Retired? The bank's "insufficient income" is their problem, not yours.

You spent 30 years paying off a house and filling a retirement account — and now a lender says you don't earn enough for a HELOC. Two routes fix that. Asset-based HELOCs divide your savings over the loan term and count it as income. And Home Equity Appreciation skips income entirely: it's not a HELOC and it's not a reverse mortgage — you get cash from the equity you've already built, with zero income documents, no monthly payment ever, and credit scores as low as 500. We offer both, and we'll tell you honestly which fits your retirement.

Not a reverse mortgage — no growing balance, no heavy fees, and the $0/month option has no age requirement
No pay stubs, no W-2s — your assets or your equity do the qualifying
The HEA route: zero income docs, $0/month for up to 30 years, credit from 500
Not a reverse mortgageNo compounding debt balance
$0/month optionNothing added to a fixed budget
Savings = incomeAsset-based HELOC route
FICO as low as 500On the equity route
Your retirement equity options — 60 seconds 0%

How much cash would help?

Drag the slider — no employment questions follow. Check your rate as of .

$100,000

One lump sum — with a $0/month route available

$15K$500K
Secure ~60 seconds No SSN needed

Let's estimate your available equity

Your best guess is fine — decades of payments are about to do the qualifying.

ESTIMATED AVAILABLE EQUITY$150,000

What's your credit score range?

Your best estimate is fine — it's confirmed later in the process.

What will you use the cash for?

This helps tailor your options.

What's the property address?

Start typing and select your address — we verify it instantly so your options is accurate.

We couldn't verify this address — check the spelling or select one of the suggestions
Unit number is required for condos & townhomes
Address is verified against official U.S. records

Where should we send your options?

Please use your full legal name (as it appears on your government-issued ID) and an email and mobile number you control — these details are verified and used in the underwriting process. Inaccurate information can delay your options.

First name is required
Last name is required
Enter a valid date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY)
Enter a valid email address
Enter a valid 10-digit phone number
How your information is protected: encrypted in transit, used only to prepare your options and verify your identity, and never sold to third parties.
Your information is encrypted and never sold

Congrats — you're a fit!

You've been matched. A licensed specialist will price both retiree routes — the $0/month HEA and the asset-based HELOC — and reach out with real numbers.

Requested amount$100,000
Estimated equity$150,000
Property—
What happens next: Watch your email and phone — a licensed specialist at West Capital Lending will reach out within one business day with both options explained in plain English. No documents needed until you've seen the numbers.

Fit is based on the answers you provided and is not a loan approval. Loan options are subject to verification, credit approval, and underwriting.

0 pay stubs
Your assets or your equity qualify you — not a paycheck you no longer collect
$0/month option
Home Equity Appreciation adds no bill to a fixed-income budget
Not a reverse
No growing debt balance, no heavy upfront fees, no 62+ fine print
Up to $500K
Lump sums sized by the equity you spent decades building

"Is this a reverse mortgage?" No — here's the difference.

Fair question — it's the only $0/month product most retirees have ever heard of. Kitchen-table version:

A reverse mortgage

  • Is a loan — interest compounds and the balance grows against your home every year
  • Requires you to be 62 or older
  • Carries famously high upfront costs — FHA insurance, origination, counseling
  • What's left for your heirs shrinks every year the interest compounds

Home Equity Appreciation

  • Not a loan — no interest rate, no balance, no debt compounding anywhere
  • No age requirement — retired at 55 works just as well as 75
  • One clearly-stated cost: a share of your home's future growth, fixed in writing on day one
  • Settle when you sell, refinance, or buy out — anytime, no penalty, up to 30 years

Retirement equity cash, in 3 steps

No branch visits, no counseling classes, no paperwork scavenger hunt.

01

1. Tell us about your home

Sixty seconds: home value, what's left on the mortgage (many retirees: nothing), and your credit range. No SSN, no employment questions.

~60 seconds
02

2. Both retiree routes get priced

The HEA offer is sized from your equity alone — up to $500K, $0/month. The asset-based HELOC converts your portfolio into qualifying income. You see both, with the trade-offs in plain English.

1 business day
03

3. Choose what fits your retirement

Want no new bill, ever? The HEA settles from your home's value when you sell, refi, or buy out — up to 30 years. Prefer a credit line and can carry a payment? The HELOC may cost less overall.

