real-estate-value/
</a>
<a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[2]</a> https://www.unisonim.com/insights/asset-class-deserves-home
</a>
<a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[3]</a> The amount of Unison’s assets under management (or AUM) is calculated on the basis of the latest available valuations of all portfolio investments for which Unison provides continuous and regular supervisory or management services.
</a>

062321 blog

Unison | Company Updates

SAN FRANCISCO — February 22, 2017 — Unison HomeOwnership Investors, the leading provider of home ownership investments, announced today that it has secured a new investment mandate that increases total capital raised to over $300 million. In addition, the company announced new appointments to key leadership positions that will continue to support the strong growth of its home ownership investment programs and reinforce its dominance in the category. 

According to the <ahref="https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/files/currenthvspress.pdf" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>, the homeownership rate decreased to 63.7 percent in 2016, the lowest yearly average in over 50 years. By connecting institutional investors with homebuyers, Unison is changing home ownership in the U.S. Consumers who need capital to buy a home or homeowners seeking liquidity from their home without borrowing are able to leverage Unison's platform to receive funds from institutional investors. 
 "Unison built its platform to make home ownership feasible and accessible to more consumers," said Thomas Sponholtz, chairman and co-CEO, Unison. "Today, we move forward towards our long-term goals. The additional funding, organizational changes and new hires will help us continue to drive origination and the expansion of the Unison brand." 
"As we continue to develop the home ownership investment category, we are leveraging our relationships within the lending community and creating highly beneficial and compelling programs for the American homebuyer and homeowner," said Jim Riccitelli, co-CEO of Unison. "Today, what we invented is an innovative form of financing; tomorrow it will be a mainstream way to purchase and own a home." 
In addition to Prosper Marketplace President Ron Suber joining Unison as a strategic advisor and an investor, the company has also announced further organizational changes and hires. 
 
 Bill Walker has joined as managing director, Consumer Sales Operations. In this position, Walker is responsible for cultivating and developing the current consumer sales channel, and developing other direct-to-consumer channels. Additionally, Walker will work closely with marketing and other channel managers to develop best practices for lead generation. Walker comes to Unison with over 20 years of marketing and operations experience in the financial services sector. Walker has held executive level positions at Barclaycard, WWW Rental Group and most recently was the vice president of Customer Experience at Prosper Marketplace. 

 Brian Elbogen has been promoted to managing director and has assumed management responsibility for the partner channel. Elbogen's role will include channel strategy, buildout of channel infrastructure and process along with the day-to-day management of all channel activity. 
 
 Raj Dosaj has been promoted to managing director of Business Development. In his new role, Dosaj will focus on strategic initiatives to expand the lender channel. 
 
Tracy Adamo has joined as director of Direct Marketing. In her position, Adamo is responsible for cultivating and developing the direct-to-consumer channel to drive originations across Unison's HomeBuyer and HomeOwner Programs. Adamo has more than 15 years of experience in cross-channel direct marketing, and has held senior-level marketing roles in both technology and financial services companies including Autodesk, Washington Mutual, Providian Financial and PeopleSoft.

022217 blog

Unison | Capital Raise

SAN FRANCISCO — July 15, 2019 — American homes, traditionally the foundation for building wealth and the key anchor of many Americans’ financial portfolios and retirement plans, are in fact as volatile in value as a stock market index, according to the benchmark Unison Home Volatility Index released today. New homeowners are particularly vulnerable to housing market risk, as they typically have the highest proportion of net worth locked in their home and are also the people taking on the most mortgage debt. 
The index shows that the long run average annualized volatility of home price appreciation has been approximately 15% per year since 2000 - one percentage point higher than equity stock indices.* Home volatility spiked to more than 35% per year in the heat of the 2008 financial crisis, suggesting that, like equities and fixed-income securities, financial risk of residential real estate is amplified during a financial crisis. 
 Unison VP of Research Brodie Gay said, “Diversification is the core principle of modern portfolio theory. We spend a lot of time and diligence on portfolio allocations spanning equities, fixed income securities, and alternative investments, but for a typical household, home equity is typically 60% of the total financial portfolio. We believe homes have been left out of financial planning - even though for American homeowners the house is the bulk of their net worth - because we didn’t have a good way to measure risk for this asset. That’s why we set out to build this index. 
New home buyers are particularly vulnerable, the index shows, because they often cash out their entire liquid portfolios to make a downpayment — whether 5% or 20%. A new homebuyer who borrows 5 to 20 times their net worth is taking so much risk that they have a realistic chance of losing their entire net worth and becoming insolvent. 
“There’s a sharp contrast between the perception of a homeowner’s portfolio volatility and the actual risk when the home is included,” said Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz. “In fact, when you include the home in the equation, which is what this index enables us to do, you see that the typical volatility is 21% - one point higher than the most aggressive portfolios offered by most financial advisors. The proliferation of very low down-payment, high-leverage mortgages has led to home price risk exposures that are far beyond levels that a homebuyer should be comfortable with. The home is more than a financial asset; it’s where you live with your family, and should not be where you take this level of excessive risk.” 
 
 <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/why-millennials-cant-afford-buy-house/591532/" target="_blank">Read the full article “Why Housing Policy Feels Like Generational Warfare” in The Atlantic which cites several key housing statistics provided by Unison’s Home Affordability report.</a> 
 
<a href="https://www.unisonim.com/2019/07/15/home-price-return-and-volatility-indices/" target="_blank">Read the full Unison Volatility Index Whitepaper.</a>
 
 

 
 *As shown in the <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RU3000TR" target="_blank">Russell 3000 index.</a>

071319 blog

Unison | Benchmark Volatility Index

SAN FRANCISCO — November 18, 2019 — Unison, North America’s leading home co-investment partner, released its 2019 Responsible Investing Report last week, developing a framework to measure its investments made in 2018 against its ESG goals and policy.
 
The report outlines progress on sustainability goals and develops metrics to measure progress on these goals. Notably, the company reports that homeowners paid off $55M in other debts thanks to investments by Unison in 2018.
 
