{"id":350,"date":"2025-12-12T15:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T21:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/?p=350"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:16:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T21:16:54","slug":"your-equity-could-change-everything-about-your-next-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/?p=350","title":{"rendered":"Your Equity Could Change Everything About Your Next Move"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"pt-8 px-8\">\n<h2 class=\"profile-color-text text-3xl\">Your Equity Could Change Everything About Your Next Move<\/h2>\n<p>.<br \/>\n.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mt-6 text-base-content flex items-center flex-wrap gap-x-4 gap-y-2\"><span class=\"flex items-center flex-wrap gap-1\"><time class=\"text-base-content\" datetime=\"2025-12-11T11:30:00Z\">Thursday December 11th, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-6 text-base-content flex items-center flex-wrap gap-x-4 gap-y-2\"><span class=\"flex items-center flex-wrap gap-1\"><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/sellers\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">For Sellers,<\/a><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/move-up\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">Move-Up,<\/a><a class=\"text-base-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/en\/category\/equity\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">Equity<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div>Article from Keeping Current Matters<\/div>\n<div>.<\/div>\n<div>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"p-6 px-8\">\n<div class=\"mt-6 flex flex-col gap-4 mb-8\">\n<div class=\"mb-2\">\n<p>A lot of people are asking the same thing right now:\u00a0<em>\u201cIs it even a good time to sell?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0And\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/11\/24\/4-reasons-your-house-is-high-on-every-buyers-wish-list-this-season\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">the truth<\/a>\u00a0may come as a bit of a surprise&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>For many homeowners, the answer is a strong\u00a0<strong>yes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because of one major factor working in your favor:\u00a0<strong>your equity.\u00a0<\/strong>Odds are, if you\u2019ve lived in your home for a while, you know you have significant equity. But how much are we really talking about? The number might just change everything about your next move.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>The Hidden Wealth of Homeownership<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it works. When you own a home, you build up something called\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/11\/05\/why-your-home-equity-still-puts-you-way-ahead\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\"><strong>equity<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Each time you make a mortgage payment, you\u2019re chipping away at your loan balance. And that helps your ownership stake in your home grow. At the same time, home values typically rise \u2013 which drives up the overall value of your home.<\/p>\n<p>When you put those two things together, you\u2019re building wealth automatically, month after month, year after year.<\/p>\n<p>And that combo can add up to\u00a0<strong><em>real\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>dollars that can make a\u00a0<strong><em>real\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>difference in your move. That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019ve lived in your house for a while, which many homeowners have. According to\u00a0<em>Realtor.com<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em>\u201cNearly half (45.2%) of today\u2019s homeowners have lived in their home for more than 15 years, and 1 in 4 for over 25 years.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If that\u2019s you, just imagine what 15-25 years of payments + steady appreciation have done to your bottom line. It&#8217;s time you see how your equity stacks up over time.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What That Really Means in Dollars<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>This chart uses\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.realtor.com\/research\/fall-sell-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research<\/a>\u00a0coming out of<em>\u00a0Realtor.com<\/em>\u00a0to show an estimate of how much equity homeowners have built up depending on when they bought. For each time frame, it takes the median-priced home and uses it as the baseline example. The numbers are shocking, too. According to the study, if you bought the average-priced home in&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The mid-90s?<\/strong>\u00a0You could be sitting on\u00a0<strong>over $400,000<\/strong>\u00a0in equity now.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The early 2000s?<\/strong>\u00a0You could have over\u00a0<strong>$330,000<\/strong>, even with owning during the housing crash.<\/li>\n<li><strong>In 2015?<\/strong>\u00a0Even<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>in that shorter 10-year time frame, many homeowners have<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>already built nearly\u00a0<strong>$285,000<\/strong>\u00a0in equity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20251209\/20251211-Real-Examples-of-How-Homeowners-Gain-Equity-Over-Time-original.