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 I was nine, my dad had a heart attack. He was a plumber — blue-collar, the only paycheck in our house — and in the ’80s there was no backup plan. He was out of work for four months. My parents had built our home themselves, and we loved it. But four months with no income, and the only way through was to tap the equity in that house. So we sold it. We gave it away. We moved to a neighborhood we could afford and rented. I changed schools. I lost my friends. Everything changed.

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

If Mainstay had existed then, my family could have sold the house, taken the equity we needed to get through those four months, and stayed. Same home. Same school. Same friends. A hard season instead of a different life.

That’s the whole point of this company. Life happens to good people — a health scare, a divorce, debt that piled up fast. You shouldn’t have to lose your home and your community to get through it. 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 an inspection sets the final value.

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 hard moments up as a sales pitch. We’re here so your community stays your community.

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.