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AUSTIN, Texas, June 29, 2022 — Ernst & Young LLP announced on Friday that Tim Heyl, Founder and CEO of Homeward, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Central South Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed.

Heyl was selected by an independent panel of judges that considered his entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. Forty-four finalists were selected, and fifteen were named winners for the Central South region. Heyl was the only entrepreneur with a company in the residential real estate space.

"It's been a long-term mission of mine to make a difference in the lives of others, and I'm humbled that EY recognized me in a field of equally impressive and innovative entrepreneurs," Heyl says. "I am inspired every day by the entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude of the real estate agents we partner with. This award is a testament to them, the entire Homeward team, and our investors."

Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages and buy a home with cash. An agent himself, Heyl noticed a pattern — Buyers couldn't make an offer on a new home until they sold their old home. In December 2018, Heyl decided to try and solve this problem. He bought the house his client wanted with his own money, then sold it back to the client once he had finalized his mortgage. Homeward's first service, Buy Before you sell, was born.

To scale this solution and enable other agents to use it, Heyl created Homeward. And eventually launched a second service, Buy with cash, allowing those without a home to sell first to make an all-cash offer.

Thanks to Heyl's leadership and record-breaking growth in 2021, Homeward secured growth capital of $371M, including $136M in equity and $235M in debt. This enabled the hiring of more than 250 new employees in 2021 alone, in the midst of a pandemic. Scaling quickly has spring-boarded Homeward's ability to innovate on behalf of the agent, who is central to all of Homeward's transactions.

As a Central South award winner, Heyl will now be considered by the National independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 National Awards. National finalists and winners, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023.

About Homeward

Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages. The Homeward Cash Offer eliminates finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies, enabling homebuyers to win with cash and, when necessary, to buy their new home before they sell their old one. Homeward has an office in Austin, TX, but operates with a fully remote workforce. If you're an agent, please visit homeward.com to learn how to make every client a cash buyer.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

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PORTLAND, Ore., June 28, 2022 — Homeward, a modern home finance company that partners with real estate agents to give every buyer the power to buy with cash before they sell a home, announced it has expanded to serve Oregon. This expansion, partnered with Homeward's launch in Washington also announced today, marks a significant milestone for the business as it enters the West Coast markets.

Founded by Tim Heyl, an agent himself, Homeward offers the broadest set of solutions for both homebuyers and sellers."Homeward is helping real estate agents and their clients win in real estate — whether that's simply negotiating the best terms, or buying before listing and selling," says Tim Heyl, Homeward's CEO and Founder. "We want to streamline the entire transaction and make homeownership universally achievable, making it more economical and taking the stress away from the process. We look forward to partnering with agents and their clients in Portland and beyond to achieve this."

By partnering with real estate agents, Homeward will make a cash offer on behalf of the agent's client, eliminating the finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies. This helps a home buyer's offer stand out and, when necessary, buy their new home before selling their old one. Clients then obtain a mortgage from Homeward or the client's preferred lender and buy the home back from Homeward.

Homeward's suite of innovative home finance products will be available across Oregon, with initial growth efforts focused on the Portland metro area, including Vancouver. Sometimes called the Silicon Forest thanks to its recent influx of tech jobs, Portland has been a fast-growing housing market, with a median home price of $625,000 — a 10% increase year over year.

Cash offers are four times more likely to drive better terms because sellers prefer contingency-free contracts, and they know the transaction will close on time without any surprises. For clients that need to sell their current house before purchasing a new one, Homeward's Buy Before You Sell solution makes that a reality, while helping them save money on transaction fees and closing costs and getting them in their new home faster.

"In this market, sellers who need to sell their current home before moving are scrambling to get the house they want due to the fast-changing market. Our Buy Before You Sell product helps homebuyers make a stress-free, convenient transition on their own timeline — not someone else's," says Brian Gubernick, Homeward's Chief Real Estate Officer. "This means less time transitioning between houses, more time for clients to settle into their new home, and an easier pathway to selling their old house if needed. It's a win-win for everyone."

Homeward has continued to build on last year's success. With expansions into Florida, Washington, and Oregon regions this year, Homeward plans to be in 20 markets by the end of 2022. Through February 2022, the company recorded a revenue increase of around 5x year over year while launching partnerships with over 50 brokerages across the country.

About Homeward

Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages. The Homeward Cash Offer eliminates finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies, enabling homebuyers to win with cash and, when necessary, to buy their new home before they sell their old one. Homeward has an office in Austin, TX, but operates with a fully remote workforce. If you're an agent, please visit homeward.com/oregon to learn how to make every client a cash buyer.

SEATTLE, June 28, 2022 — Homeward, a modern home finance company that partners with real estate agents to give every buyer the power to buy with cash before they sell a home, announced it has expanded to serve Washington. This expansion, partnered with Homeward's launch in Oregon, also announced today, marks a significant milestone for the business as it enters the West Coast markets.

Founded by Tim Heyl, an agent himself, Homeward offers the broadest set of solutions for both home buyers and sellers looking to leverage the power of cash in the real estate market. "Our move into Seattle marks a pivotal moment for Homeward as we grow our business, driven largely in part by our vast network of real estate agents requesting our products here," says Tim Heyl, Homeward's CEO and Founder. "This region has set the standard for innovation and is home to many early adopters in the tech industry. We couldn't be more excited to work with real estate agents and their clients to make homebuying more accessible, equitable, and simplified."

By partnering with real estate agents, Homeward will make a cash offer on behalf of the agent's client, eliminating the finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies. This helps a home buyer's offer stand out and, when necessary, buy their new home before selling their old one. Clients then obtain a mortgage from Homeward or the client's preferred lender and buy the home back from Homeward.

Homeward's Cash Offer is now available across the state of Washington, with a focus on the metro area of Seattle. As one of the country's most popular markets, the median home price in the Seattle metro area increased 14% last year to $868,492 in Q1.

"This area is experiencing a drastic increase in valuation, and even with a softening market, inventory still hasn't caught up to buyer demand," says Brian Gubernick, Chief Real Estate officer at Homeward. "We're providing more than just a strong offer for buyers — we're offering confidence for sellers who don't have to worry about the uncertainties of a traditionally mortgaged offer and the speed of a faster close in as little as 14 days."

Cash offers are four times more likely to drive better terms because sellers prefer contingency-free contracts, and they know the transaction will close on time without any surprises. For clients that need to sell their current house before purchasing a new one, Homeward's Buy Before You Sell solution makes that a reality, while helping them save money on transaction fees and closing costs and getting them in their new home faster.

Homeward has continued to build on last year's success. With expansions into Florida, Washington, and Oregon regions this year, Homeward plans to be in 20 markets by the end of 2022. Through February 2022, the company recorded a revenue increase of around 5x year over year while launching partnerships with over 50 brokerages across the country.

About Homeward

Homeward is a modern home finance company that helps real estate agents and their clients overcome the limitations of traditional mortgages. The Homeward Cash Offer eliminates finance, home sale, and appraisal contingencies, enabling homebuyers to win with cash and, when necessary, to buy their new home before they sell their old one. Homeward has an office in Austin, TX, but operates with a fully remote workforce. If you're an agent, please visit homeward.com/washington to learn how to make every client a cash buyer.

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