“This is why equity financing should have always been available to homeowners, as it has been for other asset classes,” said Thomas Sponholtz, CEO of Unison. “A combination of debt and equity enables homeowners to get back in control of their finances,” he said. The report notes that median FICO scores for Unison’s 2018 HomeOwner customers increased by 18 points on a sustained basis over a 3 to 6 month period. 
 
Due to lack of standardization in ESG reporting for its space, Unison leveraged research to develop metrics it believes are applicable for this industry. For example, one of the most significant factors in determining the environmental impacts of real estate is location, with urban housing reducing the fragmentation and development of greenfield areas. Accordingly, Unison cited the fact that its company made 100% of its investments in urban areas in 2018, discouraging suburban sprawl and its profound effects on environmental sustainability.
 
In addition, the report shows that 13% of Unison’s 2018 investments utilized a renewable energy source, compared with just 2.7% of US housing on which solar panels have been installed. Per the report, buyers in the US are willing to pay $15,000 more on average for homes with an average-size solar array. 
 
The reporting developed for Unison investors shows the company’s aim to take a leadership role in transparency and responsibility within its industry, while acknowledging current limitations of these initiatives. “In the development of Unison's ESG reporting we recognize the infancy of sustainability as a finance subject matter,” Unison reports. “We look forward to continuing to analyze, assess, and improve upon our sustainability measures over time.”
 
The report can be found here: <a href="https://im-static-assets.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/esg/19UNIM-100221_ESG+Report_R1v10.pdf?utm_content" target="_blank">Corporate Responsibility Report</a>

121819 blog

Unison | Responsible Investing

SAN FRANCISCO — December 5, 2016 — FirstREX, the leader in home ownership investments is changing its name to Unison and introducing favorable new terms for its flagship home buying program Unison HomeBuyer. 
Unison pioneered the home ownership investment category over the last 10 years. Now, in combination with expanding national lending relationships the revolutionary Unison HomeBuyer program is available to more first time, Millennial and move up buyers across the country. "Our home ownership investments empower home buyers with unprecedented flexibility, choice and control" said Co-CEO Thomas Sponholtz. "Unison HomeBuyer solves a fundamental need by contributing up to half of the down payment on a home purchase. With our partnership, buyers putting down less than 20 percent can buy more home with less debt and a lower monthly payment." 

 New Unison HomeBuyer Terms 
 Unison provides up to half of the down payment required on a home. The cash provided is an investment, not a loan, so there are no monthly payments or interest. Instead, the company hopes to earn a return on its investment by sharing in the appreciation when the home owner eventually sells. If the home value decreases, Unison also shares in the loss. 

 New home buyers are particularly vulnerable, the index shows, because they often cash out their entire liquid portfolios to make a downpayment — whether 5% or 20%. A new homebuyer who borrows 5 to 20 times their net worth is taking so much risk that they have a realistic chance of losing their entire net worth and becoming insolvent.
 
Along with the name change, the terms of the Unison HomeBuyer Agreement have improved. Unison's share of the appreciation has been reduced at every investment level effective November 30th 2016.
 
 "We have matured as a company, and we are now making Unison HomeBuyer available to millions of Americans, and at a lower cost" said Co-CEO James Riccitelli. "Home buyers worried about affordability or committing every dollar of their savings towards a down payment no longer need to sit on the sidelines, because Unison HomeBuyer empowers them to buy the home they want today. We are cutting the time it takes to save for a down payment in half."
 
 New website features at www.myunison.com 
 The new website provides a comprehensive introduction to Unison HomeBuyer. Prospective homebuyers can see the power and flexibility of a home ownership investment. Success stories of Unison clients illustrate how home buyers have used a home ownership investment to get the home they really want.

 "Home ownership investments are the only new thing to happen to real estate in a long time," said Director of Marketing Sabin Speiser. "Prospective home buyers owe it to themselves to visit myunison.com before they go home shopping. They'll learn how a home ownership investment empowers them to dramatically increase their down payment so they can buy more home, lower their monthly payment or reserve cash – without taking on more debt."

121516 blog

FirstREX | Unison 

SAN FRANCISCO — Dec. 5, 2019 — Parents with adult children are tightly linked financially, new research from home co-investing company Unison shows. The connections run deep—and in some cases, their children threatening parents’ retirement plans.
 
 Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz said, “Of course parents want to help their children, but it’s worrisome that so many are putting their own retirement security at risk by doing so, especially considering that most American baby boomers are already severely undersaved for their own retirement. These results are yet another example that we need to present consumers with new solutions that enable to buy and own homes while meeting their other financial goals, including a secure retirement.”
 
92% of American homeowners have supported their adult children financially
 
 Just 8 percent of American homeowners with adult children say they’ve never helped their adult children financially and more than half (53%) currently provide some form of financial support. 
 At 70%, tuition tops the list of things that American homeowners have helped or are helping their adult children with, but parents are helping their children with everything from transportation to student debt to groceries, and moms are helping more than dads:
 67% for other general expenses
 63% men vs. 71% women
 64% for transportation
 56% with groceries
 46% men vs. 63% women
 53% with car insurance
 47% men vs. 57% women
 52% with medical insurance
 48% men vs. 55% women
 41% with student debt


 In addition to providing financial help, parents are sharing resources with their kids.

 Almost 60% of homeowners (53% of men and 64% of women) have shared or are sharing their home and more than a third (36%) of homeowners with adult children have an adult child currently living with them; of those, more than half (53%) say that child has lived with them for 5 years or longer. 
 57% are helping by sharing their cellphone plan
 51% men vs. 62% women
 25% are helping by sharing their streaming plan
 20% men vs. 28% women

 Homeownership is a shared financial commitment 

 Parents want their child to own a home: 79% of parent homeowners say it’s important their child(ren) own their own home. And, they’ll pony up cash to help them do so, likely in part because they themselves received financial help.
 22% of American homeowners received financial help when purchasing a home (19% received help for the down payment and another 4% received help with monthly mortgage payments, mostly from their parents).
 22% of American homeowners have helped someone else (mostly their children) purchase a home (16% provided money for the down payment and another 6% helped with the monthly mortgage payment).
 18% of parents with a millennial child helped that child purchase a home. 
 11% of American homeowners said one of the top three things they value most about their home is that it’s something to leave to their kids. 

