Keeping neighborhoods together, longer

Why we built Mainstay

Mainstay exists for one reason: so a hard season doesn’t have to cost you your home and your community. Here’s the story, and exactly how we work.

When our founder was nine, his dad had a heart attack. He was a plumber — the only paycheck in the house — and in the ’80s there was no backup plan. He was out of work for four months. The family had built their home themselves, but the only way through those months was the equity in it. So they sold, moved to a neighborhood they could afford, and rented. New school, new streets — none of it chosen.

They didn’t want to leave. They had no choice.

If Mainstay had existed then, that family could have sold the house, taken the equity they needed, and stayed put while he got back on his feet. Four hard months — not a different life.

That’s the company we’re building. Life happens to good people — a health scare, a divorce, debt that stacked up faster than expected. Getting through it shouldn’t have to cost you your home and your community. Mainstay lets you unlock your equity, clear your mortgage, and stay right where you are.

— The Mainstay team

What makes Mainstay different

Sale-leaseback has earned a bad reputation from companies that buy low and push people out. We’re built to be the opposite — in plain language.

You keep your home

Sell your house and stay in it as a renter. Same address, same schools, same neighbors — you keep the keys.

It’s a sale, not a loan

No new debt, no monthly mortgage, and no credit gate to sell. This is a sale of your home plus a lease — not a loan, mortgage, or refinance.

Near full value

A transparent range of 80–95% of your home’s value, with a clearly stated 2.9% fee — about half the total agent commissions a typical home sale pays.

Clear and one-way

The sale is permanent — there’s no buyback. And every number is a non-binding estimate until we set the final one, informed by an in-person inspection.

The good-neighbor promise

We’ll always tell you what you’re giving up, in plain language, before you decide. We pay near full value, we don’t pressure, and we don’t dress a hard moment up as a sales pitch. And if Mainstay isn’t your best option, we’ll say so.

See what staying put could look like

A transparent, no-obligation estimate in minutes — cash at closing, your monthly rent, and your mortgage paid off. Serving St. Louis & St. Charles County, MO.

Mainstay is a sale of your home plus a lease — not a loan, mortgage, or refinance. The sale is permanent and one-way, with no buyback. Every number is a non-binding estimate, subject to inspection and final agreement.