Leverage Equity When Selling Your House

One benefit of being a homeowner is that, over time, you build equity. If you sell your house, you can use the equity to help pay for your next home. But before you can use it, you'll need to know what equity is and how it grows. Bankrate explains it like this:

“Home equity is the portion of your home you’ve paid off – in other words, your stake in the property as opposed to the lender’s. In practical terms, home equity is the appraised value of your home minus any outstanding mortgage and loan balances.”

The majority of Americans Have a Large Amount of Equity

If you’ve owned your home for a while, you’ve likely built up some equity – and you may not even realize how much. Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and ATTOM, the majority of Americans have a substantial amount of equity right now (see graph below):

And having such large amounts of equity is a benefit to homeowners in more ways than one. Rick Sharga, Executive Vice President of Market Intelligence at ATTOM, explains:

“Record levels of home equity provide security for millions of families, and minimize the chance of another housing market crash like the one we saw in 2008.”

Over time, the value of your home goes up. When you sell your house, the money you get from it could go a long way toward paying for your next home.

Bottom Line

Selling your house and using your equity can help you buy your next home. Let's talk today to calculate your home equity and plan your next move.