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Home Equity - Don't Spend It on Risky Investments
The housing market has exploded in the last five years, and homeowners are finding that the equity in their homes is greater than it has ever been. The equity in a home is the difference between the market value of the home and the amount still owed on it. As home prices increase, so does the equity for those who own their homes. In parts of California, home values have tripled during the last five years, and homeowners are doing increasingly risky things with their newfound "wealth." Anyone considering borrowing against their home's equity should carefully consider the possible pitfalls of doing so. Traditionally, most home equity lending was done for purposes of home additions or remodels. These have been considered low-risk loans, as the house is collateral for a loan that improves the house itself. As a bonus, the improvement usually increases the value of the home, making the loan even safer for the lending company. Occasionally, homeowners default on such loans, but the foreclosed property can easily be sold to recoup the loss. Times have changed, and many, if not most, home equity borrowers are now using the money for different, and riskier purposes. Thousands of people who have suddenly found themselves with hundreds of thousands of dollars of equity in their homes are treating that value as a windfall of cash. Instead of traditional uses, such as home improvements, borrowers are using their equity to buy more real estate to use as rental property. There are cases of individuals with homes valued at several hundred thousand dollars who have borrowed against their equity, bought more property, borrowed against that equity, and repeated this process six, seven, ten or more times, attempting to build up an empire of rental property. It's hard enough for most people to manage one mortgage, but some people who are caught up in the "equity frenzy" are now managing ten or more of them! On the surface, it may appear that these intrepid individuals are simply taking advantage of an opportunity, turning several hundred thousand dollars worth of equity into millions of dollars worth of rental property. On the other hand, these "investors" may be inviting disaster. As more and more people buy real estate on speculation, the equilibrium of the real estate market is affected. The additional competition among buyers, fueled by the real estate speculators, is causing prices to go up even more. Eventually, the market is going to peak. Buyers who need a home to actually live there can only pay so much for them before the homes simply become unaffordable. And not every speculator can own ten rental properties, as the market can only support so many rental properties before the market becomes saturated. Once that happens, prices will fall. And when they do, all of these buyers who purchased their homes using their own home's equity will find themselves under a mountain of debt. It's nice to have some equity in your home. It's also nice to be able to borrow against that equity for home improvements or debt consolidation. Using your equity as though it was cash you can freely spend is dangerous, as many speculators will soon learn. Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a Website devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling information and HomeEquityHelp.net, a site devoted to information on mortgages and home equity loans.
MORE RESOURCES: July Economist Snapshot: What Will the Big Beautiful Bill Mean for Commercial Real Estate and Housing? Urban Land Magazine Downtown Wheaton apartment development lands $124M in financing Crain's Chicago Business Listings are soaring in this long-famous resort city as residents try to flee — and buyers hold back New York Post Real Estate Transactions, July 14 edition Hopkinton Independent Easing Private Access to Singapore’s Real Estate through “Tokenization” Urban Land Magazine Bluerock seeks to list real estate fund with investors already heading for the exits. InvestmentNews Apex Money Lending Expands Commercial Loan Offerings in Colorado for Real Estate Growth Detroit Free Press Q&A with Stuart Saft, Partner and New York Real Estate Practice Group Leader at Holland & Knight citybiz Hamptons Real Estate Market Data – Week of 7/8/2025 Hamptons.com Mid-America Real Estate Corporation brokers sale of 67,146-square-foot shopping center in Oak Brook REJournals AEW Capital Management Closes $1.75 