 That shared commitment is affecting parents’ finances, and it’s having a bigger impact on women 

Fully half of parents who help their adult child(ren) financially say doing so has adversely affected their own personal finances and retirement planning. Parents who help their adult children have drawn from a savings account/CD (41%), 401(k)/IRA/retirement fund (8%), taken out loans (8%), or tapped home equity (5%), but most (47%) say they just haven’t been able to save the way they need to. 		

 One in ten American homeowners who aren’t confident in their retirement savings say they haven’t been able to save enough because they’ve been supporting their adult child(ren) financially. Among boomers this climbs to 17% and for parents of millennials, it’s even worse, with nearly a quarter (23%) of those who aren’t confident in their retirement savings saying it’s because they’ve been supporting their adult kids. 			

The financial impact of parenthood is felt disproportionately by moms:
55 percent of women say helping their adult child has affected their personal finances, vs. 44 percent of men, and 10 percent of women say they’ve gone into debt to help their adult child, vs. 6 percent of men. 

 Yet, dads say they’re willing to go farther:
 23 percent of home-owning dads say they’d delay their retirement or dip into their retirement savings to help their child(ren) own a home vs. 17 percent and 16 percent of moms, respectively. 

“We need to develop more solutions that enable all generations to achieve their financial goals,” said Sponholtz. “Unison’s HomeOwner product can help parents access the equity they’ve accumulated in their homes, while our HomeBuyer product helps their kids buy with less down. We believe new ways of buying and owning homes can benefit everyone.” 

Methodology
From August 16 to 23, 2019 Unison conducted an online survey with data collection and sample provided by Dynata. The survey questioned 2,000 US adults from a national sample who are current homeowners. Respondents were required to have a household income of at least $50k or above, to have been a homeowner for at least 10 years, and to have not yet retired.

120519 blog

Unison | Bank of Mom & Dad

SAN FRANCISCO — November 18, 2019 — San Francisco based home co-investing company Unison today joined with Mayor London Breed, and the Port of San Francisco to unveil Welcome Tower at Pier 14 on the Embarcadero. Welcome Tower is a dynamic new public art installation by multi-disciplinary artist Sean Orlando. Welcome Tower will be on display at Pier 14 through October 2020. 

 “Welcome Tower is a great addition to the waterfront, said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “We are confident that this piece will inspire residents, visitors, and commuters alike to reflect on the unique character of our city in one of the most beautiful spots along the Embarcadero at Pier 14.”

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/blog/welcome-tower.jpg" alt="San Francisco's Welcome Tower" style="width: 80%">
 

 Welcome Tower is a 30-foot-tall reinterpretation of San Francisco’s iconic Coit Tower. The structure is made of reclaimed wooden front doors representing architectural styles across San Francisco’s historic neighborhoods, from Queen Anne to Art Deco to Craftsman, painted by world renowned decorative painter and architectural gilder Tania Seabock. In addition to doors, the first level features fish-eye peepholes that invite onlookers to gaze into 3-D shadow boxes created by eight individual local artists: Maurice Cavness, Ake Grunditz, Leslie Grunditz, Ubin Li, Olga Lopata, Jody Medich, Tania Seabock, and Imogen Speer. The structure occupies the same Pier 14 spot that Orlando’s Raygun Gothic Rocketship filled in 2010-2011. 

 “This collaborative work of art serves as a reminder of the importance of working together to build more affordable housing and ensuring that every San Franciscan has a safe place to call home,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “Public art, like the Welcome Tower, makes our city more vibrant and helps support local artists, and I’m glad to see its installation at the waterfront.”

 Artist Sean Orlando said, “So many artists are being forced to leave San Francisco — a creative class that has been a cultural foundation for many generations. Realizing a large-scale installation requires many hands, different perspectives, skill sets and techniques. It gives artists an opportunity to express themselves as part of a larger collaborative piece. We wanted to look at iconic landmarks in San Francisco and we wanted to use doors as a medium. We want people to think about what San Francisco means to them — to think about San Francisco as a home.”

 “Unison commissioned the Welcome Tower as a gift to the city and people of San Francisco to serve as a symbol of innovation and creativity coming together in order to pioneer new solutions for those who want to make this City home,” said Thomas Sponholtz, Unison CEO. “The growing challenge of housing affordability and home ownership continues to have an impact on us all whether you’re trying to buy a home or are an existing homeowner. It is a complex yet solvable problem and as a community of creative innovators and pioneers we can find new solutions together.”

 Addressing the City’s housing affordability crisis is a top priority for Mayor Breed. Mayor Breed has set a goal of creating or rehabilitating 10,000 units of affordable housing in San Francisco by 2020. To date over 8,100 units have been created or rehabilitated. At the Port of San Francisco hundreds of affordable units are also planned and/or in development, including 88 Broadway, which will be a 100% affordable housing site; Mission Rock, which will include 40% affordable housing units; and Pier 70, which will include 33% affordable units. On November 5, 2019 San Francisco voters passed Proposition A, the largest affordable housing bond in San Francisco’s history with 71.2% of the vote, bolstering the city’s efforts to address the housing crisis. Passage of Proposition A will dedicate $600 million for the creation and rehabilitation of affordable housing.

 Sponholtz added, “San Francisco has been a hub for culture, art and freedom of expression, not just for our nation but the world. However in the last several decades, skyrocketing property values have made homeownership in San Francisco a real challenge for the many people who have shaped this city. The miniature murals remind us how creativity, diversity and innovation have shaped the identity of the city that we love. We applaud those working on this problem and call on the other members of our community - both public and private - to face this issue by leaning into the San Francisco spirit of collective courage, ingenuity and creativity.”

