EasyKnock is officially out of business as of December 2024. Here are our other top-rated home sale-leaseback companies and an alternative financing solution.
Our previous review of EasyKnock is below, for comparison purposes.
Best Customer Reviews
Home Sale-Leaseback
- Sell your home at 100% of the fair market value
- Maintain your rights to any home value appreciation
- You can repurchase the home
- EasyKnock covers home repairs
- No credit score or debt-to-income requirements
- 3.75% or 4.99% processing fee taken out of your proceeds
| Closing time | 4 โ 6 weeks |
| Eligible homes | Single-family, townhomes, and certain condos |
| Ineligible states | CA, DE, MA, MD, ND, NY, SD, VT, WA, and select markets |
EasyKnock is a New York City-based company founded in 2016. It offers the first commercialized residential sale-leaseback program in the United States, which allows homeowners to access their home value without moving.
EasyKnock differs distinctly from reverse mortgages and home equity lines of credit. With its model, homeowners sell their houses to EasyKnock and stay in their homes as renters. EasyKnock says its mission is to help homeowners achieve financial freedom by accessing the value of their home through their innovative programs: MoveAbility and Sell & Stay.
If you are looking to learn more about a specific product offered by EasyKnock, you can click on the product below to jump down to that review. If you are interested in learning about all of EasyKnockโs products to see which one can help you, continue to the next section.
Compare EasyKnockโs products
EasyKnock offers two sale-leaseback programs to homeowners, each offering a solution for different problems.
- MoveAbility: EasyKnock buys your home, pays off the mortgage, and provides up to 75% of the cash value. The rest remains in the program until the home is sold. Lease the home for up to 12 months.
- Sell & Stay: EasyKnock buys your home, pays off the mortgage, and provides up to 75% of the cash value. The rest remains in the program until the home is sold. Renew the lease annually as long as youโd like.
Hereโs a closer look at the differences.
| Feature | MoveAbility | Sell & Stay |
| Purpose | Bridge solution while transferring homes | Convert equity into cash with option to repurchase |
| Lease duration | Up to 12 months | Renewable 12-month lease |
| Eligibility requirements | Flexible and more lenient than loans | Flexible and more lenient than loans |
| Processing fee | 3.75% | 4.99% |
| Additional costs | Rent | Rent and annual lease renewal fee |
| Repurchase option | No | Yes |
What makes EasyKnock different than a traditional home sale?
Prior to home sale-leaseback programs like those offered by EasyKnock, the traditional way for homeowners to convert the maximum amount of equity in their home into cash was through selling the home.
Now, with these programs, homeowners are able to remain in their home while utilizing the equity they have built in that home.
Here is a direct comparison between EasyKnock and a traditional sale.
| EasyKnock | Traditional Sale | |
| Can you remain in home? | Yes | Must move before closing |
| Home value you can access | Up to 100% | 100% |
| Option to receive future home appreciation? | Yes | No |
| Transaction costs | Up to 4.99% + closing costs | 5% โ 6% + closing costs + moving costs |
Reviews of EasyKnockโs programs
Below, you will find in-depth reviews of each of EasyKnockโs programs.
MoveAbility
The MoveAbility program from EasyKnock is a solution for homeowners looking for a bridge solution to eliminate the stresses of selling your home while at the same time trying to buy a new one.
How MoveAbility works
Through the program, EasyKnock buys your house and leases it back to you for up to 12 months until you are ready to move. Hereโs how it works:
- An EasyKnock specialist will create a plan that purchases your home and gives you up to 75% of your home value in cash upfront and provides a lease for up to 12 months to keep you in the home as you search for your new house.
- Once due diligence and appraisal are completed, closing documents are signed and youโll receive your money.
- Youโll be able to stay in your home during the 12-month lease and work with your realtor to sell your home.
- Once the sale is finalized, youโll move to your new home and receive the remaining home value plus any appreciation accrued during the lease.
Program details
- Credit Requirements: Noneย
- Fees: 3.75% processing fee
- Purchase Price: EasyKnock purchases the property at its full appraised value and gives you up to 75% cash at closing, and the remaining amount is received once the home is sold.
- Who Itโs Good For: People who want to sell their home quickly but arenโt ready to move.
