American homeowners are sitting on a remarkable amount of wealth that most of them are not using. As of the August 2026 Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Mortgage Monitor, U.S. mortgage holders held about $11.7 trillion in tappable home equity, roughly $212,000 per borrower on average. Yet much of that value stays locked in place, because the traditional ways to reach it, such as home equity lines of credit, cash-out refinances, and home equity loans, do not fit every situation. Unison offers another path: an Equity Sharing Agreement (ESA) that lets homeowners access a portion of their equity without taking on new monthly payments. It is one option among several, not the right fit for everyone, but for many homeowners it fills a real gap.
