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Last year we saw headlines about a possible housing market bubble, and many wondered if Americans still felt confident about the value of their homes. Recently, the  2018 Houzz & Home Study  revealed: “ Homeowners with mortgages have seen their home equity more than double since 2011, increasing to a record-setting $8.3 trillion in 2017 .” The average homeowner gained $16,200 in home equity between Q2 2017 and Q2 2018 according to the latest release of  CoreLogic’s Home Equity Report . Since 2011 home values have increased significantly throughout the country, with prices rising by 5.1% in 2018 alone. When  surveyed , homeowners revealed the top four reasons why they felt their homes had increased in value. Read more... For more info visit here: Vantage Realty Real Estate Visit Our Social Platform For New Updates: Facebook , Instagram

The largest obstacle renters face when planning to buy a home is saving for a down payment. This challenge is amplified by rising rents, which has eaten into the amount of money renters have leftover for savings each month after paying expenses. In combination with higher rents, survey after survey has shown that non-homeowners (renters and those living rent-free with family or friends) believe they need to save upwards of 20% for their down payment! According to the  “Barriers to Accessing Homeownership”  study commissioned in partnership between the  Urban Institute, Down Payment Resource, and Freddie Mac,   39% of non-homeowners  and  30% of those who already own a home believe they need more than a 20% down payment. The percentage of those who are aware of low down payment programs (those under 5%) is surprisingly low at 12% for non-homeowners and 13% for homeowners. In a recent  Convergys Analytics  report, they found that 49% of renters believe they need at least a 20