- Lease Lengths: Up to 12 months
- Rent deferral options:
- Defer 100% of the rent for a 1% cash funding fee
- Defer 50% of the rent for a 0.5% cash funding fee
- Defer 22% of the rent for a 0.22% cash funding fee
Pros and cons
Pros
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Getting money out of your home is easy.
You arenโt taking out a loan with EasyKnock, so you donโt have to meet the typical qualification requirements necessary for a cash-out refinance loan or other home equity products.
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Your debt-to-income ratio and credit score are less important factors.
You can access your homeโs value even if you arenโt an ideal borrower.
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Funds can be accessed quickly.
It normally takes a long time to sell your house. But you donโt have to worry about this with EasyKnock. Most people get their money in less than 30 days.
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You donโt have to move out once you sell the house to EasyKnock.
Since youโll no longer be an owner, you donโt have to worry about all the costs of homeownership, such as property taxes and insurance.
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Share in appreciation of your home.
If your home appreciates during your lease, youโll receive that appreciation once the home is sold.
Cons
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You must pay rent.
While you were previously an owner and building equity, youโre now a tenant. If you want to stay put in your home and rent, the money you pay each month goes to your landlord.
Sell & Stay
The Sell & Stay program from EasyKnock lets homeowners get the money they need while staying in their home. There is no cap on the length of time in which you can lease your home. Youโll have the option to buy back the house or move at any point.
How Sell & Stay works
Through the program, EasyKnock buys your house and leases it back to you with no limit on how long you can stay in the home. Hereโs how it works:
- An EasyKnock specialist will create a plan that purchases your home and gives you up to 75% of your home value in cash upfront. The remaining amount can be received if you decide to move.
- Once due diligence and appraisal are completed, closing documents are signed and youโll receive your money.
- Youโll be able to stay in your home for as long as you like while you pay rent to EasyKnock under the agreed-upon lease.
- When ready, you can either buy the house back or work with a realtor to sell it on the market. Once the house sells, youโll receive the remaining percentage of your homeโs value plus any appreciation that occurred during the leasing period.
Program details
- Credit Requirements: None
- Fees: EasyKnockโs processing fee is 4.99%
- Cash Out Value: Ranges from $60,000 to $450,000.
- Required LTV Ratio: Sell & Stay does have a maximum LTV ratio, contingent upon home value. For most individuals, if your LTV is 50% or less they can offer a plan for you. You can calculate your LTV ratio by dividing your current mortgage balance by the current value of your house.
- Who Itโs Good For: The company touts its program as an option for people looking to access the value of their home without moving, but donโt qualify for or want to deal with loans.
- Lease Lengths: EasyKnock offers renewable 12-month lease terms with the option to terminate at any point.
- Pricing: Homeowners can negotiate the sale price, the length of the lease, and the price of their rent.
Pros and cons
Pros
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Lenient Eligibility Requirements.
One of the main benefits of Sell & Stay from EasyKnock is that you may be eligible for it even if you donโt qualify for a home equity loan or reverse mortgages. Since EasyKnock takes into consideration you and your house, unlike banks and lenders who have strict requirements for types of income and credit score, they are able to open their opportunities up to a broader range of customers.
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Short Time to Close.
EasyKnock says delivering funds can take less than 30 days.
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Educational Website.
EasyKnockโs website makes it easy to understand the products offered, and it is user-friendly and simple to navigate.
Cons
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Have to Pay Rent.
The main downside of EasyKnockโs product is that you become a renter in the house that you previously owned.
The best home sale-leaseback companies and EasyKnock alternatives
How home equity works
Home equityย is the value of your home that you fully own and cannot be claimed by a lender. It is calculated by subtracting any outstanding loan balances from the homeโs market value. If the property value of a home increases or if the outstanding loan balances are reduced, then the home equity increases.
Home equity is an asset. If you have equity and you sell your home, you can use the equity toward buying a new one. Of course, you could also borrow against your homeโs equity through a reverse mortgage or line of credit.
Using a loan to tap your home equity does come with risks. In these situations, your home is your collateral, and if you canโt repay your loan, you could lose your home.
How we rated EasyKnock
We designed LendEDUโs editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best home sale-leasebacks. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.
We compared EasyKnock to several home sale-leaseback lenders, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating and best-for designation, recapped below.
About our contributors
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Written by Christy RakoczyChristy Rakoczy has been a personal finance and legal writer since 2008. She has a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law and was a college instructor before she began writing for the web.