Power buyer programs sit on the buy side, not the sell side. A third party backs your offer in cash — the seller sees a non-contingent all-cash purchase — and you reimburse the program when your mortgage closes a few days later. The price is typically 2% plus a small fixed fee, and the structural win is that you beat contingent buyers without actually being one.
Legally, the buyer in a power-buyer transaction is the program — not you. The program's purchase contract with the seller has no financing contingency because the program genuinely has the cash to close. The seller sees certainty equal to any other cash offer. You enter the picture on the back end, through a separate purchase contract with the program.
This has a real legal and tax consequence in a handful of states: double-transfer tax, revised title insurance, and in some cases a reassessment trigger. Your power-buyer program will paper around those edges; your own counsel should review the PSA anyway.
| Program | Primary fee | Who holds title at step 1 | States | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UpEquity | 2.0% + $500 + 1.25%/mo | UpEquity | 14 | 5.8 | Review |
| Ribbon (revived 2025) | 1.9% + $895 | Ribbon | 7 | 5.5 | Review pending |
Tell us your market. We'll line up both and return the structure with the lower all-in cost to close.
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