The Number Advisors Use for Every Other Funding Decision
Homeowners and their advisors evaluate nearly every funding decision on one number. A 30-year mortgage is quoted as an APR. A home equity line of credit is quoted as an APR. Imperfect but universal, it is funding’s shared language of cost.
Home equity investment agreements, or HEIs, have sat outside that language. An HEI is not a loan: no interest, no amortization schedule, no new monthly payment. The agreement settles from the home’s value at a settlement event, typically a sale, a permanent move-out, or the homeowner’s passing. Different structure, so HEI cost figures are typically quoted at one early year and compared against lending rates they were never designed to sit beside. The fair question: measured the way everything else is measured, what does this funding cost?
The 30-year measure
Apply the same cost-of-funding calculation the mortgage space uses, APR, to an HEI over the horizon the mortgage space itself advertises. For the CHEIFS agreement modeled here, the answer is 5.9% over 30 years. That lands below Bankrate’s national averages for both alternatives, a 6.68% APR on the 30-year fixed and a 7.43% average HELOC rate as of mid-July 2026, and it stays competitive even against the sharply priced quotes used in the model itself: a 5.75% mortgage rate bought down with points (5.97% APR all-in) and a low-rate 6.24% HELOC offering (6.36% with its annual fee).
The bottom line
None of this makes the structure universally appropriate, and the comparison is not a recommendation. Costs, fees, and contractual obligations are real, and the share of future home value conveyed at settlement is the price of the structure’s features.
The point is simple. Measured with the same yardstick as traditional financing, at the horizon traditional financing itself advertises, a modern HEI is competitive on cost, below the national averages for both the 30-year fixed and the HELOC, with no term, no interest, and no new monthly payments attached. Homeowners and advisors comparing funding options owe home equity the same fair measurement they give everything else. The most familiar number in finance, applied evenly, tells a less familiar story.
Disclosures
This article is for financial professional use and for informational and marketing purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Advisors should evaluate the suitability of all available options for each client’s individual situation, and homeowners should consult with independent, licensed financial, tax, and legal professionals for advice. CHEIFS may involve risks, fees, costs, contractual obligations, and other material considerations not appropriate for all homeowners. Homeowners and their independent advisors should carefully evaluate all available options against the homeowner’s individual financial situation, goals, and overall financial and tax strategy.
CHEIFS is a home equity investment agreement (or “HEI”), not a loan. This is not an offer or commitment. CHEIFS is subject to underwriting and approval, including property appraisal(s) and verification of credit history, property condition, title, and property insurance, among other things. The subject property may not be in foreclosure or bankruptcy. Performance of the CHEIFS agreement is secured by a mortgage or trust deed, depending on the state, in no lower than second lien priority. Minimum investment payment is $70,000. Owner-occupied, 1-2 unit residential properties only. The equity share return becomes payable upon a settlement event and is calculated as a percentage of the home’s future value, subject to the program’s cost cap. Homeowner pays an origination fee plus appraisal, title, recording fees, and other closing costs. Homeowner must occupy and maintain the property and remain current on property insurance, taxes and assessments, and payments on any other mortgages. Terms may vary and are subject to change. Additional conditions apply. Not available in all states.
Cornerstone acts for itself, as the investor, and not as an agent or broker for the homeowner or any third party. There is no agency relationship between Cornerstone and a homeowner related to the CHEIFS agreement.
Cornerstone does not offer HEI products or solicit business related to properties located in the states of NY, MN, and certain other states. Please visit cheifs.com/licensing for a list of states where CHEIFS is offered. CHEIFS is offered exclusively by Cornerstone Financing LLC, and its subsidiary Domus Funding Corp. (in California only), and does business as “Domus Funding LLC” in OH and as “Domus Funding” in NH. Principal Office: 86 Summit Ave., Ste. 201, Summit, NJ 07901. Toll-free (855) 462-4343. NMLS #2557707, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. CA DRE license #02248492. Not licensed in all states. Cornerstone’s HEI product is not offered under state mortgage lending licenses.
© 2026 Cornerstone Financing LLC. “CHEIFS CONVERTING HOME EQUITY INTO FINANCIAL SUCCESS” and “CHEIFS” are registered service marks, and the CHEIFS logo is a service mark, of Cornerstone Financing LLC. All rights reserved.