You decide

Why retirees pick these routes over a reverse mortgage

No debt balance growing against your home

A reverse mortgage's balance compounds every year as interest accrues — quietly eating the equity you meant to leave behind. The HEA has no balance and no interest; its cost is a fixed share of future growth, spelled out in writing before you sign.

A fixed income deserves a fixed budget

Social Security and portfolio drawdowns don't stretch. The HEA route adds exactly $0/month — no bill, no interest clock, nothing due until you sell, refinance, or choose to settle.

Your savings can be your income

Asset-depletion underwriting divides your retirement portfolio over the loan term and calls it monthly income — no liquidation, no tax event, no pay stub. It's how equity-rich, 'income-poor' retirees qualify for real HELOCs.

Both products, explained like family

We offer the HEA and the HELOC — and if a reverse mortgage genuinely suits your situation better, we'll say that too. The recommendation follows your retirement, not a commission.

Your three real options, side by side

The honest comparison the reverse-mortgage ads never show.

HEA · $0/monthNO PAYMENTS, NO GROWING DEBTAsset-based HELOCReverse mortgage (62+)
Monthly payment $0 — ever Interest, monthly $0
Debt balance grows over time No — no interest at all No — you pay as you go Yes — compounds yearly
Age requirement None None 62+
Income documentation None Assets analyzed Financial assessment
Minimum credit score As low as 500 ~640+ Flexible, but assessed
Typical upfront costs Low Low High (FHA MIP + fees)
You keep 100% of appreciation No — the share is the cost Yes Yes (minus growing debt)
Heirs inherit Home minus the share Home minus balance Home minus grown balance

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a HELOC if I'm retired with no job?
Yes — two ways. An asset-based HELOC divides your retirement savings over the loan term and counts it as qualifying income (no liquidation required). Or skip income entirely with Home Equity Appreciation: cash from your equity with zero income documents, no monthly payment, and credit from 500. We price both for every retiree scenario.
Is this a reverse mortgage?
No. A reverse mortgage is a loan whose balance grows every year as interest compounds, is limited to homeowners 62+, and carries heavy upfront costs. Home Equity Appreciation has no balance, no interest, and no age requirement — its one cost is a share of your home's future growth, fixed in writing before you sign. The comparison table above shows all three options honestly.
Will this add a bill to my fixed income?
The HEA route adds exactly nothing — $0/month, no interest accruing, nothing due until you sell, refinance, or choose to settle (up to 30 years, no prepayment penalty). The asset-based HELOC does carry a monthly payment, which is why we show you both and let your budget decide.
How does my retirement portfolio count as income?
Asset-depletion underwriting takes your eligible assets — retirement accounts, brokerage, savings — divides them over the loan term, and treats the result as monthly income. A $1M portfolio can read as roughly $3,000–$4,000/month of qualifying income without selling a single share.
What about Social Security and pension income?
It counts too, and for some retirees it's enough on its own. Where it falls short, the asset-based math tops it up — or the HEA route makes the whole question irrelevant, since it verifies no income at all.
What credit score do I need?
The HEA route accepts scores as low as 500. Asset-based HELOCs generally want 640+. A bruised score in retirement doesn't end the conversation — it just points to the route with no payment to underwrite.
What happens to my home and my heirs?
On every route here, you stay the owner and occupant — title stays in your name. With the HEA, your heirs inherit the home minus the agreed share of growth; unlike a reverse mortgage, there's no compounding balance eating the estate every year. Many families settle the agreement from sale proceeds and keep the rest.
How much can I get?
HEA lump sums run up to $500,000, sized from your equity — and retirees who've paid down their mortgage often qualify for the strongest amounts. The sliders above give an instant estimate; your specialist confirms the real number.
Who's behind this site?
This site is operated by the team at Honest Casa (NMLS #1566096, Equal Housing Lender, Irvine, CA) — offering home equity agreements through a leading HEA provider we partner with, alongside HELOC options across a 90+ lender network. Verify licensing at NMLS Consumer Access.

You spent decades building this equity. It can pay you back now.

Both retiree routes priced within one business day — no pay stubs, no SSN, no hard pull, no new monthly bill required.

Check My Equity Now
Get Cash — Retired Is Fine