Trust & transparency
“Is this legit?” Fair question.
Selling your home and staying in it sounds too good to be true — so you should be skeptical. Here’s exactly how Mainstay works, how we make money, what you give up, and why this isn’t the predatory sale-leaseback you may have read about. No fine-print games.
How we actually make money
We buy your home a bit below full market value and lease it back to you. Over time, the rent and any appreciation are our return — the same way any landlord or real-estate investor earns. We also charge one clear 2.9% fee at closing, in place of the 5–6% you’d typically pay in agent commissions. That’s it. We don’t profit from anyone’s hardship, and there are no hidden or recurring fees.
What’s the catch?
The honest trade: when you sell, you give up future appreciation on the home and the equity above the purchase price. You’ll also pay rent — set with the local market — and while renewing is the whole point, a lease is a term, not a promise of forever. In exchange you get cash now, your mortgage paid off, six months of prepaid rent, and the right to stay. For some people that’s a great deal; for others it isn’t. We’d rather you weigh it with eyes open than find a surprise later.
When Mainstay is the wrong choice
We’d rather lose a deal than watch you make the wrong call. Skip us if:
- You can comfortably carry your mortgage. Keep the home and keep building equity — time is on your side.
- You just need some cash and your credit is solid. A HELOC or refinance may cost you less than selling. Yes, we're telling you to price out our competition.
- You're ready to move anyway. List on the open market — that's how you capture full value.
If any of those fit you, we’ll say so on the phone, too.
Why this isn’t the predatory kind
Some sale-leaseback companies have hurt homeowners — disguised, high-cost loans dressed up as a “sale,” with buyback traps and rising rent. Mainstay is built to be the structural opposite:
Predatory deals dangle a “buy it back later” option that almost no one can exercise. We don’t. Title transfers cleanly and permanently, so there’s no hidden loan with your house as collateral.
A transparent 80–95% of value. The in-person inspection informs the number; we set the final price, figured the same way for every homeowner. You walk away with real equity and a check — the opposite of equity-stripping.
Rent is set to the local market, with six months prepaid from your own proceeds so day one isn’t a squeeze. No teaser rate that spikes later.
A single 2.9% fee — about half what a traditional sale pays in agent commissions — withheld from proceeds and shown before you sign. Nothing accrues against your home.
We don’t market to distress or promise to “rescue” anyone. It’s one option among selling outright, a HELOC, or staying put — and we tell you what you give up.
Sale-leaseback has drawn FTC and state-AG attention for good reason. Our documents, disclosures, and lease are structured with those concerns in mind.
How is this legal?
It’s a sale plus a lease — two ordinary transactions
People sell homes and people rent homes every day. We simply do both at once: you sell to us, then lease it back. It is not a loan, mortgage, or refinance.
No debt, no credit gate
Because nothing is borrowed, there’s no new debt against the home and no credit check to sell. There’s nothing to recharacterize as a loan.
Reviewed by counsel
Our purchase agreement, lease, and disclosures are built with the FTC and state-AG concerns explicitly in mind, and re-reviewed as we grow.
Mainstay is an early-stage company serving St. Louis & St. Charles County, MO. Every number on this site is a non-binding estimate, subject to inspection and a final written agreement.
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