 ### 

 About Unison
Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to buy and own your home. We are a team of professionals with an extensive background in finance and real estate who are committed to helping homebuyers get the home they want, and homeowners finance their life needs without adding debt. We believe in a world where buying and owning a home is not a zero-sum game, and that with the right partners, everyone can win.

 About Sean Orlando
Sean Orlando is a multi-disciplinary installation artist, museum professional, and community organizer and the founder of Engineered Artworks. His collaborative and immersionary large-scale sculptural installation projects have been shown at The Crucible, Chabot Space & Science Center, Maker Faire, Landor & Associates, The American Welding Society, The Port of San Francisco, Coachella, Dorkbots, Burning Man, The Worth Ryder Gallery, Warehouse 416, The Smithsonian, The Exploratorium, and more. He has been supporting and creating public art in the Bay Area for over two decades. 

 About Five Ton Crane
Five Ton Crane is a diverse group of artists, builders, makers and inventors from the San Francisco Bay Area. The name implies the intention: Five Ton Crane does the heavy lifting that the individual artist couldn’t do on their own; by pooling resources, interests and talent to create opportunities for bigger, better and bolder Art. From giant projects like the Raygun Gothic Rocketship to group shows locally and across the country.

111919 blog

Unison | San Francisco's Welcome Tower

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/19UNMISC-100201_Unison+Press+Page+on+Website_Deloitte_Alt.jpg">

SAN FRANCISCO — November 7,2019 — Unison, North America's leading home co-investment partner, today announced it ranked third in the Bay Area and nineteenth overall nationwide on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech companies in North America. Unison currently owns 85 percent of the home co-investing market and has had an exceptional year of growth. In February 2019, the company announced 370 percent year-over-year revenue growth, 308 percent year-over-year growth in customer transactions, and $2.42 billion in total value of co-invested U.S. residential real estate ending in Q4 2018. 
"Both the housing market and economy have transformed over the past decade, but the way Americans buy and own homes has not evolved with the times," said Thomas Sponholtz, CEO of Unison. "Being named to the Deloitte Fast 500 is a great recognition of the work we are doing to bring the American dream back within reach. Unison brings technology and a culture of innovation to an industry ripe for disruption."

 In order to scale investments in single family home equity, Unison has pioneered a robust quantitative approach that aligns the modern needs of both consumers and institutional investors. The company's patented Greenlight technology allows for instantaneous investment decisions based on a data-driven and backtested factor model for forecasting the price, return and volatility of most homes in America. In addition, its proprietary Equity Origination System (EOS) allows for expedited underwriting, approval and funding of deals. 

 Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 honors the cutting edge companies transforming the way we do business, combining innovation, entrepreneurship, and fast growth, and disrupting the technology industry.

 "This year marks the 25th anniversary of Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, so we are especially pleased to announce and congratulate the 2019 winners," said Sandra Shirai, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP, and U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader. "It's always inspiring to see how the Fast 500 companies are transforming business and the world we live and work in."

 About Unison
 Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to buy and own your home. We are a team of professionals with an extensive background in finance and real estate who are committed to helping homebuyers get the home they want, and homeowners finance their life needs without adding debt. We believe in a world where buying and owning a home is not a zero-sum game, and that with the right partners, everyone can win.

 About Deloitte
 Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 5,000 private and middle market companies. Our people work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 312,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com..

110719 blog

Unison | Deloitte Fast 500 2019

SAN FRANCISCO — August 12, 2019 — Unison today announced a nationwide Dream Home contest to help customers unlock the American Dream of homeownership. Through the social media contest, the home co-investing company aims to generate excitement around buying and owning a home, and help a lucky home buyer into the home of their dreams. 
 The Unison Dream Home Contest will run for five weeks from the launch day and participants have the chance to win one of five smaller prizes (~$2,000 value) or the grand prize of $25,000. To enter, participants are asked to create short (15-60 second) videos that answer the question: "What does your dream home look like and how would it change your life?" Once they upload the video to social media with the hashtag #UnisonDreamHomeContest, their entries will be judged; winners will be announced after the contest closes.

 "The American Dream of homeownership is still alive and well, but the traditional model for buying and owning a home is sorely outdated," said Cari Jacobs, CMO at Unison. "A Unison home co-investment is a smarter and better way to buy and own a home. It enables people to own their home more responsibly and in balance with the rest of their finances."

 Participants can enter through their preferred social media channel (Instagram or Twitter) or through the Unison website where they can also view contest rules and example videos. Contest logistics, terms and conditions, eligibility, judging and fulfillment will be handled by a 3rd party agency, DJA.

101419 blog

Unison | Dream Home Giveaway

<img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/blog/unison-2020-jobs-report.jpg">
 
SAN FRANCISCO — June 16, 2020 — New research published today by home co-investing company Unison proposes a new way of understanding the economic impact of the pandemic and the long-term effect it will have on home prices in select U.S. cities. 
 
“Resilient” industrial sectors where businesses have been able to maintain productivity during the pandemic and adapt to the market environment (such as financial services and information technology) have enjoyed a higher level of job stability, while “vulnerable” industrial sectors like retail, manufacturing and hospitality have experienced much more severe levels of job loss. Based on historical analysis, cities with high concentrations of vulnerable job sectors will experience slower recoveries in housing prices, according to Unison’s report. 
 
“Historically, cities with high concentrations of jobs in resilient industrial sectors experience the quickest recovery in housing prices,” said Unison VP of Research Brodie Gay. “Furthermore, as a result of shelter in place ordinances, the home has become a center for commercial and retail activity. Working and shopping from home are the new norm. Real estate capital is beginning a secular rotation out of undiversified retail and commercial spaces like malls and large office buildings. Investing in diversified residential real estate, with a tilt towards resilient cities, will provide institutional investors better, more balanced exposure to the U.S. economy.” 

