eXp Ready is a pay-at-close home prep program from eXp Realty, powered by Notable, announced October 8, 2026. Sellers who are approved can borrow up to $50,000 for staging, repairs, painting, flooring, or landscaping before they list, and nothing is due until the home closes or 12 months pass, whichever comes first. It is a loan, so the real question is whether the work will come back to you when the house sells.
Source: eXp Realty press release, October 8, 2026, and the eXp Ready program site (both checked October 20, 2026). Program terms can change, so read your loan agreement.
Interest and fees apply. Subject to approval.
By Amanda Mullins, MBA, SRES, REALTOR® | eXp Realty | Former Appraisal Management Director
Amanda Mullins, MBA, SRES, is a REALTOR® with eXp Realty based in Springfield, Ohio, and a Former Appraisal Management Director (13+ years). She helps sellers across Southwest and Central Ohio, including Clark, Montgomery, Greene, Franklin, Union, Madison, Champaign, Logan, Miami, and Shelby counties, decide what to fix and what to leave alone.
What is eXp Ready?
eXp Realty launched eXp Ready on October 8, 2026, with Notable as its financing partner, according to its press release. Sellers apply online at ready.exprealty.com or through their eXp Realty agent. In plain words, it is a short-term, unsecured loan for getting your house ready to sell, repaid out of your sale proceeds at closing.
What can the money pay for?
Up to $50,000 in prep work. The release names staging, repairs, painting, flooring, and landscaping.
You choose who does the work. The release says sellers can use any contractor, stager, retailer, or service provider. If you already have a painter or handyman you trust, you can keep using them.
You also do not have to use the full amount; the release says sellers repay what they actually spent.
Who can apply?
The eXp Ready site lists these qualification basics for sellers, in its own words:
- "Be an owner of the property (or be able to act on behalf of the owner)"
- "Have at least 20% equity in the home"
- "Signed listing agreement with a real estate agent"
- "Property list price under $4M"
The site adds that additional criteria may apply. Subject to approval.
How does repayment work?
Here is how the release describes it:
- Nothing is due until the home closes or 12 months after the loan starts, whichever comes first. The release lists the loan term as 12 months.
- Repayment comes out of your closing proceeds when the home sells.
- You repay what you spent, plus a one-time fee and interest at a fixed rate. The eXp Ready site lists the origination fee as $499, taken from your available funds at the first draw and not charged unless you draw funds.
- Funding is subject to credit approval and lender underwriting, so approval is not automatic.
- Loans are made by either Notable Finance, LLC or Quorum Federal Credit Union, according to the release.
Read the fine print, too. A footnote in the release says the loan, interest, and fees come due at the sale, at 12 months, or when other events listed in your loan agreement happen, whichever comes first. The program site, for example, also lists ending your listing agreement as something that makes repayment due. Read the loan agreement before you sign it, and ask about anything that is not clear. Interest and fees apply. Subject to approval.
When is home prep worth it?
I spent more than 13 years in appraisal management before I became a REALTOR®, and one lesson goes with me to every listing appointment. Buyers and appraisals both compare your home with the homes around it. Prep pays off when it closes a gap that buyers can see and the nearby sales can support.
Prep tends to be worth it when:
- Your home looks tired next to the competition. If similar homes that sold nearby had fresh paint, clean floors, and tidy yards, buyers will notice the difference.
- The fix is visible and contained. Paint, worn flooring in the main rooms, overgrown landscaping, and small repairs can change a first impression without turning into a remodel.
- An issue could slow down a buyer's inspection or loan. A roof leak, a furnace that does not work, or signs of water damage raise questions, and handling it first is usually easier than negotiating it later.
- Staging would help buyers understand the space. Staging does not add value on an appraisal by itself, because the appraisal values the house, not the furniture. It can shape the offers you get, and the appraisal still has to support that price with comparable sales.
- You have equity but not spare cash before closing. That is the situation a pay-at-close program is built for.
When is it not worth it?
A common trap with any prep budget is over-improving. An appraisal does not give full value for an upgrade the nearby sales do not support, and buyers compare your home with others in the same price range.
Skip it or scale it back when:
- The project is a remodel, not prep. A full kitchen or bath redo, or finishing a basement right before you list, rarely comes back in full.
- The nearby sales cannot support it. If updated homes nearby are not selling for meaningfully more than average ones, spending more will not move your price.
- Your equity is tight. The fee and interest come out of your proceeds along with everything else, so run your net before you borrow.
