Acre Homes, a Durham-based company solving the gap between renting and owning, just landed in Charlotte—hear about one resident they already helped purchase her next home in a sought-after Lake Norman community.
How it works: Instead of buying your home at today’s 7% rates, you can use Acre to share in up to 50% of the home’s appreciation without the high transaction costs, debt, and potential downside of a mortgage.
- Acre works with you and your agent to find a home you love. Acre will then make a cash offer on your behalf to purchase the home. You contribute just ~5% of the home’s value, save around $8,000 in up-front closing costs, and share in the appreciation.
- At the end of your initial 3 year term, you can extend, purchase the home outright, transfer your value share to another Acre-certified home, or leave the Acre network by “cashing out” and redeeming your 5% plus your share of appreciation.
For example: Carol M. relocated to Charlotte from Napa for work, and to be closer to her family. She’s new to North Carolina and still isn’t totally sure where she wants to land.
- She found Acre through a relocation specialist, and was skeptical at first.
- “It seemed too good to be true,” she tells Scoop.
- But she had an attorney and her financial advisor review the terms, and they both gave her the green light.
- Acre helped find and purchase the home, so she was able to settle into this new chapter relatively quickly.
What she says: “It’s so much less of a gamble,” Carol shares. “I’m going to recoup half of the appreciation, and get my 5% back that I can use for a down payment.”
Financial options: There are two options with Acre. The base product is 10% cheaper than a mortgage per month and provides a 10% share of the total appreciation of the home while you live there.
- Or you can choose Acre’s “boost” offering where you share 50% of the total appreciation of the home with a monthly payment closer to a traditional mortgage. (What Carol chose.)
- Acre Residents save tens of thousands in costs versus a traditional mortgage for the average 3-5 year stay.
The perks:
✅ Save 6% in transaction costs.
✅ Make cosmetic changes like you own the place.
✅ Lower cost of entry compared to taking out a mortgage.
✅ Acre covers certain major repairs.
✅ Protected in the event of a market dip.
Bottom line: Acre is ideal for people who want the freedom (and potential financial upside) of homeownership with the flexibility of renting. Learn more now.
