For a tech executive, the home purchase is timed around the equity event — not the market.

RSU-heavy senior ICs and executives

Senior ICs, team leads, or executives at leading tech companies, with RSUs forming the bulk of compensation. Fixed annual vesting tranches; paper wealth swings with the stock. The core question: which tranche, sold on what cadence, raises the $5M+ purchase capital without crowding too much capital-gains tax into a single year.

Pre-IPO founders and early employees

Holding options or pre-IPO shares in a still-private marquee company (AI and infrastructure names lead the cohort) — wealthy on paper but not yet liquid. Their question: can a portion be converted to cash via the secondary market before the IPO, locking in a luxury home ahead of the post-listing rush of fellow newly-wealthy colleagues.

Post-liquidity families diversifying

Already through a liquidity event (IPO, acquisition, or a large secondary sale), holding concentrated cash or stock, now moving a disciplined portion into a $5M+ Peninsula or South Bay home. Most focused on allocation logic — the line between primary residence and investment, the holding structure, and how diversification becomes an executable plan rather than a buying spree.

The real variable for a tech buyer is not "the market" but their own equity-event schedule — which RSU tranche vests, when the IPO lock-up (the typical ~180-day post-IPO restriction window) expires, whether the secondary window is open. Aligning the purchase cadence to these events is far more controllable than guessing at a rate or price turning point.

Holding the bulk of family net worth in a single employer’s stock is an underrated risk — one drawdown can erase years of compensation. Converting a disciplined portion into core-location property is one of the most common diversification moves for high-net-worth tech families. The point is diversification, not liquidating to buy.

After liquidating, many tech buyers go all-cash — certainty of close, no financing or appraisal contingency, and more seller trust in the $5M+ tier. But whether to go all-cash in one move depends on your liquidation cadence: keeping some upside, or bridging with a securities-backed line of credit (SBLOC), are both options.

Concentrated liquidation triggers capital-gains tax — held over a year, long-term rates (federal top bracket 20% + 3.8% NIIT + California state tax, source: IRS); under a year, ordinary income. The timing, tranches, and holding period directly set the cash in hand. Sequence this with a CPA before you tour, not after the offer is signed.

Wait for the stock to run a bit more, then buy

"A bit more" is a bet with no finish line — the stock may keep climbing, or a single drawdown may erase years of compensation, while you miss the buying window and the current rate and inventory conditions. The steadier move is to anchor the purchase to equity events you control (vesting tranches, lock-up expiry), not to a peak no one can call.

Liquidate all the RSUs to buy

Selling the entire concentrated position at once stacks an outsized capital-gains bill into a single tax year and may sell right at a low. Diversification means lowering single-stock risk — not pouring every egg from one basket into another. The sound move is to liquidate in tranches, keep some upside, and sequence the tax timing with a CPA.

Once liquid, buy several homes at once

Post-liquidity euphoria makes a multi-home spree on "prestige and price" tempting — without mapping daily routes or running rent-to-price. One family office bought three homes and only later found a 30-minute school commute and mediocre cash flow. Diversification has to land on allocation logic: settle the primary-vs-investment line first, then buy. (See the family-office case.)

When should a tech executive buy a home after an equity event?

Time the purchase to your own equity-event calendar, not to a guess about the market cycle. The three decisive moments: (1) RSU vesting tranches — which one, and how you sell it, determines when you actually have the purchase capital; (2) the IPO lock-up — the typical ~180-day post-IPO restriction window is usually a planning window, not an action one, before it expires; (3) the pre-IPO secondary window — whether and when private shares can be converted to cash. Sequence "when to liquidate" alongside "when to start touring," and have your CPA map the tax timing in advance. That is far more controllable than fixating on rates or prices. MK Group typically aligns the equity-event timeline with your CPA and financial advisor before the search begins.

Can I use RSU vesting proceeds directly to buy a home?

Yes, but two things need to be settled first. Tax: RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at vest based on the fair market value that day; employers typically withhold some shares to cover it, but the default withholding is often insufficient, so reserve for the shortfall. Cadence: if you must sell the vested shares to fund the purchase, the gap between the sale price and the vest-date basis creates an additional capital gain or loss. Before you tour, work with your CPA to sequence vesting tranches, sale timing, and the reserved tax — so you do not sign an offer only to find available cash eaten by a tax shortfall.

What do I do during the IPO lock-up period before shares unlock?

During the lock-up — the typical ~180-day post-IPO restriction set by the underwriting agreement — you cannot sell directly, but that is the best planning window rather than dead time. What you can do: sequence the post-unlock staged liquidation and tax timing with your CPA, set the holding structure with counsel, build a buyer profile, and start sourcing through both MLS and off-market channels. Some buyers also bridge with a securities-backed line of credit (SBLOC) during the lock-up. That way, the moment shares unlock you can compress "see the home → sign an offer" to the minimum and get ahead of the wave of fellow newly-liquid buyers entering at the same time.

Can pre-IPO equity be used to fund a home purchase?

Yes, but the path differs from public-company stock. Pre-IPO shares have no public liquidity before the company lists, and traditional bank underwriting may not recognize them as collateral. The common route is converting a portion through the secondary market in tranches — these transactions require connecting with institutional buyers and the right trading window, and not every employee knows how to operate them. MK Group has helped an OpenAI-tier employee family liquidate via the secondary market to close an all-cash Los Altos Hills purchase. For specific securities transactions and tax, confirm with your financial advisor and CPA.

Should I convert concentrated stock into real estate?

From a risk standpoint, holding the bulk of your family net worth in a single employer’s stock long-term is concentration risk — one drawdown can erase years of compensation. Moving a disciplined portion into core-location Bay Area real estate is a common diversification step: real estate is loosely correlated with tech equities, and core school-district locations are resilient across cycles. But the point is diversification, not liquidating to buy. How much upside to keep versus how much to move into property depends on your risk tolerance, liquidity needs, and tax timing — decide it with your financial advisor, not on impulse.

After liquidating equity, is all-cash or financing better?

In the $5M+ tier, an all-cash offer is usually more trusted by sellers — no financing or appraisal uncertainty, and a close window compressible to a couple of weeks, a real edge in multi-offer situations. But whether to go all-cash in one move depends on your liquidation cadence: if a single concentrated sale would trigger an outsized tax year, you can liquidate in tranches or bridge with a securities-backed line of credit (SBLOC), keeping some upside while still competing with near-cash certainty. There is no single right answer — the key is to model the funding path and the tax timing together.