The bank will provide a 50 basis point lender credit to buyers of homes built with ICON technology and finance builder printer purchases
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Wells Fargo $WFC will offer a 50 basis point lender credit to buyers of homes built with ICON's 3D printing technology, the two companies announced, marking a significant shift in traditional mortgage financing for 3D-printed homes, according to CNBC.
Wells Fargo will become ICON's preferred lender for 3D-printed homes on the market. The bank will also offer financing to builders who purchase ICON's printers, according to CNBC.
"We think the technology that Icon has built has the potential to lower construction costs and to speed up homebuilding at a time when we are seeing broader challenges in housing affordability and access to homeownership," said Serhat Oztop, CEO of home lending at Wells Fargo.
Traditional mortgage financing has historically been out of reach for buyers of 3D-printed homes, as banks wrestled with questions ranging from the durability of the construction method to resale potential and whether such loans could be packaged or insured, according to CNBC. At ICON's first completed community built with Lennar in Texas last year, Lennar's own mortgage arm handled all financing.
ICON founder and CEO Jason Ballard said the Wells Fargo partnership signals to builders that the homes are market-ready. "Having one of the big banking players make such a strong and pointed announcement that, 'We like these houses, we're excited about these houses, in fact, we're going to give preferential treatment to these houses,' helps people believe and understand that this technology, and the houses it produces are ready for primetime," Ballard told CNBC.
Oztop said the bank has no reason to expect the long-term value of 3D-printed homes to differ from homes built with traditional construction methods.
A newly released ICON printer called the "Titan" is now available for purchase by developers, according to CNBC. Unlike its predecessors, the Titan can handle multi-story construction. Developers can acquire one for $899,000, and a leasing path is also on the table; those who move forward make an initial $5,000 deposit before entering a training program. Ballard said printer sales are running at roughly twice the company's internal targets, with hundreds already reserved.
Ballard said the company's goal since its founding in 2017 has been to put 3D printing tools into the hands of builders and developers worldwide. "It will take us a minute to be able to produce hundreds at a time," he told CNBC.
Wells Fargo has worked with ICON through its foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, for several years on 3D-printed communities for people without housing, according to CNBC.
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