The report shows that based on previous recessions, increases in unemployment generally correlate with drops in home prices, and the two factors are geographically linked. For example, during the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-08, Las Vegas, NV experienced a 10% rise in unemployment rate alongside a 62% drop in housing prices, whereas Dallas, TX’s numbers were far less severe with a 4% increase in the unemployment rate and a 10% drop in housing prices. Cities that have high proportions of jobs in vulnerable sectors have also seen huge unemployment spikes during COVID-19, meaning Las Vegas and other cities like it will likely experience similar drops in housing prices again. Furthermore, cities that depend on these at-risk industries will likely experience slower job recoveries and more challenging housing markets.

 
Unison’s research ranked the 20 top cities from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-City Index in order of anticipated resiliency (from most resilient to least resilient): Boston, Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Tampa, Charlotte, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Detroit, Miami and Las Vegas.

<h3>Select vulnerable cities outlined in Unison’s report include:</h3> 

 Las Vegas - With the highest concentration of construction (7.7%) and leisure & hospitality (31.8%) jobs, Las Vegas leads in at-risk sector employment share (62.6%) and is likely to see the weakest home price performance.
 Miami — Miami’s heavy concentration of leisure, hospitality, and retail jobs makes it vulnerable to shocks in discretionary spending. Partially offsetting the grim tourism outlook is the potential rebound in local commercial activities, as Florida is among the states most eager to reopen its economy. 
 Detroit — Detroit has the highest concentration (14.3%) of manufacturing jobs among the 20 metro areas explored. Synonymous with Motown, “Big-3” automakers Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler sit atop Detroit’s list of employers. 
 San Diego — San Diego is second in concentration of jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry (16.2%), behind only Las Vegas. It also has the third highest concentration of manufacturing jobs, behind Detroit and Cleveland, and is third in construction share, behind Phoenix and Las Vegas.

<h3>Select resilient cities outlined in Unison’s report include:</h3>
 Boston — Boston lists numerous prestigious universities and hospitals among its top employers, as well as some of the largest insurance and investment management companies in the world. 
 Washington D.C. — Government agencies make up close to a quarter of jobs in Washington, D.C., with more government-related jobs in law, defense contractor, non-profit organizations anchoring the employment landscape. 
 San Francisco — At first glance, San Francisco appears to be a one trick pony, since a big portion of the jobs look like “tech” jobs. Lost in the high-tech fanfare is the fact that San Francisco is the second largest financial center in the U.S. and home to firms like Wells Fargo, Visa, SoFi, and Square.
 New York — Despite its status as a major tourist destination, only 12% of New York City private sector workers are employed in the hospitality sector. New York’s economy is anchored by its world-leading financial services sector. Following close behind are robust education and healthcare systems, that actually make up more than a quarter of private sector jobs in the city. 

“Job resilience is one of the key drivers of housing demand in both the short and long-term,” said Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz. “The owner-occupied residential real estate portfolios we construct for institutional investors are geographically diversified across markets with a limited supply of new housing units and strong demand due to high concentrations of jobs in resilient industry sectors.” 

<h3>Read the full Unison: Resilient and Vulnerable Cities <a href="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/im/downloads/Resilient-and-Vulnerable-Cities.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.</h3>

<h3>About Unison</h3>
Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through home co-investments, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit <a href="https://www.unison.com" target="_blank">Unison</a> or follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>, <a href="https://www.unison.com" target="_blank">Unison</a> or follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/myunison/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/17894811/admin/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Unison" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA">YouTube</a>.
 

<h3>About Unison Investment Management</h3>
Unison Investment Management is the market leader and pioneer in home co-investing, with $817 million in assets under management. Over the last 14 years we have invested in more than 7,500 homes at the equity level across metropolitan and suburban areas that have strong housing demand and limited housing supply. Unison provides institutional investors efficient, diversified access to the world’s largest asset class - owner-occupied residential real estate - while providing low correlation to traditional asset classes. We also enhance home affordability, enable retirement, reduce debt, and deliver a smarter and safer allocation of housing exposure for homeowners and investors. For additional information, visit <a href="https://www.unisonim.com" target="_blank">Unison InvestmentM Management</a>.
<h3>Press Contact</h3>
 <a href="mailto:mediadesk@unison.com">mailto:mediadesk@unison.com</a>

061620 blog

Unison | Resilient & Fragile Cities

SAN FRANCISCO — April 16, 2019 — Unison, North America's first home co-investment partner, today announced that its transformational HomeBuyer and HomeOwner programs are now available to consumers in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. The expansion announcement follows significant growth in 2018 including 370 percent YoY revenue growth, 308 percent YoY growth in customer transactions, and $2.42 billion in total value of co-invested U.S. residential real estate ending in Q4 2018. 
 "Unison is expanding rapidly, and we're proud to introduce the advantages of home co-investing to millions of additional people," said Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz. "A Unison home co-investment is a smarter and superior way to buy and own. Unlike debt, it's a true partnership with consumers where there's no interest or monthly payments. Instead, we partner around sharing in the future change in value of their home, up or down."

 Unison connects homeowners with institutional investors who offer debt-free access to cash for the chance to share in their home's appreciation. Through its HomeBuyer and HomeOwner programs, customers can either use the cash to supplement a down payment on a new home or unlock equity in their existing home to pay off debt, remodel or fund a major purchase.

 Since the arrangement is not a loan, there are no monthly payments and no interest. If the home depreciates, Unison shares in the loss alongside the homeowner. Adding these eight new states means that over 5 million more homes may be eligible for Unison programs. As a result, more and more consumers will have the option of using a home co-investment to purchase a home with Unison's HomeBuyer program or to unlock equity in their home with Unison's HomeOwner program.

