Home values have been losing ground for much of this year, with previously huge annual gains shrinking to nothing. The result is that homeowners are losing equity.
Borrower equity fell 2.1% in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period a year ago, or a collective $373.8 billion, according to a report from Cotality. This comes after years of steep home prices gains and record equity. Even after the drop, homeowners still have an overall collective net equity of $17.1 trillion for homes with a mortgage.
For the average homeowner, the third-quarter equity declines translate to a loss of $13,400. In addition, the number of homes in a negative equity position, meaning they are worth less than the mortgage on them, increased by 21% from a year ago to 1.2 million.
“As the pace of home price growth slows and markets recalibrate from pandemic peaks, we’re seeing a clear shift in equity trends,” said Selma Hepp, chief economist at Cotality. “Negative equity is on the rise, driven in part by affordability challenges that have led many first-time and lower-income buyers to over-leverage through piggyback loans or minimal down payments.”
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