Homeward Secures $120M to Speed Up Real Estate Transactions Amid Slowdown

Homeward, a startup designed to assist homeowners in purchasing a new property before selling their current one or securing cash offers for their homes, has exclusively secured a $120 million Series D funding round, as reported by Crunchbase News.

Saluda Grade, an alternative investment firm that focuses on asset-backed credit, spearheaded the funding round. Additional participants included Continental General Insurance Co., Citi Ventures, Magnetar Capital, Norwest, and LiveOak Ventures.

With this latest injection of capital, Homeward’s total equity funding has reached $360 million since its founding in 2018. While the company chose not to reveal the valuation for this recent round, it noted that the figure closely mirrors its valuation from its $136 million Series C raise in 2021, at which time reports placed it “just north of $800 million.”

In addition to the equity financing, the Austin-based company secured a $330 million asset-backed debt facility dedicated to funding further real estate transactions. The new equity capital will be directed toward expanding Homeward’s financing products and investing further in its technology infrastructure.

This fresh funding arrives amid an increase in startup investments within the proptech sector this year. Crunchbase data indicates that global real estate-related startups have pulled in roughly $12.7 billion in seed- through growth-stage funding so far in 2026, putting the year on track to surpass the $12.3 billion raised last year. Even so, sector investment remains well below peak levels; in 2019—the second-highest year on record following the 2021 venture funding boom—real estate startups secured $24 billion.

Cashing out before a sale

Operating through real estate agents, Homeward assists clients in unlocking home equity and managing the logistics of simultaneous buying and selling. Its Buy Before You Sell program supplies short-term financing so individuals can buy their next home prior to offloading their current residence, complete with a guaranteed backup offer for the existing property.

For individuals desiring a swift transaction, the Sell Before You List service provides an all-cash purchase and a closing timeline of just a few weeks. Following the purchase, Homeward renovates the property, lists it on the open market, and returns the generated profit to the original homeowner while retaining a program fee.

“We realized that there’s an opportunity to help homeowners sell their home fast without sacrificing all of their home equity like they would have to if they sold to an investor,” founder and CEO Tim Heyl shared during an interview with Crunchbase News.

According to Heyl, the fresh financing has enabled Homeward to roll out its cash-offer program across all 48 contiguous states. Furthermore, the company aims to offer its Buy Before You Sell program nationwide by the close of the year.

This expansion comes on the heels of a strategic pivot that, according to Heyl’s estimates, has helped Homeward more than quadruple its revenue since 2021, despite broader U.S. home sales dropping by roughly 30%.

“Our ability to really exponentially grow over the last four years or so was a huge thanks to the pivot,” Heyl explained, referencing the Sell Before You List product targeted at “the home sellers that are still transacting.”

To date, Homeward reports having partnered with more than 25,000 real estate agents while facilitating over $4 billion in total transactions.

A pivot as homeowners stayed put

Between 2019 and 2022, Homeward focused strictly on helping homeowners buy their upcoming house before unloading their current one. Heyl noted that this solution resonated strongly with agents and consumers navigating a competitive housing market, driving rapid growth for the company.

However, rapidly climbing interest rates made that target audience harder to reach. Escalating moving costs caused homeowners who might otherwise have upsized or downsized to remain in place.

“It became more expensive, definitely a lot more expensive, to move up, but even for a lot of people, more expensive to move down,” Heyl remarked.

In response, Homeward expanded the variety of sellers it could accommodate. Although fewer consumers were buying and selling concurrently, certain homeowners still needed to sell a property without purchasing a replacement. With properties lingering longer on the market and unpredictable pricing, Heyl identified rising demand for cash offers.

Homeward introduced Sell Before You List in early 2023. From Heyl’s perspective, the core difference is that the company operates as a service provider for sellers rather than an entity looking to capture appreciation by buying and reselling homes.

“Once we fix the house up and sell it for its full price on the open market, we send that profit back to the original homeowner,” he stated.

Additionally, Homeward restructured its original Buy Before You Sell program to reduce costs and simplify the process for an environment where homes no longer sell over a single weekend with multiple competing offers. Heyl noted that this segment has driven substantial growth over the past year as more homeowners re-enter the market.