Billion Opportunistic Real Estate Fund Boston Real Estate Times Commercial Real Estate Checklist – sponsored content MyWabashValley.com Plymouth County Retirement seeks emerging markets equity, core real estate managers Pensions & Investments Red Apple Real Estate Inks Four Garage Leases in New York Commercial Observer Chester County Leadership: Clarence Martindell, EVP of Commercial Real Estate Lending, Meridian Bank VISTA.Today Real Estate Sold: July 16, 2025 The New Era | Sweet Home, OR Halstatt Real Estate Partners Announces the Opening of Swell by Soltura in Bonita Springs, Fla. citybiz Greater Boston Real Estate Board hires ‘clear-cut favorite’ Jackie McCarthy Boston Agent Magazine Lakeland commercial real estate giant expands into North Carolina Business Observer Tilman Fertitta spent $270M for real estate on the Strip. Now it’s a parking lot Las Vegas Review-Journal Drake Real Estate Partners closes largest fund yet after pivoting to institutions Private Equity Real Estate | PERE Real estate at the crossroads: What jobs, robots, and the Fed reveal about the market’s next move HousingWire Despite Office Market Slowdown, International Workplace Group Expands Rapidly in Massachusetts with Seven New Flexible Workspaces Boston Real Estate Times United Risk launches Thriver for real estate market Life Insurance International Can real estate firms represent both buyers and sellers of property? The Arizona Republic Northwest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust Announces July 2025 Distribution Yahoo Finance Keeping it Real: The Exploitation of Low-income Tenants in the Inland Empire and Beyond Black Voice News Wealth seminar aims to empower W-2 earners through real estate Long Island Business News Massive residential Cancun real estate development shut down for illegal land sales Riviera Maya News Dropping Prices Keep Hope Alive For Real Estate Buyers Front Porch News Texas New Zillow tools aim to help buyers, improve agent workflows Real Estate News by RealEstateNews.com Solana’s Real-World Asset Boom: From Stocks to Real Estate Crypto Economy Arizona’s real estate market leverages AI and data tools to meet growing demand Arizona Digital Free Press Metro seeks new real estate chief as Liz Price departs The Business Journals See how Sugar Land, Missouri City's real estate market fared in June Community Impact 'Fish House' in Atlantic Beach reels in $15.5 million record sale The Florida Times-Union Brian Hamilton: Nevada County real estate update TheUnion.com Las Vegas: Tilman Fertitta spent $270M for real estate on the Strip. Now it’s a parking lot CDC Gaming Likely a tear-down, estate sells for $86.5 million in Palm Beach Palm Beach Daily News Navigating Asia Pacific Real Estate in 2025: Structural Shifts and Strategic Sector Selection AInvest Las Vegas real estate agents using loopholes to charge higher commissions - Las Vegas Review-Journal Las Vegas real estate agents using loopholes to charge higher commissions Las Vegas Review-Journal Florida City Real Estate Market Crashes After Being Super Hot A Few Years Ago — Costs of Climate Change CleanTechnica Gloria’s Gab: Gloria Burns Talks Real Estate & Innovation with Salim Chraibi of Bluenest Development Miami's Community News Doorvest Acquires Wreno to Power Real Estate Operations and Pursue Property Management Acquisitions Business Wire National Media Names Local Real Estate Leader Woman of Influence Westfair Communications Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust Announces July 2025 Cash Distribution GlobeNewswire An under-construction Lewiston mansion, plus other high-end Niagara County listings The Business Journals Real estate inquiries by wealthy New Yorkers into Florida properties jump 50% after Mamdani primary win Fox Business Art Advisory Meets Real Estate: A New Vision For Collecting James Lane Post REAL ESTATE | New ice cream shop to open in Slinger, WI | By Ann Bauer Washington County Insider Madbouly reviews progress on real estate export platform Dailynewsegypt News | Academy of Real Assets launches latest book focused on young people's real estate views CoStar Golfer Bryson DeChambeau's Massive Real Estate Investment Has Eaten Up Most Of The $125 Million He Got Paid To Switch Tours Yahoo Finance Lead Real Estate (LRE) Opens New Hotel in Asakusabashi Insider Monkey Jake Paul Closes One Of The Largest Real Estate Deals In Georgia History With $39 Million Purchase of 5,600-Acre Ranch Yahoo Finance |
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