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Shared Equity Certification

Shared Equity Certification

Help your clients find better financing options

If you operate a community land trust, below market rate program, or another program that uses income and resale price restrictions (deed restrictions) to create long-term affordability, certifying your program can help you offer your homebuyers more financing opportunities and save your lending partners time.

Fannie Mae's Shared Equity Program Platform allows you to quickly and easily show that you meet conventional financing requirements in as little as 10 minutes, expanding your customers' borrowing options.

How it works

Fannie Mae works with lenders to make financing more available to homebuyers purchasing from a shared equity program. In return, lenders confirm that programs they work with meet certain industry standards and program requirements. By answering a few simple questions, you can let lenders know that you meet those standards, opening up new opportunities for your homebuyers to finance their mortgage.

To complete the application you'll be asked to provide:

  • Basic organizational information
  • Contact information
  • The legal document(s) (often a ground lease or deed restriction) that your program and homebuyers use to agree to resale and program restrictions in your shared equity homeownership program. You'll need to reference and upload these documents.

Once submitted, your application will be reviewed and you will be notified of the results. Assuming your program meets the necessary requirements, the program will be added to the Certified Shared Equity Programs List.

Get started 

FAQs

If your program, for example, uses both a ground lease and also a deed restriction you’ll want to add both legal documents for review. Once you’ve completed the application for your first program (ground lease), you’ll have the option to add the additional legal document (deed restriction). Your contact information will appear and you’ll be able to edit any information, but you’ll need to continue through the same questions ensuring they’re accurate for the new legal document as details such as the term of the resale restrictions may be different. Please be aware that you will need to complete your submission in one sitting. Applications that have not been submitted will not be saved and you will be unable to return to an incomplete application at a later time.

As a best practice, if you don’t have all of your documents and information available when you initially complete the application, you may find it easier to complete the application for your ground lease and submit that application and then start a new application for the deed restriction document with a different application.

Yes, if you did not complete the form and submit your information, you will need to start the application form again.

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If you still need help, reach out to [email protected].

Please contact [email protected] for assistance.

If your legal agreement between the program and homeowners (often a ground lease or deed restriction) is finalized, you can submit the application. There is no requirement to have existing units when you apply. If your program is certified, you will be responsible for providing updated documents if and when they change.

We ask this question to understand whether the organization listed in your initial contact information is the same as the organization named in the legal agreement between the homeowner and the program. This question does not seek to understand if your funder(s) are named within your legal documents—only whether the legal agreement is signed by the homeowner and your organization, or a different organization. This may be the case if a nonprofit organization is paid to administer, steward, or provide monitoring and compliance for a municipal or other nonprofit’s portfolio of affordable homeownership units.