041619 blog

Unison | Launches Eight New States

<img src="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/2021-state-of-homeowner.jpg" style="width: 100%">

 San Francisco, March 30, 2021 — With the pandemic shift to ‘everything from home’, the home has taken on more importance for American homeowners, Unison’s 2021 “State of the American Homeowner” survey found. Homeowners are using their
homes as offices, gyms, schools, shopping and much more. As a result, nearly ⅔ (64%) of respondents say living through the pandemic has made their home more important to them now than ever before. 
 According to the research, which surveyed 2,000 homeowners in the United States, homeownership brings positive feelings, with 91% of homeowners saying they feel secure, stable or successful owning a home. Seven in 10 (70%) homeowners feel
emotionally attached to the homes that have kept them safe over the past year with 51% calling it a “key part of their life” — a significant increase compared to before the pandemic when 58% of homeowners had an emotional attachment to their home.


 Despite financial instability caused by the pandemic, nine in 10 (90%) of American homeowners consider their home a financial asset (vs. a burden) — exactly the same percentage who said so before the pandemic. However, home finances are still a
stressor for many homeowners, especially for younger homeowners and those navigating mortgage forbearance:
 

<ul>
 <li>29% of homeowners had to take action in order to keep up with mortgage payments due to economic factors caused by the pandemic.</li>
 <li>Millennials were hit hardest: 61% of millennial homeowners had to take action in order to keep up with mortgage payments — with 17% dipping into their retirement savings, 16% delaying a home remodel and 11% renting out a portion of their home.</li>
 <li>38% of millennial homeowners are in mortgage forbearance due to COVID or other circumstances, significantly higher than older generations (16% Gen X’ers, 1% Boomers).</li>
</ul>

 “The COVID pandemic has made my house more important (essential) in my life than before,” one respondent said. Another said, “The pandemic has made me appreciate my home more.”

 With the additional roles the home has taken on over the past year, many homeowners are interested in making changes to their homes to support their expanding use.

<ul>
 <li>Nearly half (45%) of homeowners are planning a home improvement during 2021 to make their home more comfortable — 72% of those who refinanced their home in 2020 are planning an improvement in 2021.</li>
 <li>33% of mortgage-holding homeowners would tap their home equity for a renovation or improvement — a significant increase from before the pandemic when 21% said the same. </li>
 <li>Homeowners are evenly split on kitchen vs. bathroom: 14% of homeowners say a kitchen upgrade is the number one change that would improve their lives in the year ahead, the same percentage who say a bathroom remodel would do the trick.</li>
</ul>

 “The American Dream of homeownership has taken on increased importance as the home has become the center of our daily lives, bringing our work, shopping, schools and gyms into where we live,” said Unison CEO Thomas Sponholtz. “Many
renters left their city apartments for larger houses in the suburbs, and many homeowners took on renovations, making their home more suitable to their expanding needs. As many have endured exceptional life and economic uncertainty and managed new or
changing needs for their homes, it has never been a more important time to re-evaluate your investments as well as how you finance your home and life. This absolutely includes having a smarter way to tap into your home equity without debt in order
to best adapt to your changing life situation and plans.”

 Many of those working from home during the pandemic, took action to make their homes (and Zoom calls) more comfortable: nearly a third (29%) of WFH homeowners converted a spare room into an office, and an equal number furnished their homes with
office equipment or furniture; 23% upgraded internet or cellular service.

<ul>
 <li>Some millennial WFH families took to sharing spaces: 20% shared an office room with a spouse or partner, 11% had their kids share a room to convert their bedroom into an office.
 <ul>
 <li>And some didn’t: 17% purchased a space heater to work in the basement, 16% finished a basement, attic or other unfinished area to use as an office, 16% converted a closet into an office and 13% built or converted a backyard shed or tiny
 home
 into an office. </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li>Over half (57%) of WFH homeowners are working somewhere other than a dedicated office room.
 <ul>
 <li>Some favorite spots for millennials include: the bed (13%), the couch (13%), the kitchen table (11%), while more creative spots include: the kids playroom (2%), the unfinished basement or attic (2%) or even the floor (6%).</li>
 <li>The creative spaces must be working okay: only 4% of homeowners rank a dedicated office space as the number one thing to improve their life in the year ahead, losing out to a kitchen upgrade, a bathroom remodel and better wifi.</li>
 </ul>
 </li>
</ul>

 Millennials are more likely than older generations to have an emotional connection to their home , and they’re also more likely to put their future saving and retirement plans at risk to keep it. Over three quarters (78%) of millennials feel
emotionally attached to their home (vs 70% Gen X and 69% Boomer) about the same amount (77%) who say living through a pandemic has made their home more important to them now than ever. Over half of millennial homeowners (53%) say they used to view
their home as a burden, but now view it as one of the most important things in their lives. But their finances are less established, and for those navigating mortgage forbearance, they’re more likely to be borrowing against their future savings:


<ul>
 <li>42% of millennials say the economic volatility of the past year has made them doubtful about the future of their home and their ability to invest in it, compared to only 28% Gen X and 5% Boomers. </li>
 <li>Of the millennials who refinanced or thought about refinancing their homes last year, 37% did so to cover other life expenses and 31% did it to help pay down debts elsewhere — 15% did it because they couldn’t make the mortgage payments. </li>
 <li>One in three (37%) millennials say that the COVID-19 pandemic has made them consider moving, with the biggest reason being needing more space (14%) followed swiftly by reducing living expenses (13%) and new job location flexibility (10%). </li>
 <li>Once mortgage forbearance programs expire, millennials in forbearance are planning to borrow against their retirement to pay for their mortgage: 29% are planning to dip into their 401(k), 27% plan to use their retirement savings, 23% are
 planning to take out another loan to cover the payments — 6% have no plan at all. </li>
</ul>

 Many retired homeowners have paid off their homes and are funding their retirement with social security or a pension, giving them a sense of financial security, and homeowners planning for retirement are following the same model. Seven in ten
(70%) retired homeowners’ homes are fully paid off and nearly half (47%) say owning a home makes them feel secure - that it's a big financial asset. But the Fed is showing retirees’ wealth in their home <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2019069pap.pdf"
 target="_blank">decreasing as they age</a>, and rock-bottom interest rates are putting pension funds and recipients <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/10/21/fed-low-interest-rates-pensions" target="_blank">at significant risk</a>
down the line - meaning this sense of security might be superficial.

