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Unlock Review

Reviews 811
Unlock
Unlock
Excellent
Reviews 811
Katy Ward
Jan. 18, 2023
3 min read
Katy Ward
Unlock Summary
Unlock is a real estate investor that allows homeowners to access the equity in their property without taking out a loan. Instead, it makes cash payments to customers in exchange for a share of the proceeds resulting from the future sale of their home. Homeowners using Unlock can release up to $500,000 over a 10-year term.

Pros

  • No interest charges/monthly repayments
  • Independent appraisals
  • No minimum income requirement

Cons

  • Not available in all 50 states
  • 20% home equity requirement
  • No support telephone number on website

Unlock at a glance

8.8
Editorial score

Customer Service and Support

Many ways to contact customer service
8.0

Variety of Loan Types

Niche Home Equity Investors
10.0

Variety of Products

Flexible 10 year term
10.0

Online Experience

Informative website
8.0

Geographical Availability

Available in 11 states and counting
8.0

Overview

Unlock pays customers a proportion of their home’s current value as a lump sum. In exchange, the homeowners agree to repay a proportion of the proceeds from the future sale of their property. In a typical transaction, Unlock will provide homeowners with 10% of their property’s current value in exchange for 16% of its future worth, although these figures may vary depending on the terms of your agreement.

Unlock’s investment is not a loan, which means homeowners won’t need to make monthly repayments and can use the funds for any purpose.

Suitable For?

As Unlock’s offers aren’t based on income requirements, its services could be particularly suitable for homeowners who aren't high earners. However, you’ll typically need at least 20% equity in your home to qualify, which means Unlock may not be the right choice for those who have recently purchased their property.

Types of Products

Unlock offers a single service: lump-sum payments in exchange for a stake in a property’s future value. The main service features and requirements include:

  • A minimum FICO credit score of 500
  • Cash payments of between $30,000 and $500,000
  • No monthly repayments
  • No interest charges
  • 20% equity requirement

The Application Process

In order to qualify for and receive payment from Unlock, customers will typically follow the stages below:

  1. Create an account and enter property details 
  2. Unlock reviews the application 
  3. Unlock issues preliminary terms of the deal and schedules a call to confirm details
  4. An independent valuation of the property takes place
  5. You receive a closing statement containing the final terms 

It takes around 60 seconds to create an account and approximately 30 days to complete the entire process, although the period will vary depending on the length of time it takes for your appraisal and inspection to be completed.

During the application process, you’ll normally need to provide:

  • Government-issued identification
  • Homeowners insurance declaration page(s)
  • Mortgage statement(s)/lease agreements
  • Trust documents

Be aware, Unlock currently only operates in the following states:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Oregon 
  • Utah
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
  • Washington State

Repayment Terms

Unlock typically stipulates a 10-year term. At the end of this period, you’ll need to settle up with Unlock either by selling your home or by buying out its share in the property. If you’d like to buy the company out earlier, you can do so by making partial payments.

Help & Support

You can contact Unlock via email, an online query form, or alternatively, you can schedule a phone consultation via a tool on its website. There is no customer support number listed on the Unlock website. 

The availability of phone consultations will depend on your location in the US. When we searched for appointments, we found the following slots in the following time zones, Monday to Friday:

  • Pacific Time: 9 am to 4.45 pm
  • Mountain Time: 10 am to 5.45 pm
  • Central Time: 11 am to 6.45 pm
  • Eastern Time: 12 pm to 7.45 pm 

E: hello@unlock.com

Summary

If you’re keen to access the equity in your home without the burden of making monthly repayments, taking out a lump-sum agreement with Unlock could prove an innovative solution. As long as you have a strategy for settling up at the end of your agreement term, the funds you receive—up to $500,000—could help you pay off existing debts or be put towards making a major purchase.

FAQs

What type of properties are eligible?

Unlock invests in the majority of residential properties, including single-family dwellings, condominiums, 2–4 unit properties, and townhouses. However, it won’t typically invest in tenancies-in-common, co-ops, raw land, or prefabricated homes.

Will Unlock run a credit check?

Unlock will run a soft credit check during the application process, but this will not affect your credit score.

Can I refinance my home?

Yes, although Unlock will require you to maintain at least 20% of the equity in your property.

Will I still own my home?

Yes. Although Unlock will place a lien on your home, you’ll retain ownership.

Physical Address 

548 Market St, #31036, San Francisco, CA 94104

Methodology

This review was compiled using information on the company’s website and by emailing its customer service team.


Katy Ward
Written by
Katy Ward
Oxford graduate Katy Ward is a seasoned journalist and editor covering personal finance for Eleven Writing and Top10. Over a 15-year career, Katy has worked with several finance titans, including Barclays, Tandem Bank, and Yahoo! Finance. She enjoys identifying complex financial trends that make for interesting article topics.

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Trustpilot reviews
See what some customers are saying about Unlock
Excellent • Reviews 811
on
Excellent
84%
Great
8%
Average
2%
Poor
0%
Bad
5%
We upload 100 to 400 Trustpilot reviews to our website daily, displaying them by default from "best" to "worst". You have the option to adjust the sorting criteria. If you wish to see all reviews, you can visit Trustpilot's website here.
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JS
Jeff Swickard
17 hours ago
Super easy and friendly
Super easy and friendly
FJ
Felix Rivera Jr.
21 hours ago
Ms. Alauna Johnson
Ms. Alauna Johnson was with out question the most informative, professional and helpful person I have had the true pleasure to work with. She explained in detail step by step each task and how and when it was happening, always available and a true ambassador to your company.
PA
PAUL
5 days ago
Working with Unlock was pretty smooth…
Working with Unlock was pretty smooth and the process was surprisingly simple compared to a traditional HELOC etc. Working with Brandon and others at Unlock were also straightforward and in mere weeks we got funded already. Thank you Unlock for giving us more options than we thought! A+++
Ju
Julie
1 week ago
It was fast and easy
The process was fast and easy. Lauren was available for me whenever I needed her. It was a great experience! Thank you!
Ar
Ashish raj
2 weeks ago
One of best service I found
Best broker for HeLOC
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