A second opinion that follows through: what Alauda's home equity agent does today

Alauda is building a personal AI agent for homeowners who are thinking about borrowing against their home. It works for you, not for a lender. It helps you decide whether borrowing makes sense at all. If it does, today it handles the paperwork and follow-up for one product only: a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

Homeowners never pay Alauda. Nothing goes to a lender until you say so, and you see who receives it and what it contains before you approve. Alauda is in early access: homeowners use it through an invitation link, and there is no public way to start on this site yet.

The homeowner we have in mind has real equity in the house, a first mortgage at a rate they would rather keep, and a concrete reason to need cash: a kitchen, an addition, a pile of high-interest card debt, a cushion.

For that person, the first question is not "which lender?" It is "should I borrow at all, and how much?" Borrowing less, waiting, or not borrowing are real answers, and the agent says so when they fit.

It is probably not for you if:

• You want to refinance. Alauda does not offer refinancing or a cash-out refinance.
• You want us to apply for a home equity loan, a home equity investment, or a reverse mortgage. The agent explains these and compares them side by side with a HELOC, but today only a HELOC is applied for.
• You want us to apply at your own bank or credit union. Their advertised rates show up in the comparison, dated, but Alauda does not apply to them for you.

Here is the work the agent does, in order:

1. Understands the goal. How much you need, what for, by when, what you owe on the house, and what matters to you: a steady payment, the lowest total cost, or speed.
2. Compares the options you are actually weighing. A HELOC, a home equity loan, a home equity investment and a reverse mortgage, next to borrowing less, waiting, or not borrowing. Bank and credit union products appear with their advertised rates and the date we saw them. An advertised rate is not an offer.
3. Prepares a HELOC application, if you choose one. You enter identity and contact details in a secure form on our page.
4. Waits for your approval. You see who receives it and what it contains. Approving submits it.
5. Follows up by email. When the lender asks for a document, you hear about it by email, and the file goes to the lender only after you approve sending it.

We would rather you hear the limits from us:

• Alauda is not a lender or mortgage broker. It does not underwrite, approve or fund loans. The lender makes every credit decision.
• It does not promise a rate, an approval, or a date. A comparison shows advertised terms and estimates, labeled as such.
• It does not text you today. Approval links, replies and document requests come by email. Alauda does not send text messages to homeowners at this time.
• It does not verify your documents. Uploading a file means Alauda has it. Checking what is in it is the lender's job.

Alauda works alongside a licensed mortgage partner. When you approve a HELOC application, that partner files it with the lender, and the lender decides on it.

That boundary matters. The agent can explain your options and prepare the application, but the lender and its licensed partner make every credit decision.

Homeowners never pay Alauda.

The ranking is about you: if your credit union, or not borrowing, is the better answer, the agent says so. The lender's own costs, such as an origination fee, an appraisal or closing costs, are separate, and they belong in any comparison of what a loan really costs you.²

Nothing goes to a lender without your approval. Before anything is sent, you see who receives it and what it contains. For a HELOC application today, the recipients are the licensed partner that files your application, the lender, and a service the lender uses to verify your debts.

Two details people tend to miss:

• Approving is the submission. There is no second "are you sure" step after it. Each approval covers one recipient and one version of your application; if you change your details, a new approval is needed.
• Uploading is not sending. If the lender later asks for a document, uploading it to us does not send it. Nothing goes to the lender until you approve it.

An application is not a loan offer. You can withdraw an approval before it is sent. What a lender already received stays with them.

You can stop at any time. Tell Alauda in the chat, or email info@alauda.ai, and we stop working on your case. Stopping does not recall an application that was already sent.

Alauda doesn't pull your credit report. Comparing options won't affect your credit score.

The lender checks your credit later, and only if you approve sending it your application. Before you approve, you see the lender's credit disclosures. For a HELOC application today, they describe a soft check first, and a full credit report if you continue. A full credit report is a hard inquiry and may affect your credit. The CFPB explains the difference between the two kinds of inquiry.¹

The case on our homepage and any demo use sample data, and some steps are simulated, including the lender's responses. No numbers on this site are offers, and nothing on it describes a real homeowner's loan.

Alauda is in early access. Homeowners use it through an invitation link, and there is no public way to start on this site yet. If you want to see what it does first, the homepage shows how it works.

• "I would have to pay for it." No. Homeowners never pay Alauda.
• "It applies for every kind of home equity product." No. Today it applies only for a HELOC, through a licensed partner, and explains the rest. Alauda is not a lender or mortgage broker.
• "Alauda is a cloud software company." That is a different company with a similar name. This Alauda is a home equity agent for homeowners, at alauda.ai.