Own Luxury Homes®
FAANG & Tech Employee Real Estate: Buying on RSUs, Bonus, and High TC
FAANG and big tech real estate: Total Compensation $300K-$1M+ includes RSU + base + bonus. Cupertino/Palo Alto $1.5M-$5M+. H-1B conventional mortgage 10-20% down. RSU income: lenders need 2-year W-2 vesting history. All 50 states. Own Luxury Homes® 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™.
Home — Executive — FAANG & Tech Employee Real Estate: Buying on RSUs, Bonus, and High TC
FAANG & Tech Employee Real Estate: Buying on RSUs, Bonus, and High TC
TC
Total Compensation — base + RSU + bonus: what FAANG employees actually earn vs what lenders count
$500K+
Typical senior FAANG Total Compensation that qualifies for $2M-$4M luxury home purchase
H-1B
Non-permanent resident conventional mortgage: available to H-1B visa holders with US income
Vesting
RSU 4-year vesting schedules — timing real estate purchase to vesting cliff changes the picture
FAANG and big tech employees have the highest Total Compensation packages of any professional group in the US — and the most complex income structure for mortgage qualification. A $500,000 TC at Google includes base salary, RSU grants vesting quarterly, and an annual performance bonus. Most mortgage underwriters default to using only the base salary — perhaps $180,000 — and qualify you for a $700,000 home on what is actually a $500,000 income. The lender who knows tech compensation uses the full picture.
Own Luxury Homes® 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™
Every specialist introduction is verified for your specific income type, price tier, and situation before any match is made.
How Lenders Should Use RSU Income
RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) income is qualifying income when structured correctly: (1) 2-year history required: most lenders require 2 years of RSU vesting history from W-2s. A new L6 hire who just joined Google has not yet established RSU history. (2) Continued vesting documentation: lenders require evidence that RSU grants continue: current grant schedule, unvested balance, and employer letter confirming ongoing employment and grants. (3) Averaging the income: most lenders average 2 years of RSU income from W-2 Box 12 (code V). For employees with increasing grants, this may undercount current income. Some portfolio lenders use current grant schedule rather than historical average. (4) Stock price volatility: lenders may apply a discount to RSU income given equity price volatility. The specialist connects to tech-income-experienced lenders who handle this correctly.
FAANG Real Estate Markets: Where Tech Employees Buy
| Company | Primary Campus | Primary RE Market | Secondary Markets | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | Cupertino, CA | Cupertino, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Atherton | San Jose, Santa Clara | $1.5M–$5M+ |
| Mountain View, CA | Palo Alto, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Atherton | San Jose, Cupertino | $2M–$8M+ | |
| Meta | Menlo Park, CA | Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley | San Mateo, Belmont | $2M–$8M+ |
| Amazon | Seattle, WA | Bellevue, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Medina | Redmond, Sammamish | $1.5M–$5M+ |
| Microsoft | Redmond, WA | Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Mercer Island | Sammamish, Issaquah | $1.5M–$4M+ |
| TSMC (Arizona) | Phoenix/Chandler, AZ | Chandler, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley | Gilbert, Tempe | $600K–$2M+ |
Tech relocation and new campus markets (Austin TX, Raleigh NC, Nashville TN) are growing secondary markets.
H-1B Visa Mortgage: What Tech Workers Need to Know
A significant percentage of FAANG employees are on H-1B visas. H-1B holders can access conventional mortgage programs: (1) Non-permanent resident conventional mortgage: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines allow non-permanent residents to qualify. Requirements: valid H-1B visa, SSN, US employment income, US credit history. (2) Down payment: 10–20% for H-1B holders (vs 3–5% for US citizens). Some lenders require 20% for non-permanent residents. (3) H-1B renewal uncertainty: some lenders require that the visa term extends at least 12 months beyond the loan close, or that the employer confirms H-1B sponsorship renewal intent. (4) H-1B to green card transition: buyers who are in the green card process can typically qualify on the same terms as the H-1B holder until permanent residency is granted.
Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO Own Luxury Homes®
“The senior Google engineer who comes to me with a $520,000 TC gets connected to the lender who knows how to document RSU income correctly. Not the one who looks at the W-2 box and quotes a loan based on base salary only. The H-1B engineer gets the non-permanent resident conventional path — same underwriting, different documentation. Both buy in Palo Alto. The specialist who knows this market has done both transactions many times.”
Verified specialist for your situation — all 50 US states. Request introduction ›
Frequently Asked Questions
Can RSU income be used to qualify for a luxury mortgage?
Yes, with 2 years of vesting history on W-2s plus continued vesting documentation. Some portfolio lenders use the current grant schedule rather than historical average. A tech-income-experienced lender uses the full TC picture, not just base salary.
Can an H-1B visa holder buy a luxury home?
Yes. Non-permanent resident conventional mortgage is available with US income, SSN, and valid H-1B. Down payment: 10-20%. Visa must typically extend 12+ months beyond loan close.
What price home can a $500K TC FAANG employee afford?
With RSU income included and a tech-income-experienced lender, $500K TC typically supports $2M-$3M in purchase price with 20% down. Base-salary-only underwriting would dramatically understate this.
"The introduction Own Luxury Homes® makes is to a specialist with documented closing history in your specific market — not the county, not the metro, the submarket you're actually selling or buying in. That's the standard we verify before your name goes anywhere."
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873)