Equity Unlocker™
Buy a new home.
Keep your AMZN.
Only with Better Mortgage.
Pre-approval won’t impact your credit score
Featured in
Featured in
Exclusively for
Amazon employees
Decide how many Amazon shares you want to pledge toward your home. You can always use a mix of cash and pledged shares towards a down payment—it doesn't need to be one or the other.
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Benefits of the
Equity Unlocker™ program
$0 cash down
Don’t liquidate your shares for a down payment. Instead, keep stock in your company AND build equity in a new home.
Grow with your company
Your shares are pledged, not sold so you can profit from Amazon’s success. If your shares drop in value, the terms of your mortgage still stay the same.
$0 capital gains tax
Pledging your shares as collateral is not a taxable event. Selling them is. Keep more of your hard-earned money by leveraging your shares instead of selling them.
For all kinds of homes
The Equity Unlocker™ program isn’t just for primary residences. Use it to buy a vacation home or even an investment property.
“We built the Better Equity Unlocker exclusively for Amazon employees, so it specifically fits your needs.
In today’s market, we understand how hard it can be to buy a home, so this new tool allows you to maximize your options.”
Vishal Garg, founder and CEO of Better
How it works
Get pre-approved
Get an official pre-approval letter online with Better Mortgage, see your estimated share value, and get connected with your Home Advisor.
Validate your shares
Your Home Advisor will confirm how many vested, exercised Amazon shares you have, as well as their collateral value.
Choose your loan
While we’re processing your financials, our team will reach out to you to finalize loan terms and get you ready for closing.
Close and pledge your shares
At closing, you’ll get your keys, and your shares will be pledged as collateral. You won’t be able to sell your shares until the mortgage principal is paid in full, or you refinance. There's also an option to sell your shares if the proceeds would pay down a percentage of the principal.
How it works
- 1
Get pre-approved
Get an official pre-approval letter in minutes with Better Mortgage, see your estimated share value, and get connected with your Home Advisor.
2
Validate your shares
Your Better Mortgage Loan Consultant will confirm how many Amazon shares you have.
3
Choose your loan
While we're processing your financials, our team will reach out to you to finalize your mortgage loan terms and securities-based loan terms and to get you ready for Closing.
4
Close and pledge your shares
At the simultaneous Closing of both the traditional mortgage loan and the securities-based loan, you'll get your keys and your shares will be pledged as collateral.
FAQs
What is the Equity Unlocker program?
The Equity Unlocker program consists of a traditional mortgage loan from Better Mortgage as well as a securities-based loan from Better Mortgage. The proceeds of the securities-based loan are used to fund the down payment for the traditional mortgage loan.
How do I know if the Equity Unlocker program is a good product for me?
The Equity Unlocker program allows you to pledge vested shares towards the down payment of a new home. With just a standard Better Mortgage loan, cash must be used as the down payment. With the Equity Unlocker program, to cover the down payment of your Better Mortgage loan, Better Mortgage will issue you a loan secured by the pledge of your vested shares. You will have your shares valued at a 50% advance rate, meaning if you have $200,000 in vested Amazon shares, you can pledge that equity to cover $100,000 towards the down payment ($200,000 x 50% = $100,000). You don't have to use the securities-based loan to fund the entirety of the down payment for your mortgage loan, you can use a mix of cash, and a lower level of proceeds from the securities-based loan to fund the down payment.
How is this different from what Better Mortgage offers me today?
With Equity Unlocker you can pledge vested equity toward the down payment on a new home. With a standard Better Mortgage, cash must be used as the down payment. To cover the down payment, you will have your equity valued at a 50% advance rate, meaning if you have $200,000 in vested Amazon stock, you can pledge that equity to cover $100,000 toward the down payment ($200,000 x 50% = $100,000). You also have the option to subsidize the value of pledged equity with cash toward a down payment.
What is the interest rate and terms of the securities-based loan that is used to fund the down payment of the mortgage loan under the Equity Unlocker program?
The interest rate for the securities-based loan will be 0.25 - 2.50% higher than the daily Fannie Mae mortgage rate, depending on the terms of the securities-based loan.
How is this different from what my bank offers me today?
For just a traditional mortgage, your bank likely requires you to use cash as a down payment. Plus, if your bank offers margin loans, those are likely daily mark-to-market, meaning if the value of your equity declines, you would be obligated to pledge more equity, liquidate some of your equity, or put up more of your cash towards the loan as collateral.. With Equity Unlocker, you can get a home without doing any of those things.
Does this affect my relationship with my employer in any way?
