Rising home prices might be a little frustrating for would-be buyers right now.
But let’s take a look what’s happening for those who already own a home to see the true benefits of ownership. Home equity increases are being seen throughout the country – and this bodes well for the economy – and those who purchase or refinance a home in the coming months.
According to new data from CoreLogic, the average homeowner saw their home equity jump by more than $15,000 last year alone – the biggest increase since 2013.
Aly Yale at The Mortgage Reports has put together a fantastic piece – see the entire article here.
It Pays to Own Your Home
According to CoreLogic’s recent Home Equity Report, American homeowners saw a 12 percent year-over-year jump in equity from 2016 to 2017. Though the average homeowner gained $15K in equity for the year, in some states, it rose as high as $44,000.
Frank Nothaft, CoreLogic’s chief economist, credits rising home prices for the uptick in equity.
“Home price growth has been the primary driver of home equity wealth creation,” Nothaft said. “The average growth in home equity was more than $15,000 during 2017, the most in four years.”
Though increased equity certainly spells good news for existing homeowners, it also bodes well for the country’s economy at large.
“Because wealth gains spur additional consumer purchases, the rise in home equity wealth during 2017 should add more than $50 billion to U.S. consumer spending over the next two to three years,” Nothaft said.
What This Means For Today’s Buyers
Owning a house provides the owner with a valuable asset and financial stability. By purchasing a home, you’ll have an asset that, in most cases, will appreciate in value over time. A $200,000 home today should see an increase in value to $250,000, $300,000, or more—depending on how long you plan to live there and market conditions.
This makes your home one of the best investments you can make and a way to establish a financial foundation for future generations (aka your kids).
A home can be the ultimate nest egg, providing you with a great investment for retirement. The longer you own your home, the more it should eventually be worth.
As you get older, you can sell the home and use the proceeds to purchase or rent something smaller. Another option: Rent out the house to maintain a steady income stream so you can travel or use for other recreational activities.
Why Now?
Despite rising home prices, American housing is actually quite affordable – and now is really a good time to make that purchase.
According to the latest Real House Price Index from First American Title, today’s home buyers have “historically high levels of house-purchasing power.”
And though real home prices increased 5 percent over the year, they’re still 37.7 percent below their 2006 peak. They’re also more than 16 percent below 2000’s numbers.
Because mortgage rates are lower than historical averages, home-buying power is up. Find out more regarding home affordability here….
The Refinance Market
As housing values across the country continue to steadily increase, homeowners now have access to a much larger source of equity.
With current mortgage rates low and home equity on the rise, many think it’s a perfect time to refinance your mortgage to save not only on your overall monthly payments, but your overall interest costs as well.
Since rising home values are returning lost equity to many homeowners, refinancing can make a good deal of sense with even a small difference in your interest rate. Homeowners now have options to do many things with the difference.
More home equity also means you won’t need to bring cash to the table to refinance. Furthermore, interest rates can be slightly lower when your loan-to-value ratio drops below 80 percent. Find out more about the new refinance movement here…
It would be my privilege to help would-be-buyers or refinancers understand the current marketplace and the loan options that can help you own a part of the American dream!
