Guide To Selling a Home | Page 13

The study also revealed that only 37% of Americans believe that they have “significant equity” (greater than 20%), when in actuality, 73% do! This means that 37% of Americans with a mortgage fail to realize the opportune situation they are in. With a sizable equity position, many homeowners could easily move into a housing situation that better meets their current needs (moving to a larger home or downsizing). Fannie Mae spoke out on this issue in their report: “Homeowners who underestimate their homes’ values not only underestimate their home equity, they also likely underestimate: 1) how large a down payment they could make with their home equity, 2) their chances of qualifying for mortgages, and, therefore, 3) their opportunities for selling their current homes and for buying different homes.” Bottom Line If you are one of the many Americans who are unsure of how much equity you have built in your home, don’t let that be the reason you fail to move on to your dream home in 2016! NICOLEMICKLE.COM 11