Home equity line of credit (HELOC) · United States

Connexus Credit Union vs Lower: the cost by the day you sell

Sold in year 10, $50,000 through Connexus Credit Union costs $40,225 and through Lower $43,750 — a gap of $3,525 on the same home and the same published terms.

Sold in year 3 the order is the same: $12,190 against $13,125.

Side by side

Both columns use the same home, the same cash, and the same 3% a year; only the published terms differ.

$50,000 from a $500,000 home gaining 3% a year, on each provider's published terms at its lowest published rate. Sources: Connexus Credit Union checked 2026-09-29 and Lower checked 2026-09-29.
	Connexus Credit Union	Lower
Product type	HELOC	HELOC
Headline term	8.01% APR (as low as)	8.75% APR (as low as)
Upfront fees on $50,000	$175	$0
Total cost, sold in year 3	$12,190	$13,125
Total cost, sold in year 5	$20,200	$21,875
Total cost, sold in year 10	$40,225	$43,750
Owed at sale, year 10	$50,000	$50,000
Paid along the way, year 10	$40,050	$43,750
Annualized cost, year 10	8.4%	9.1%
Minimum credit score	not stated	not stated
Owner	not confirmed	not confirmed

How that is worked out

home value today = $500,000; cash taken = $50,000 (10% of value) home value in year N = $500,000 x 1.03^N (3% a year, every product) HEI, share of value = multiplier x 10% x home value in year N HEI, principal + share = $50,000 + share x (value in year N - adjusted starting value) HEI cap = $50,000 x (1 + cap/12)^(12N) where the provider publishes a cap HELOC illustration = interest-only using the lowest published APR as a rate proxy, then amortized home equity loan example = amortized using the lowest published APR as a rate proxy total cost at sale (N) = payments made + balance or payoff owed at sale - $50,000 + upfront fees annualized cost = the yearly rate that turns the cash received into everything paid back

Every rate is the lowest the provider publishes, so where a page says “as low as” the figure is an illustrative starting scenario. An “up to” fee is modeled at its stated maximum; the actual fee may be lower. APR is used as a proxy for the payment rate when no separate note rate is published. Variable rates are held flat. Eligibility, unpublished charges, taxes and insurance are excluded. These figures are neither quotes nor guaranteed lower bounds. Read the method.

Where does the answer change?

The order above holds only under the conditions listed here.

The sale year does not change the order here. Connexus Credit Union is cheaper at every year we compute, so the question is not when you sell.
If the published rates move, both columns move: each uses the lowest rate on the page, held flat, and neither provider promises that.
Do not decide yet if you do not know your sale year: the gap is $935 at a sale in year 3 and $3,525 in year 10, so the year decides how much this choice is worth; what each would approve you for is on neither page.

Who this is not for

This compares published terms and nothing else. It is not a judgment about service, speed, or whether either provider would approve you, and we have not used either product. If the two figures are close, this page will not decide it for you and should not.

Sources

Connexus Credit Union terms page. checked 2026-09-29
Lower terms page. checked 2026-09-29

Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.