Last week’s small opportunity that could turn into a great enterprise in the housing market came from reports by a few real estate data firms. One observed that as home prices continue to increase, demand from move-up buyers does too. After gaining value on rising equity, those buyers can then come up with a substantial down payment on a new home. Another firm pointed out that thanks to the recovery in home prices, 18.5 million homeowners now have at least 20% equity. That’s 40% of all homeowners who are in a prime position to sell.
The same firm added that there are an additional 8.3 million homeowners who should have at least 20% equity in the next 15 months. That’s assuming home prices keep appreciating at the rate they have. They very well may. A monthly real estate trends report from an online listing site said the median price of homes for sale in August was up more than 6% versus a year ago. Inventory, at 1.98 million in August, was up slightly from July, but down 2.5% from a year ago. The CEO commented, “… we are now looking at a housing market that much more closely resembles ‘normal.'” Nice words, those.