Nope! Your home and your mortgage belong to you. There is no impact from leaving or changing your job.
To qualify for the Equity Unlocker program, what information do you need from my broker?
You will be required to submit brokerage statements to demonstrate you own sufficient shares to be pledged. Your expert Loan Consultant will be able to talk you through your options based on your specific needs and financial situation. What data are you collecting from me and what will it be used for? Other than the equity information required for an Equity Unlocker mortgage, we collect the same data/information that is required when applying for a traditional mortgage loan. We have implemented and maintain an information security program which includes industry standard technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, or improper disclosure.
What data are you collecting from me and what will it be used for?
Other than the equity information required for the Equity Unlocker program, we collect the same data/information that is required when applying for a traditional mortgage loan. We have implemented and maintain an information security program which includes industry standard technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, or improper disclosure.
Is my use of the Equity Unlocker product subject to Amazon’s insider trading policy and the Amazon Insider Trading Guidelines?
Yes. Amazon’s Insider Trading Guidelines and FAQs address pledges of your Amazon shares, including that Amazon employees may not cause or permit any Amazon shares that they pledge in connection with the stock-based loan to be sold if they are subject to the trading window and it is closed, or if they have material nonpublic information about Amazon. For example, it would violate Amazon’s policy if you default on the securities-based loan under the Equity Unlocker program and as a result your Amazon shares are sold at a time when you are not be permitted to sell Amazon shares. For this reason, you are urged to be cautious and conservative if you decide to take advantage of the Equity Unlocker Program.
Equity Unlocker Terms and Conditions
See all FAQs
¹See Equity Unlocker Terms and Conditions for complete details. The Equity Unlocker program is available for the purchase of real properties located in NY, WA, and FL. Better Mortgage and its affiliates do not provide financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisors before engaging in any transaction.
Frequently asked questions
How do I understand what this is and if it’s a good product for me?
Experiment with the calculator above to help understand how much equity you will need to pledge and how much home you can afford. Pre-approval takes a few minutes and then you can discuss specifics directly with your expert Home Advisor.How is this different from what Better Mortgage offers me today?
With Equity Unlocker you can pledge vested equity toward the down payment on a new home. With a standard Better Mortgage, cash must be used as the down payment. To cover the down payment, you will have your equity valued at a 50% advance rate, meaning if you have $250,000 in vested Amazon stock, you can pledge that equity to cover $100,000 toward the down payment ($250,000 x 40% = $100,000). You also have the option to subsidize the value of pledged equity with cash toward a down payment.What is the interest rate and terms of the Equity Unlocker mortgage?
The interest rate for an Equity Unlocker mortgage will be 1.50-3.00% higher than the daily Fannie Mae mortgage rate, depending on the terms of the mortgage loan (15 year fixed, 30 year fixed, ARM etc.)How is this different from what my bank offers me today?
For a mortgage, your bank likely requires you to use cash as a down payment. If your bank offers margin loans, those are likely daily mark-to-market, meaning if the value of your equity declines, you would be obligated to pledge more shares toward the loan as collateral. You may have to liquidate your equity, put up more cash, or forcibly sell your home if the stock price drops enough. With Equity Unlocker you can get a home without doing any of those things.Does this affect my relationship with my employer in any way?
Nope! Your home and your mortgage belong to you. There is no impact from leaving or changing your job.What does it mean to “pledge” shares of my vested equity?
A share pledge means that the shares are held, in your name, as collateral against a loan. Those shares can remain at your brokerage house or custodian, you’ll simply have to get the custodian to sign a document during closing to acknowledge the pledge. Those shares are your property and yours to sell at any time to pay down the mortgage. All additional proceeds from the sale of equity are yours to keep.What information do you need from my broker in order to provide me with a recommendation about the appropriateness of Equity Unlocker for my situation?
You will be required to submit brokerage statements illustrating sufficient vested equity shares to be pledged. Your expert Loan Consultant will be able to talk you through your options based on your specific needs and financial situation. Visit better.com/equityunlocker/amazon today to get started.What data are you collecting from me and what will it be used for?
We ask for the same information that is required when you apply for a traditional mortgage and utilize the utmost in data security protections throughout the process. We will never sell your data.How long does the whole process take?
Once your equity is verified, the average closing time for a Better mortgage is 10 days faster than the industry average, typically 30-40 days.How much does this cost? And what fees are associated with the offering?
Closing costs for a mortgage typically range from 2-5% of the amount of the loan. Better never charges additional lender fees or commissions.
