Khosla’s Keith Rabois leads $11.5M Series A for startup Roam, calls it ‘the future of the housing market’

Tech Crunch - Apr 2nd, 2025
Open on Tech Crunch

Roam, a New York-based startup, is tackling the affordable housing crisis by offering access to homes with assumable mortgages, allowing buyers to take over sellers' low-interest loans. Founded by Raunaq Singh in 2023, Roam has facilitated $200 million in home sales for several hundred buyers in 2024. The platform claims to help buyers save significantly on monthly payments compared to current market rates, potentially up to 50%. With operations in 17 states and plans for nationwide expansion, Roam expects to facilitate $1 billion in home sales by 2025.

The startup's innovative model has attracted $11.5 million in Series A funding, led by Khosla Ventures' Keith Rabois, who sees Roam as a solution to the housing affordability crisis. Roam's platform enables quicker approval and closing processes for assumable mortgages, reducing typical closing times from 180 to 45 days. With $1.4 trillion of assumable mortgages originated in 2020 and 2021, Roam aims to capitalize on this opportunity, supported by its lean operational strategy and growing user base of over 200,000 registered buyers.

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RATING

6.4
Moderately Fair
Read with skepticism

The article provides a clear and timely exploration of Roam's innovative approach to the housing market through assumable mortgages. It effectively highlights the potential benefits of this model in addressing housing affordability, making it a relevant and engaging read for those interested in real estate and finance.

However, the article's reliance on statements from Roam's CEO and investors introduces potential bias, and it would benefit from including more independent perspectives and data verification. The lack of critical viewpoints or exploration of potential challenges limits its balance and controversy scores.

Overall, while the article succeeds in introducing an important topic and offering insights into a novel business model, it could be strengthened by incorporating a broader range of sources and perspectives to provide a more comprehensive and balanced analysis.

RATING DETAILS

7
Accuracy

The article presents several factual claims that are generally accurate but require verification. For instance, the claim about mortgage interest rates dropping to as low as 2.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic is supported by historical data. However, the current rates soaring to 8% and the national average being 6.84% in 2023 need to be verified through reliable financial data sources.

Roam's operational details, such as facilitating $200 million in home sales and having over 200,000 registered buyers, are specific claims that would benefit from verification through the company's financial reports. The potential savings from assumable loans, claimed to be up to 50% on monthly payments, require analysis of specific loan scenarios to ensure accuracy. Overall, while the article's claims are plausible, they rely heavily on statements from Roam's CEO, which necessitates independent verification.

6
Balance

The article predominantly presents a positive perspective on Roam and its business model, primarily through statements from its CEO and investors like Keith Rabois. This focus creates an imbalance, as it lacks critical viewpoints or potential challenges faced by the company or the assumable mortgage market.

The absence of perspectives from independent financial analysts or competitors in the mortgage industry limits the range of viewpoints. Including such perspectives could provide a more balanced understanding of Roam's position in the market and its potential impact on the housing affordability crisis.

8
Clarity

The article is generally clear and well-structured, with a logical flow of information. It effectively explains the concept of assumable mortgages and Roam's business model in a manner that is accessible to readers unfamiliar with the topic.

The language is straightforward, and the tone remains neutral, focusing on factual reporting without sensationalism. However, some technical details, such as blended rates and gap financing, might require further simplification or explanation for readers without a background in finance.

6
Source quality

The primary sources in the article are the CEO of Roam and investors like Keith Rabois, which provide insider insights but also present a potential conflict of interest. The reliance on these sources might affect the impartiality of the reporting, as they have vested interests in portraying Roam positively.

The article would benefit from including a wider variety of sources, such as independent financial analysts or housing market experts, to provide a more comprehensive view. The lack of external verification or third-party validation of the claims made by Roam's CEO is a notable gap in source quality.

5
Transparency

The article provides some context about Roam's business model and operations but lacks detailed explanations of the methodology behind claims, such as the potential savings from assumable loans. The article does not disclose any potential conflicts of interest, particularly concerning the investors quoted who have financial stakes in Roam.

While the article mentions Roam's funding rounds and expansion plans, it does not provide detailed data or documents to substantiate these claims. Transparency could be improved by offering more explicit disclosure about the basis of claims and any associated conflicts of interest.

Sources

  1. https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/02/khoslas-keith-rabois-leads-11-5m-series-a-for-startup-roam-calls-it-the-future-of-the-housing-market/
  2. https://20fix.com
  3. https://aventure.vc
  4. https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/06/cacheflow-doubles-valuation-while-raising-10m-proving-that-the-venture-market-is-far-from-dead/
  5. https://bsky.app/profile/prietschka.bsky.social