Start here
Three questions sort everything: how much does the formula say you can borrow (value × lender cap − mortgage), can your budget carry a payment, and does your credit clear the product's bar. Strong credit with payment room points to a HELOC or equity loan. Bruised credit or no payment room points to the alternatives — and under $30k, a personal loan keeps the house out of it entirely.
The guides

Pick your situation

Start here

How much can you borrow?

The 60-second math: value, mortgage balance, and the lender's cap — with worked examples and the gates that override it.

Run the math → The decision

Loan vs HELOC vs HEI

Three products, three completely different deals. One honest table and the question that picks your winner.

See the comparison → Imperfect credit

HELOC alternatives with bad credit

Below ~640 most bank doors close. The five real options ranked by cost — and the "guaranteed approval" trap.

See the options → No payment room

Equity without monthly payments

How home equity investments work, the three-scenario exit math, and who the structure actually fits.

Run the numbers → Providers

HEI companies compared

Point vs Unlock vs Hometap vs Unison — the term-length difference that matters most, and the five questions to ask.

Compare providers → Review

Point review: the honest math

No payment, 500+ scores accepted, 30-year term — what it really costs in three markets and who should walk away.

Read the review → Rates

HELOC rates guide

How Prime-plus-margin pricing actually works, what moves your margin, and the three-quote method.

Read the guide → Your credit

Does a HELOC affect your credit?

What happens at application, at draw, and at payoff — and the utilization quirk most articles get wrong.

Read the guide →
Borrowing less than $30,000?A personal loan skips the appraisal and the lien — your house stays out of it. Soft-pull rate check at Upstart.
Check My Rate at Upstart →

Paid partner link · WiseIQ earns a commission if you apply through this link. Terms are set by Upstart and its lending partners.

The rule under every guide: get the full payoff math in writing before signing — total repaid over the product's life, not the monthly number. For equity-share products, that means the payoff table at flat, 3%, and 6% annual appreciation. A provider that won't show you those numbers has answered your question.
Who gets paid on this page
Upstart — if you check your rate and take a personal loan through our link
Point, Unlock, Hometap, Unison, and every bank discussed — covered editorially; no paid relationship is live on this page todaypays us $0
If that changes, this box changes the same day. How we rank →