<ul>
 <li>80% of retired American homeowners are funding their retirement through social security and 70% with a pension — just 2% used funds from selling their home to fund their retirement.
 <ul>
 <li>More than half (55%) of working age homeowners are planning to fund their retirement through social security and 36% with a pension — 59% are planning to fund their retirement with a 401(k). </li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 <li>89% of retired homeowners are confident in the amount of money or assets they had saved by the time they were retired.
 <ul>
 <li>68% of working-age homeowners are confident in the amount of money or assets they have saved to fund their retirement — significantly higher than homeowners pre-pandemic who were confident in their retirement savings (51%).</li>
 </ul>
 </li>
</ul>

About Unison's "State of the American Homeowner" Survey
 Unison conducted this research using an online survey prepared by <a href="https://www.methodcommunications.com" target="_blank">Method Research</a> and distributed by <a href="https://www.dynata.com" target="_blank">Dynata</a> among n=2,000
adults in the United States who currently own a home, have been a homeowner for at least 5 years, have an income of at least $50k and are older than 35. The sample was balanced across age, gender and geography. Data was collected from February 4 to
February 11, 2021. 

About Unison
 Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through home co-investments, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with
no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. 
 Press Contact
<a href="mailto:mediadesk@unison.com">mediadesk@unison.com</a>

032021 blog

2021 State of the American Homeowner | Unison

SAN FRANCISCO — February 26, 2019 — Unison Home Ownership Investors, a provider of home ownership investments, and Valley National Bank, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, announced the launch of their 5% down payment program. 
 he 5% down program will be given in conjunction with an 80% loan-to-value mortgage. The companies announced this will provide buyers with short and long-term savings.

 The program works by allowing homebuyers to put down 5%, while Unison invests 15%, allowing the buyer to take out an 80% LTV loan. Unison would then share the changing home values – thereby profiting if the value increases and losing money if it decreases.

 “With Valley National Bank, this first of its kind five percent down payment program opens the residential real estate market to more potential buyers,” Unison chairman and CEO Thomas Sponholtz said. “By partnering with buyers and investing alongside them in their down payment, we liberate them from the burden of taking on too much debt and put them in a stronger position for success.”

 The companies point out the homebuyer would receive several benefits from this loan program including not having to purchase private mortgage insurance, lower monthly payments, increased purchasing power and the ability to keep more cash on hand.

 “Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions made in a person’s lifetime, and we are always looking for new, innovative ways to increase accessibility to home ownership,” said Kevin Chittenden, Valley executive vice president and chief residential lending officer. “We chose to work with Unison because they share in our mission to help make the process a straightforward as possible for the buyer.”

 “Through this 5% down payment program, not only are we helping more people purchase their dream homes, but we’re taking a major step forward for the home financing industry,” Chittenden said.

 Of course, this program could do more harm than good for buyers in markets where home prices are quickly appreciating. Some cities, such as Seattle, Las Vegas and San Francisco, reported the highest annual gains among the nation’s top 20 cities with increases of 12.7%, 10.6% and 9.1% respectively.

 This program is currently available in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, with plans for further regional expansion in 2018.

020618 blog

Unison | Valley Bank 

SAN FRANCISCO — November 18, 2019 — Unison, North America’s leading home co-investment partner, released its 2019 Responsible Investing Report last week, developing a framework to measure its investments made in 2018 against its ESG goals and policy.
 
“For many American homeowners, the home is their largest financial asset and should therefore be at the core of their financial planning, including planning for retirement. But most homeowners don't understand how to appropriately include this major asset, and the risk that comes with it, in planning for the future," CEO Thomas Sponholtz commented. "The extent to which homeowners, especially baby boomers, are financially underprepared for retirement is a concern. And the problem cannot be solved without including the home in financial plans."
 
<h3>Undersaved but overconfident</h3>
Almost half (48%) of American homeowners say they plan to retire in their 60s. Another 9% plan to do so during their 50s, and 22% plan on their 70s; 5% say they’ll never retire, and 11% don’t know. More than two-thirds (68%) of American homeowners are “confident” or “very confident” in the amount of money/assets they have saved to fund their retirement, but the numbers they report don’t support their optimism.
 
One in five homeowners (19%) say they don’t know how much they need to have saved by the time they retire in order to feel secure and live comfortably in retirement, and more than one-fourth of homeowners (28%) don’t know how much annual income the assets currently in their financial portfolio will generate when they retire.
 
Half (47%) have currently saved around $250k or less, and 35% say they would be comfortable with amounts less than $750k total saved by the time they retire. This is in sharp contrast to what retirement experts <a href="https://www.merrilledge.com/article/how-much-do-you-really-need-to-save-for-retirement" target="_blank">recommend they actually need</a>, and while $1M has long been a benchmark for secure retirement, many experts now say Americans should be saving far more, and some studies show that as many as one in three retiring Americans will find themselves <a href="https://www.economicpolicyresearch.org/retirement-tools/the-retirement-crisis" target="_blank">in or near poverty</a> in the next 10 years. 
 
<h3>Overinvested in their homes</h3>
The vast majority of American homeowners (90%) think of their home more as a financial asset than a financial burden, and homes figure prominently in their financial portfolios, but almost a quarter (23%) of those who say it’s an asset don’t yet know how they will leverage it.
 
A quarter of American homeowners (26%) say more than half their total net worth is tied up in their home while 32% say their home represents from a quarter up to half their total net worth. An additional 28% say 5 to 25% of their net worth is tied up in their home.
 
Half (47%) have currently saved around $250k or less, and 35% say they would be comfortable with amounts less than $750k total saved by the time they retire. This is in sharp contrast to what retirement experts recommend they actually need, and while $1M has long been a benchmark for secure retirement, many experts now say Americans should be saving far more, and some studies show that as many as one in three retiring Americans will find themselves in or near poverty in the next 10 years. 
 