“Most homeowners that are trying to move up or move down still plan to use the majority of their home equity to make that next purchase,” he said.

Homeward also provides a Buy With Cash option, allowing buyers to make cash-backed offers and subsequently refinance into a standard mortgage following the closing process.

Direct-to-consumer marketing without the cost

The enterprise relies heavily on real estate agents as its primary distribution channel. Having forged partnerships with upwards of 25,000 agents, Homeward has facilitated more than $4 billion in transactions, per Heyl.

Rather than targeting individual consumers directly, the startup nurtures ongoing relationships with agents, teams, and brokerages capable of repeatedly routing clients into its programs.

“We don’t spend a dime going direct to consumer,” he emphasized. “We don’t advertise. We don’t market.”

Some agents choose to white-label Homeward’s products, incorporating them into their independent marketing strategies under their own brand identities. Others utilize the platform when a client’s existing property or restricted equity prevents them from moving forward with a new purchase.

“Sometimes it’s just unblocking the transaction,” Heyl noted.

This resilience and growth during challenging market conditions drew the attention of Saluda Grade, which is investing in Homeward for the first time. John Stepp, head of the firm’s growth equity fund, stated that the company’s deep grasp of the difficulties facing buyers, sellers, and agents set it apart from other comparable operators they evaluated.

“They really understood the core issues they were addressing,” Stepp said. “It was evident in their financial performance and their growth.”

Geographic expansion served as another major draw, with the capital injection opening doors to introduce Homeward’s product suite to new regions, according to Stepp.

“We recognize the product-market fit, and how useful this product set really is to eliminate some of the friction in the home transaction process for consumers,” Stepp told Crunchbase News, “and how useful of a tool it is for agents to be able to offer this.”

Using AI to speed up underwriting

In common with many modern startups, Homeward integrates artificial intelligence into its operational workflows. Specifically, the organization leverages AI to minimize manual efforts associated with processing transactions and underwriting properties.

Large language models are utilized to extract data from documents and assist underwriters in reviewing property photos, videos, and inspection reports. Heyl explained that the technology isolates critical details regarding roofs, heating and cooling systems, and general property conditions.

“AI has been huge for streamlining operations and underwriting,” he observed.

Looking ahead, Heyl views the broader opportunity as continuing to resolve the financial and scheduling obstacles that complicate real estate transactions, regardless of shifting market conditions.

“There’s been a major pullback, but it hasn’t changed the opportunity that exists to solve problems for buyers and sellers,” he said.

The company utilizes multiple revenue streams. Buy Before You Sell involves a 1% program fee paired with monthly interest charges, whereas Sell Before You List features a single program fee with no monthly costs. Heyl did not disclose the specific fee associated with the latter offering.

Homeward also generates revenue through integrated in-house mortgage and title operations. Heyl pointed out that handling multiple transaction phases internally simplifies the experience for buyers and sellers while potentially lowering the overall program fees Homeward must charge.

Related Crunchbase query:

• Global Venture Funding To Proptech Startups In 2026

Related reading:

• Sector Snapshot: Proptech Funding Holds Up, But Investors Are Placing Different Bets
• Sector Snapshot: Real Estate Tech Funding Sees Slight Rebound, But Still Far Lower Than Peak Years

Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Homeward do?
  Homeward is a proptech startup that assists homeowners in purchasing a new property before selling their current home, offering cash-advance solutions, guaranteed backup offers, and streamlined financing products through partnerships with real estate agents.
• How much funding has Homeward raised?
  Homeward has raised a $120 million Series D funding round led by Saluda Grade, bringing its total equity funding to $360 million since its inception in 2018.
• What are Homeward’s primary programs?
  The company’s core offerings include “Buy Before You Sell,” “Sell Before You List,” and “Buy With Cash,” which help manage the timing and financing gaps of residential real estate transactions.
• Does Homeward market directly to consumers?
  No, Homeward operates via a B2B2C model, partnering exclusively with real estate agents, teams, and brokerages rather than spending money on direct-to-consumer advertising.

Illustration: Dom Guzman