The Great Recession was one of the most challenging times in US history and in the Oakland County area. The US lost nearly 9 million jobs, unemployment nationwide hit an astounding 10%, and housing prices fell a whopping 33%, causing American households to lose of $16 trillion dollars in net worth also losing their homes value.
After the housing crisis of 2008, many homeowners found themselves “upside down” on their properties, with their mortgage balances significantly higher than their homes value. According to Zillow, negative equity in the US peaked 31.4% in Q1 of 2012, meaning nearly one-third of all mortgage holders in the US owed more on their homes than it was valued.
But luckily, the economy started improving in 2010. The GDP grew an impressive 19% from 2010 to 2017, and the economy added jobs for a record-breaking 88 consecutive months, recovering all the jobs lost during the recession. Not to mention, unemployment fell to 4%.
But one area that was a bit slower to recover was peoples home values. Many homeowners who lost a significant portion of their home’s value in the recession have been hesitant to sell—especially if they purchased their home when prices were high.
But according to Evaluating The Housing Market Since The Great Recession, a recent report from CoreLogic, homeowners who lost value in their homes during the recession finally have something to celebrate. According to the report, the average house price is now 1% higher than it was at the peak of the real estate market in 2006, growing 51% since bottoming out in 2008.
The Homes Value Takeaway
If you’ve been waiting to sell your home for it to recover its pre-recession value, now is the time to make a move. Not only have housing prices recovered to their peak values, but the inventory crisis is driving up prices, making it the perfect market to finally sell your home.