- The timeline is uncertain. If the work could drag on, or you are not sure you will sell within the year, the 12-month clock matters.
- You plan to sell as-is to a buyer who will renovate anyway.
For the room-by-room list of what to fix and what to skip, see my post on what homeowners should fix before selling a home in Springfield, Ohio. This post is about paying for that work and whether borrowing for it makes sense.
How to decide: a quick checklist
- Pull the comparable sales. Do homes like yours in better condition sell for more than homes like yours in its current condition?
- Make a short list. Which items would buyers notice first, and which could come up on an inspection or with a buyer's lender?
- Get written quotes from the contractors, stagers, or vendors you want to use.
- Check the schedule. Can the work be finished before listing photos?
- Run your net. Subtract the amount you plan to use, the one-time fee, and the interest from your expected proceeds.
- Read the loan agreement, including the events that can make it due before closing.
- Write a stop list. Deciding what you will not do keeps prep from turning into a remodel.
When I walk a home with a seller, I look at it the way an appraisal review would: what the nearby sales show and which fixes would move this house closer to the homes buyers are choosing. A program like eXp Ready could change how a seller pays for that list. It would not change which items belong on it. For how condition fits into your list price, see how to price a home to sell in Springfield.
For real estate agents
If your brokerage can't offer your sellers something like this, you're walking into listing appointments without a tool that can make a real difference for them. Most of us have sat with a seller who has equity, a house that needs paint and flooring, and no spare cash before the sign goes up. A way to fund that work, repaid at closing, could change the conversation.
If you've ever wondered what else is out there, eXp might be worth a look. I'm happy to share my experience with eXp, no pressure. Call or text me at (317) 750-6316.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eXp Ready?
eXp Ready is a pay-at-close home prep program from eXp Realty, powered by Notable, announced October 8, 2026. Sellers working with eXp Realty agents can apply for up to $50,000 to prepare a home for sale, and the amount used is repaid from closing proceeds. Funding is subject to credit approval and lender underwriting.
What can eXp Ready funds be used for?
The eXp Realty press release names staging, repairs, painting, flooring, and landscaping. Sellers can choose any contractor, stager, retailer, or service provider to do the work.
When do I have to repay eXp Ready?
Nothing is due until the home closes or 12 months after the loan starts, whichever comes first. You repay what you spent, plus fixed interest and a one-time origination fee, which the eXp Ready site lists as $499. The loan agreement can list other events that make it due sooner, so read it before you sign.
Who can apply for eXp Ready?
The eXp Ready site lists these basics: be an owner of the property or be able to act on behalf of the owner, have at least 20% equity in the home, have a signed listing agreement with a real estate agent, and have a property list price under $4M. Additional criteria may apply. Subject to approval.
Talk with Amanda
Selling a home in Southwest or Central Ohio, from Springfield and Dayton to Columbus, and wondering whether prep is worth it? Call or text me at (317) 750-6316, or use the contact page. I'll walk the house with you, look at the nearby sales, and help you sort the must-do list from the skip list. If eXp Ready looks like a fit, we can go through how it works together. No pressure.
Amanda Mullins, REALTOR® | eXp Realty
Equal Housing Opportunity
Sources
Program terms can change.
- eXp Realty, "eXp Realty Launches eXp Ready™: Up to $50,000 to Prep a Home for Sale, Nothing Due Until It Closes," press release, October 8, 2026 (program description, uses of funds, choice of contractor, repayment terms, loan term, lenders, and footnotes): https://agnt.inc/press-releases/exp-ready-home-prep (accessed October 20, 2026, 4:33 p.m. and 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time)
- eXp Ready program site, How it works and frequently asked questions (qualification criteria; the $499 origination fee footnote; repayment events, including ending the listing agreement): https://ready.exprealty.com (accessed October 20, 2026, 4:33 p.m. and 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time)
- Amanda Mullins, "What should homeowners fix before selling a home in Springfield Ohio?": https://www.movesmartwithamanda.com/blog/what-should-homeowners-fix-before-selling-a-home-in-springfield-ohio (accessed October 20, 2026)
Helpful Related Reading
- What should homeowners fix before selling a home in Springfield, Ohio?
- How do homeowners price a home to sell in Springfield, Ohio?
- What I tell buyers and sellers when the market shifts
General education only, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Program terms can change, so confirm current terms in your loan agreement and with the lender before you sign.
