What is the difference between RealOpen and Milo?

Milo is a mortgage lender. Its crypto mortgage is a 30-year loan secured by the home plus Bitcoin or Ethereum you pledge, with up to 100% financing and no cash down payment. RealOpen is not a lender and makes no loans. It verifies crypto holdings so your lender can document them — counted toward reserves where the loan program allows — converts crypto into a documented down payment, or converts the full price for an outright purchase. Milo replaces a traditional mortgage; RealOpen works next to one.

Is RealOpen a crypto mortgage lender like Milo?

No. RealOpen does not lend, does not hold crypto as collateral, and is not part of any crypto-backed mortgage. Buyers who finance with RealOpen use an eligible mortgage from their chosen lender, which approves the assets, custody, reports and wire route.

Does Milo have margin calls?

Yes. Milo publishes margin-call and liquidation terms: its materials describe a margin call when pledged collateral has fallen very roughly 55–70% in value, with a short window to add collateral or pay down principal before liquidation can follow. Check Milo’s current disclosures for the exact thresholds on your loan.

Which costs less, a Milo crypto mortgage or a traditional mortgage?

A traditional mortgage usually carries the lower rate: Milo’s published rates run roughly 7–9%, and you must pledge crypto worth about the full property value. What Milo offers in exchange is no sale of your crypto and no cash down payment. A traditional mortgage with a crypto-funded down payment means a taxable sale of the down-payment amount and nothing pledged.

Can I buy a house with crypto without taking a loan at all?

Yes. With RealOpen you convert exactly what the purchase needs at closing and the seller receives dollars, so you close as a cash buyer. A verified Proof of Funds letter supports the offer beforehand.

RealOpen vs. Milo

A crypto mortgage, or crypto with a traditional one

Milo is a lender. Its crypto mortgage is a 30-year loan secured by the house and by Bitcoin or Ethereum you pledge — up to 100% financing, no cash down payment, your coins held by a custodian for the life of the loan. RealOpen is not a lender. It supplies verification and documented crypto-to-dollar funding alongside an eligible mortgage from your chosen lender: verifying crypto for the lender’s review — counted toward reserves where the program allows — and converting crypto into a documented down payment. Ask that lender to approve the assets, custody, reports and wire route. Or no loan at all — convert when funds are due and buy outright.

If you’re comparing the two, you’re really choosing between pledging your crypto and using it.

Milo terms last checked: September 20, 2026, from Milo’s own product pages and press coverage. RealOpen is not affiliated with Milo.

The one-sentence version of each

Milo: a direct lender offering a 30-year mortgage collateralized by pledged BTC or ETH — more than $100 million originated as of early 2026.

RealOpen: crypto asset verification and crypto-to-dollar conversion for a home purchase. With a traditional mortgage, that means verified holdings for reserves and a documented down payment. No loan, no collateral, no custody.

Side by side

	Milo	RealOpen
What it is	A mortgage lender. The crypto mortgage replaces a traditional loan	Not a lender. Works alongside an eligible mortgage from your chosen lender, or an outright purchase
Down payment	None in cash — up to 100% financing against pledged crypto	Funded from your crypto: converted at closing and wired to escrow as documented dollars
What happens to your crypto	Pledged for the life of the loan — roughly the full property value in BTC or ETH	Nothing is pledged. Only the down-payment amount is converted; whether unconverted reserves count is your loan program’s call (agency loans require dollars)
Assets	Bitcoin and Ethereum	BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, stablecoins, and the rest of the accepted list
Custody	Third-party custodian (BitGo or Coinbase Custody); Milo states no rehypothecation	Your custody throughout — cold storage, hardware wallet, multisig, or exchange. Your loan program decides which custody arrangements it counts
Rate	Published range roughly 7–9%	Whatever your lender offers — or no interest on an outright purchase
Price-drop risk	Margin call and possible liquidation if collateral falls far enough	None. Nothing is pledged
Taxes	No sale at origination	A taxable disposal on the amount converted
Availability	Loans from $275,000; not available in all states	Works with any listing; bring your own lender and have it approve the assets, custody, reports and wire route

Who each one fits

Milo fits a holder with a large BTC or ETH position who won’t sell any of it, is comfortable with third-party custody, can pledge coins worth about the whole house, and accepts a rate above a conventional mortgage plus margin-call exposure in a deep drawdown. For someone sitting on big long-term gains, that trade can be rational.

RealOpen fits a buyer who wants an ordinary mortgage at an ordinary rate and needs the crypto side of the file to work:

Your lender wants reserves, its program counts verified holdings, and your wealth is in crypto, including self-custodied coins
Your down payment is coming from crypto and you don’t want to cash out months early to season it
You hold assets beyond BTC and ETH
You want nothing pledged — or no loan at all

How RealOpen works with a traditional mortgage

Reserves. A RealScore™ Report — RealOpen’s crypto reserve asset verification — proves wallet ownership, holdings, history, and a volatility-adjusted value your lender can confirm at realopen.com/verify. Whether unconverted crypto counts is the lender’s and program’s decision — agency loans require dollar conversion; some non-agency programs accept eligible crypto under their own custody rules. Lenders have used the report in closed files. See crypto assets as mortgage reserves.
Down payment. You send crypto on the funding date your lender and escrow approve; RealOpen converts it and wires dollars to escrow with the source-of-funds paper trail. See the crypto down payment guide.

You choose the lender. RealOpen doesn’t originate, broker, or fund the loan. Ask that lender to approve the assets, custody, reports and wire route before funds move.

Verify your crypto for a traditional mortgage

RealOpen vs. Milo

The one-sentence version of each

Side by side

Who each one fits

How RealOpen works with a traditional mortgage

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions