Sell your home.
Keep more of what you built.

Seller financing under IRC §453 spreads your capital gains over 10–20 years — lower brackets, no bank, and you earn the interest.

Calculate my savings Book a 15-min call
$0typical gain-tax saved*
$0avg. interest earned by seller*
0%0%effective tax on gain*
0banks involved
How it works

Three steps. No bank.

You become the lender. The buyer pays you directly — secured by the home itself.

STEP 01

Model your taxes

See your exact scenario: traditional sale vs. installment sale, year by year, with 2026 federal + California rates.

STEP 02

Match with a vetted buyer

We pre-screen buyers on real cash flow — income, employment, bank history. You approve who you finance.

STEP 03

Close & collect

Promissory note, recorded deed of trust, title insurance — all done through escrow like a normal sale. Third-party servicing available. Payments land monthly.

A real example

María, 68 — Pasadena

Bought in 1985 for $250k + $50k improvements. Home worth $1.8M today, fully paid off. Married filing jointly, $60k retirement income.

She sells at
$1,800,000

15% down · 6% interest · 15-year note

Buyer pays her
$12,865/mo

Principal + interest, secured by deed of trust on the home

Gain recognized
~1/15 per year

Stays in low brackets · reported on Form 6252

Traditional sale

$273,294
total tax, all in year one
Federal capital gains$152,840
NIIT 3.8%$29,412
California$91,042
Effective rate on gain28.3%

Installment sale

$70,227
total tax on the same gain, spread over 15 years
Effective rate on gain7.3%
Gain-tax saved$203,067
Interest she earns (after tax)+$563,419
Banks involved0
On top of the sale price, María earns $563,419 of after-tax interest — 8× her total tax bill of $70,227. The interest doesn't just offset the taxes she pays; it leaves her +$493,192 ahead.
Calculator

Your numbers, both paths

Edit anything — results update live. Illustrative 2026 federal + California rates.

Your scenario

Note terms

Must meet IRS minimum (AFR) · typical 5.5–7.5%
Total advantage of seller financing
Talk it through — 15 min

Traditional sale

  • Taxable gain
  • Federal tax
  • NIIT 3.8%
  • California
  • Total tax
  • Effective rate on gain
SELLER FINANCED

Installment sale

  • Tax on your gain
  • Gain-tax saved
  • Effective rate on gain
  • Interest earned (after tax)
  • Payment to you
Cumulative after-tax cash received
Seller financed — cumulative Traditional sale — net, year 1
Year-by-year schedule

Illustrative only — not tax advice. 2026 federal LTCG brackets (0/15/20%), 3.8% NIIT, CA brackets up to 13.3% incl. mental-health surtax. Interest taxed as ordinary income. Ignores time value of money, depreciation recapture, AMT, §453A (>$5M notes). §121 excludes up to $250k/$500k on a primary residence. Consult your CPA.

Marketplace

Homes with financing built in

Demo listings — free-and-clear homes whose owners offer terms. Buyers qualify on real cash flow, not just FICO.

For buyers

See if you'd qualify — in 60 seconds

No bank, no FICO gatekeeping. We score real cash flow: income, down payment, reserves, payment history. Anonymous — nothing is stored.

Your profile

Savings left after down payment + closing
Qualification score
/ 35
Assumed note terms

Result

  • Monthly payment (P&I + taxes + insurance)
  • Income coverage of payment
  • Down payment
  • Reserves
Browse seller-financed homes Talk to a specialist — 15 min

Informational pre-qualification only — not a credit decision, offer, or commitment. Criteria are financial and collateral-based, applied identically to every applicant. Final terms are set by the individual seller. Uses the note rate and term you enter, plus 1.1% property tax and $200/mo insurance. Formal applications require income and identity verification; consumer reports are used only with your written authorization (FCRA).

For agents & advisors

Turn "won't sell" clients into closings

Every client who says "I won't sell because of taxes" is a listing you never earn. Bring them a seller-financing option and that dead lead becomes a closing — with your commission intact.

You earn
Your listing commission

It's a normal sale through escrow — your listing side at the rate you set, paid at closing as always

+
Plus
25% referral share

Of the BankFree platform fee on every deal you bring

Your numbers

You set your own rate
Listing commission (your rate)
Referral share (25% of platform fee)

Incremental income per year

from leads that today earn you $0
Co-branded tax calculatorincluded
Deal structuring & docswe handle it
Buyer screeningwe handle it
Exclusivity in your farm areaearly partners
Do you know how it works?

Ask anything.
Get a straight answer.

Seller financing raises real questions — defaults, the step-up in basis, what your CPA will say. Our AI assistant answers them in plain language. And when you're ready, a specialist will walk your exact numbers in 15 minutes.

What if the buyer stops paying?
Don't my heirs lose the step-up in basis?
Is this legal?
What interest rate do I have to charge?
Can I get my money out early?
What does it cost?
Book a free 15-min call
BankFree AIeducation, not tax advice

15 minutes. Your numbers. Zero pressure.

A specialist walks through your scenario, answers your CPA's questions, and tells you honestly if this isn't for you.

Pick a time