<h3>Banking on home for retirement</h3>
Homes also figure prominently in Americans’ retirement planning. A quarter of American homeowners (25%) are planning to use their home as an asset to fund their retirement. Forty-two percent of those say their home is one of the top four most important ingredients in their retirement plan, and one in 10 of those say it’s the biggest part of their retirement plan. 
 
Among those who are planning to sell their home or tap their home's equity to fund their retirement, home equity represents a big chunk of their retirement nest egg. Of these, 17% say their home represents half or more of their retirement nest egg; 38% say their home represents 26-50% of their retirement nest egg; another 35% say it represents 5-25%.
 
Among those planning to sell their home to fund their retirement, 38% say they’ll move to a less expensive area with a lower cost of living. 21% say they’ll purchase a smaller home nearby, and 12% will move to a retirement home or community. 7% plan to rent, and 4% say they’ll move to a less expensive country. Only 1% plan to live with a child, and 14% don’t know yet what they will do.
 
<h3>Planning on home price appreciation</h3>
Homeowners are generally optimistic about home prices. Almost three-fourths of homeowners (70%) think their house will be worth more by the time they retire: 35% think it will be worth 10% more, another 25% think it will be worth 25% more, and an optimistic 8% think it will be worth 50% more. Just 12% of people think their house will be worth the same when they retire as it’s worth today, and only 4% think the value might decrease.
 
Almost two-thirds (64%) of people planning on a value increase in their home before retirement say that expected increase is important to their plan to retire. One in five (19%) say it’s very important, and 2% say that without that expected increase in home value they’ll be unable to retire.
While 61% of Americans say a 25% drop in home values wouldn’t impact their retirement plans at all, it would delay retirement for the other 39%: 19% say that if their home dropped 25% in value, they’d have to delay their retirement by a year or two, 13% by about 5 years, 3% by about 10 years, and 3% say they’d be unable to retire.
 
<h3>Emotional security</h3>
Most homeowners think about their home’s value first in non-monetary terms. A quarter of homeowners (25%) say they value their home’s potential as a financial asset/nest egg as one of the top 3 most important things, but this is lower than the emotional value homeowners see from its role as a place for family to come home and gather (34%) and memories made in the home (31%). 
 
43% of American homeowners say owning a home makes them feel secure - it’s a big financial asset. A third (34%) say it makes them feel stable (“you can’t raise the rent on my home”) and another 15% say it makes them feel successful (“I am financially well off”). Only 4% say it makes them feel pressured (“I can barely make the monthly payment”); another 4% say vulnerable (“It’s a big expense”).
 
And most homeowners (58%) are emotionally attached to their home, with 10% saying they are very attached and selling their home would break their heart.
 
Despite some mixed feelings, Americans still say “buy!” An overwhelming 93% of current American homeowners would recommend a prospective home buyer buy a home: 41% would say “definitely” buy a home, and 52% would say “probably” buy a home.
 
<h3>Counting on vanishing solutions</h3>
American homeowners are counting on retirement solutions that may not be available by the time they get there. 
 
70% of American homeowners are planning to fund their retirement via Social Security - yet by some estimates, the social security trust fund will run out of money by <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/social-security-deficit-reserves-check-benefits-payroll-tax-51555958282" target="_blank">2035</a>.
 
42% of American homeowners are counting on a pension. Yet private-sector pension coverage fell by half over the two decades from the early 90s to the early <a href="https://www.epi.org/blog/private-sector-pension-coverage-decline/" target="_blank">2010s</a>. And between <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/07/retirement/pension-fund-cuts-teamsters/index.html" target="_blank">defaults</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/economy/lump-sum-pensions-retirement/index.html" target="_blank">buyouts</a>, even those who do have traditional pension plans may not reap the financial benefits they expect.
 
Sponholtz noted, “In the United States, if there's $30 trillion dollars of residential real estate, about $15 trillion is mortgaged and about $15 trillion is equity owned by 132 million individual homeowners. Imagine if you make that $15 trillion of equity that's locked up in homes liquid, so that equity becomes part of the homeowner’s active net worth. That could unlock the biggest component of the U.S. economy, and at Unison, it’s what we’re striving toward.”
<h3>About Unison’s “State of the American Homeowner” Survey</h3>
From August 16 to 23, 2019 Unison conducted an online survey with data collection and sample provided by Dynata. The survey questioned 2,000 US adults from a national sample who are current homeowners. Respondents were required to have a household income of at least $50k or above, to have been a homeowner for at least 10 years, and to have not yet retired. 
<h3>About Unison</h3>
Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to buy and own your home. We are a team of professionals with an extensive background in finance and real estate who are committed to helping homebuyers get the home they want, and homeowners finance their life needs without adding debt. We believe in a world where buying and owning a home is not a zero-sum game, and that with the right partners, everyone can win. For additional information, visit <a href="https://www.unison.com" target="_blank">Unison</a> or follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MyUnison/" target="_blank">FaceBook</a>, <a href="https://www.unison.com" target="_blank">Unison</a> or follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/myunison/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/17894811/admin/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="h<a href="https://twitter.com/Unison" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="h<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmPJzvS6KCqcg9GYI8PYUA">YouTube</a>.
 
<h3>Press Contact</h3>
 mediadesk@unison.com

Unison | State Of The American Homeowner

The 2019 Home Affordability Report is now available! 

<a href="https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/downloads/Unison_Affordability-Report_2019.pdf">Download the report</a>

061119 blog

Home Affordability Report | Unison


2022 HPA projections: Unison and collated market forecasts

HPA report 2022

2022 HPA Projections | Unison

Insights about homeownership in the modern age. 

013020 blog

Unison Press Kit | The State of the American Homeowner: What Every Homeowner Should Know

2021 has been a banner year for home equity values across the country. The Unison team shares insights on which places thrived, which didn't, and what this means for homeowners.

092321 blog

Unison | Home Equity Report

 [Download the Report here](https://contentimages.o-prod.unison.com/images/press/2021-Unison-SOTAH-Report.pdf)

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