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/files.keepingcurrentmatters.com\/KeepingCurrentMatters\/content\/images\/20251209\/20251211-Real-Examples-of-How-Homeowners-Gain-Equity-Over-Time-original.png\" alt=\"a table with numbers and text\" \/><\/a>Of course, your actual number is going to vary based on the purchase price, any work you&#8217;ve done to the house, the size of your original down payment, and more. The point is&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>A lot of homeowners are sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars in equity without even realizing it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Your Equity Could Power Your Next Move<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Here\u2019s where this becomes really important.\u00a0<strong>That equity can offset nearly every concern you have about moving right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Worried about taking on a higher mortgage rate?\u00a0<\/strong>Your equity could cover a significant down payment. And the more money you put down, the less you need to finance at today\u2019s rates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unsure if you can compete in today\u2019s market?<\/strong>\u00a0Thanks to your equity, you may be able to buy your next house in cash. And an all-cash offer is something that&#8217;s going to appeal to a lot of sellers because they don\u2019t have to worry about their buyer\u2019s financing falling through at the last second.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h3 class=\"text-xl mb-2\">Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t had someone help you understand the value of your home this year, now\u2019s the perfect time to take another look. It doesn\u2019t mean you have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2025\/11\/19\/the-top-2-things-homeowners-need-to-know-before-selling\/?a=1000025117-654188f2b9e9f721433bea74f0bf3424\">to sell<\/a>. But it does mean you\u2019ll at least know what you could be working with \u2013 and how far that number can take you.<\/p>\n<p>If you want a custom professional equity assessment, let\u2019s connect.<\/p>\n<div class=\"relative basis-auto flex-col -mb-(--composer-overlap-px) [--composer-overlap-px:28px] grow flex\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm @w-xl\/main:pt-header-height pb-25\">\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"37047bb3-aa1d-4d5a-86de-e30f3f2c34ef\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-2\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"f7cb58ec-a9a2-47e9-a379-b2b5252ba2dd\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-2\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p data-start=\"251\" data-end=\"319\"><strong data-start=\"251\" data-end=\"279\">Twila Bertrand, REALTOR\u00ae<\/strong><br data-start=\"279\" data-end=\"282\" \/>CENTURY 21 Cota Realty | Lufkin, TX<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"321\" data-end=\"694\">Twila Bertrand is a top-producing REALTOR\u00ae with CENTURY 21 Cota Realty and a trusted real estate expert serving <strong data-start=\"433\" data-end=\"500\">Lufkin, Angelina County, and surrounding East Texas communities<\/strong>. Known for her strong market knowledge, honest guidance, and results-driven approach, Twila helps <strong data-start=\"599\" data-end=\"629\">buyers find the right home<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"634\" data-end=\"673\">sellers maximize their home\u2019s value<\/strong> in today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"696\" data-end=\"965\">Whether you\u2019re searching for the <strong data-start=\"729\" data-end=\"755\">best Realtor in Lufkin<\/strong>, need a detailed market analysis, or want expert guidance when buying or selling a home in <strong data-start=\"847\" data-end=\"866\">Angelina County<\/strong>, Twila is committed to making the process smooth, informed, and successful from start to finish.\u00a0 Twila was awarded the Lufkin Association of Realtors, Best Realtor of the Year Award in 2024 and Awarded the CENTURY 21 Cota Realty Diamond Award in 2025 for overall sales.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"967\" data-end=\"1096\">\ud83d\udccd Serving Lufkin, Huntington, Diboll, Central, Hudson &amp; surrounding East Texas areas<br data-start=\"1051\" data-end=\"1054\" \/>\ud83c\udf10 <a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"1057\" data-end=\"1094\">https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.home<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"967\" data-end=\"1096\"><strong>Click the link below for my Zillow website with many of my previous client testimonials:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"967\" data-end=\"1096\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/profile\/Twila%20Bertrand\">https:\/\/www.zillow.com\/profile\/Twila%20Bertrand<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Equity Could Change Everything About Your Next Move . . Thursday December 11th, 2025 For Sellers,Move-Up,Equity Article from Keeping Current Matters . . A lot of people are asking the same thing right now:\u00a0\u201cIs it even a good time to sell?\u201d\u00a0And\u00a0the truth\u00a0may come as a bit of a surprise&#8230; For many homeowners, the answer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194391,"featured_media":351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[27,109,107,148,105,132,31,55,45,24,17,22,15,46,58],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate","tag-angelina-county-real-estate","tag-best-local-realtor","tag-best-real-estate-agent","tag-best-real-estate-agent-in-lufkin-tx","tag-best-realtor-in-lufkin","tag-buyers-agent","tag-buying-facts","tag-expert-advice","tag-first-time-homebuyers","tag-local-agent","tag-lufkin-agent","tag-lufkin-realtor","tag-realtor","tag-trust-the-pros","tag-trusted-realtor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/194391"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions\/352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twilabertrand.sites.c21.homes\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}