Row Partners and NestSTEPSⓇ Announce Partnership to Deliver Homeownership Benefits Nationwide

Bar chart showing how employer support for purchasing a home or reducing a mortgage balance would reduce employees’ financial stress. About 71% said it would significantly reduce financial stress, about 16% said slightly, and about 13% said it would have

91% of Western workers say employer homeownership support would reduce their financial stress, 3 points above the national average.

Bar chart showing how employer financial assistance for preparing for or purchasing a home would affect employees’ likelihood of staying with that employer after receiving assistance and buying the home. About 53% said they would be very likely to stay, 3

93% of Western workers say they would stay with an employer after receiving homeownership assistance

Bar chart showing how ongoing employer assistance to help pay down an existing mortgage would affect employees’ likelihood of turning down job offers from employers without a similar benefit. About 60% said it would significantly affect their likelihood,

91% of Western workers say homeownership assistance would help them resist competing job offers

Western workers lead the nation in demand for employer homeownership support. The world’s first end-to-end PEO is now positioned to deliver it.

Owning a home is the single most powerful wealth-building tool available to most Americans. When employers help make that possible, that kind of impact isn’t something workers forget.”

— Larry Salazar, President and Co-Founder of NestSTEPSⓇ

PROVO, UT, UNITED STATES, July 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Row Partners, the world’s first end-to-end professional employer organization (PEO), today announced a strategic partnership with NestSTEPSⓇ, a fintech-powered employee benefits company, to bring employer-sponsored homeownership benefits to Row Partners’ clients across the country. The partnership comes at a moment when housing costs have become the defining financial pressure for the American workforce, yet fewer than 1 in 100 employers currently offer any meaningful response.

Why Are Western Employers Especially Well-Positioned to Act?
New research from the 2026 NestSTEPSⓇ Workforce Housing & Financial Wellbeing Report — a nationally representative survey of 1,000 employed U.S. adults — reveals that Western workers express the strongest enthusiasm for homeownership benefits of any region in the country. For Row Partners, a Utah-based PEO with deep roots in the Mountain West, that finding lands close to home:

• 91% of Western workers say employer homeownership support would reduce their financial stress, 3 points above the national average
• 93% of Western workers say they would stay with an employer after receiving homeownership assistance, nearly 4 points above the national average
• 85% of Western workers would consider switching employers for homeownership benefits, the highest switching rate of any region
• 91% of Western workers say homeownership assistance would help them resist competing job offers, more than 4 points above the national average

The region where demand is highest is also the region where homeownership feels most out of reach. US Census data shows that Western counties have a median home value 1.7 times higher than the national average. That makes Draper’s ROW Partners particularly well-positioned to join with NestSTEPSⓇ, also located in Utah, to drive early adoption of this benefit where it will have a visible impact.

"Owning a home is the single most powerful wealth-building tool available to most Americans,” said Larry Salazar, President and Co-Founder of NestSTEPSⓇ. “When employers help make that possible, they’re changing the trajectory of someone's financial life. That kind of impact isn’t something workers forget.”

What Makes This Partnership a Natural Fit for Row Partners?
Row Partners was built on the premise that administrative services and business growth don’t have to be separate functions. Row Partners combines payroll, HR, benefits, risk and compliance management, and marketing under one roof — with an explicit focus on helping clients grow.

Adding NestSTEPSⓇ homeownership benefits deepens that model by addressing something that has historically gone unmet: the acute financial stress employees carry from their housing situation.

The NestSTEPSⓇ report found that homeownership assistance ranks #3 out of five benefits tested. That’s ahead of additional PTO and workplace perks. Among renters of single-family homes, it rises to the #1 most desired benefit, outranking both 401(k) matching and pay increases.

"Where and how people live and work is changing, and the employers who recognize that connection will have a meaningful advantage in the competition for talent,” said Jim Oman, Director of Benefits at ROW Partners. “Adding homeownership benefits fits right in with our end-to-end PEO model because we believe that benefits should fit the goals of both the workers who utilize them and the employers providing them. NestSTEPSⓇ has created something incredible that will help a lot of people put down roots in their communities and keep top talent at their jobs for a long time.”

FAQ: What Should Employers Know About Homeownership Benefits?

Q: Why are homeownership benefits gaining traction now?
A: Housing costs have become a frontline financial pressure for the majority of the workforce, yet fewer than 1% of employers currently offer any support. That gap is the opportunity.

Q: What exactly does NestSTEPSⓇ offer?
A: NestSTEPSⓇ takes a three-tiered approach with a home savings plan that uses automated cashflow planning to shape healthy financial behaviors and accelerate savings, financial contributions toward homeownership, and live education and personal guidance from licensed professionals.

Q: Is this benefit just for employees who don't yet own a home?
A: No. NestSTEPSⓇ serves both aspiring homeowners and existing homeowners looking to pay down their mortgage.

Q: Won't employees just leave after receiving the benefit?
A: 89% of workers say they would be more likely to stay even after receiving homeownership assistance. The loyalty effect persists long after the benefit is received.
Where Can Employers Learn More?

For the complete 2026 Workforce Housing & Financial Wellbeing Report, visit https://www.Neststepsbenefits.com/industry-report-workforce-housing.

About NestSTEPSⓇ
NestSTEPSⓇ, transforms homeownership into an employee benefit that reduces financial stress, strengthens workforce retention, and drives productivity. Based in Provo, Utah, NestSTEPS™ serves employers nationwide seeking differentiated benefits that address employees' most fundamental financial goals.

About Row Partners
Row Partners is the world’s first end-to-end PEO, offering a customizable suite of services designed to help businesses grow, including payroll, human resources, benefits, risk and compliance management, and marketing. Based in Draper, Utah, Row Partners serves employers nationwide with the belief that when everyone rows together, extraordinary results follow. Learn more at rowrowrow.io or call 1-866-LETS-ROW.

Dara Johnson
NestSTEPS
+1 385-314-2557
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