Trust & transparency
“Is this legit?” Let’s be straight with you.
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. 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.
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, with the price set by inspection. 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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