If you’re a homeowner, odds are your equity has grown significantly over the last few years as home prices skyrocketed and you made your monthly mortgage payments. Home equity builds over time and can help you achieve certain goals. According to the latest Equity Insights Report from CoreLogic, the average borrower with a home loan has almost $300,000 in equity right now.
As you weigh your options, especially in the face of inflation and talk of a recession, it’s important to understand your assets and how you can leverage them. A real estate professional is the best resource to help you understand how much home equity you have and advise you on some of the ways you can use it.  Here are a few examples.
1. Buy a Home That Fits Your Needs
If you no longer have the space you need, it might be time to move into a larger home. Or it’s possible you have too much space and need something. ...

If you’re thinking about selling your house but wondering if buyers are still out there, know that there are still people who are searching for a home to buy today. And your house may be exactly what they’re looking for.
While the millennial generation has been dubbed the renter generation, that namesake may not be appropriate anymore. Millennials, the largest generation, are actually a significant driving force for buyer demand in the housing market today. Here’s why.
Millennial Homebuying Power
While there’s no denying higher mortgage rates are making it more challenging to afford a home today, many millennials are still eager and able to buy homes – whether it’s their first or they’re moving up. That’s in large part because of the value they place on education.
A recent article from First American says millennials may be the most educated generation in our nation’s history. Be. ...

Making the decision to buy a house is exciting, and your emotions will be running high as you embark on this new journey.  But before you get carried away searching online for properties, you’ll need to answer an important question: how much should I spend on a house?  

Determining a price range you’re comfortable with is the most important part of the home buying process—and should be the deciding factor in the types of properties you search for.  You’ll be committing to a monthly payment, so you need to decide what you can comfortably afford based on a monthly housing budget.  A loan preapproval shouldn’t dictate the intended purchase price of your new home, since the preapproval letter doesn’t break down what you’re recurring payments will be.

How much you’re able to spend on a house should be based solely on the number of total housing expenses you can afford per month.   Your monthly mortgage pay; ...