Homium, a shared appreciation mortgage platform helping first-time home buyers access ownership, has launched the Utah Dream Fund. The launch marks Homium’s entrance into Utah as part of its continued nationwide expansion.
Homium is a blockchain-powered platform offering shared appreciation home equity loans to make homeownership more affordable. It provides homebuyers with down payment assistance — typically 10 percent to 35 percent — in exchange for a percentage of the home’s future appreciation, requiring no monthly payments or interest, with repayment due only upon sale or refinance. The company is headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California, with an office in New York City.
The Utah Dream Fund will offer buyers up to $150,000 in down payment assistance. This structure dramatically lowers monthly housing costs, reduces financial pressure on families and removes one of the largest barriers to homeownership: the upfront down payment, the firm’s announcement said.
“By replacing interest-bearing debt with shared appreciation, the program gives families greater financial freedom while making ownership attainable in today’s high-cost housing market,” the release said.
“Fair shared appreciation financing is working,” said Marcus Martin, CEO of Homium. “In Detroit, we’re seeing families who were locked out of the housing market finally able to buy homes and start building wealth. Utah will be no different. Our model creates a fair exchange. We help families get into homes, and when they succeed, we’re able to help more families. That’s how you build a program that lasts.”
In addition to improving affordability through innovative financing, the Utah Dream Fund also supports long-term cost savings and housing sustainability, said Martin.
Homes that meet certain energy efficiency standards may also qualify for Homium’s Energy Efficient Mortgage Program, a dedicated green sleeve supported by the Garbett Family Foundation. The program recognizes homes designed to reduce long-term operating costs and improve sustainability. By qualifying, buyers can strengthen affordability through lower utility expenses while living in higher-performing, energy-efficient housing. This further improves overall housing affordability by reducing the total cost of ownership over time.
Through an additional donation from the Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation, the Utah Dream Fund will direct capital toward expanding homeownership in South Salt Lake and Millcreek. The Millers’ gift is intentionally focused on helping local families in those communities overcome housing affordability barriers, while granting access to long-term wealth creation.
The Utah Dream Fund brings together Homium’s financing platform with local partners, including Utah’s Promise, United Way of Salt Lake, Community Development Corporation of Utah, Promise Partnership Utah and Guild Mortgage, which serves as the lending partner. Initial funding was provided by the Sorenson Impact Foundation, the Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation and the Garbett Family Foundation. Funding is also provided by the state through the Department of Workforce Services.
“The Utah Dream Fund is about expanding access to ownership in ways that are fair, transparent and scalable,” said Jim Sorenson, chairman of the Sorenson Impact Group. “Homium is demonstrating what’s possible when innovation is paired with a clear commitment to people and communities.”
Homium’s release noted that Utah’s housing market has seen prices outpace wages for over a decade, putting homeownership out of reach for many working families. Homium’s shared appreciation model offers a sustainable alternative to traditional down payment assistance programs, which are often limited by one-time funding and serve fewer families as a result. Because Homium recovers its investment when homes are appreciated, the capital can be recycled to help additional buyers over time. allowing the program to grow and serve more families without continually requiring new funding sources.
The Utah Dream Fund follows Homium’s launch in Michigan, where the company partnered with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Guild Mortgage and NBA player Tobias Harris to launch the Tobias Harris Homeownership Initiative. That program demonstrated the viability of Homium’s approach and attracted additional interest from housing agencies and community partners nationwide.
Eligible first-time homebuyers in Utah can learn more and begin the qualification process at utahdreamfund.com.