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43% of Homeowners Are Equity Rich. Are You One of Them?

 If you own a home in Connecticut , there's a good chance you're sitting on more equity than you realize.

New data shows 43.3% of mortgaged homes across the country are equity-rich right now.

At the same time, a separate survey from Point found that 48% of homeowners say they aren't planning to move this year, but not for the reasons you may think. 

A lot of them assume they're stuck, mostly because of where mortgage rates are sitting. But being equity-rich changes the calculation in ways most people haven't thought through yet.

So, today, I’m breaking down what the data actually shows, why so many homeowners feel locked in place, and what your equity could actually mean for your options.


What Does "Equity Rich" Actually Mean?

"Equity-rich" is a specific term used in real estate. It means you owe less than 50% of what your home is currently worth.

So if your home is worth $400,000 and your remaining mortgage balance is $180,000, you're equity-rich. You have more than half the home's value sitting on your side of the ledger.

Equity-rich means you don't just have equity in your home. It means you have a lot of it, enough to give you real financial options you may not have considered.

What the Numbers Show

ATTOM's Q1 2026 Home Equity & Underwater Report puts the national equity-rich rate at 43.3% of all mortgaged residential properties. 

It's down slightly from last quarter and at its lowest point since Q4 2021, but that context cuts both ways: even at its lowest in five years, nearly half of all mortgaged homeowners in the country owe less than half of what their home is worth.

The state-level breakdown is where it gets interesting:

  • Vermont leads the country at 85.7% equity rich

  • New Hampshire (58.1%), Montana (57.7%), Rhode Island (57.2%), and Hawaii (55.8%) round out the top five

  • Florida dropped from 49.3% to 43.2% and Arizona fell from 49.8% to 44.2%

Metro areas follow a similar pattern:

  • San Jose tops the list at 65.2%

  • Los Angeles came in at 59.3% and San Diego at 58.2%

  • Buffalo, NY landed at 56.7%

  • 11 of the top 30 counties for equity-rich rates were in Michigan

Additional Context for CT Homeowners

  • Average Equity Gains: Connecticut saw solid year-over-year equity growth in recent reports (e.g., ~$20,300 per homeowner in one late 2025 analysis), ranking among stronger states in the Northeast.
  • 5-Year Growth: Very strong — one analysis showed ~297% average equity growth from 2020 to early 2025, with average equity around $166,656 per mortgaged homeowner.
  • Local Market Factors: CT benefits from relatively stable (if not explosive) home price growth compared to hotter markets like Florida or Arizona, which saw sharper equity-rich drops. However, high property taxes, insurance costs, and variable local markets (e.g., stronger in Fairfield County vs. other areas) matter.

Why So Many Homeowners Feel Stuck

If you locked in a mortgage rate at 3% a few years ago, the idea of selling and buying again probably doesn't sound appealing. 

With 30-year rates currently sitting at 6.42% and no Fed cuts expected until late 2027, trading your current payment for one that's nearly double is a hard sell. No one would blame you for hesitating.

After all, a recent survey from Point found 48% of homeowners (nearly half) say they aren't planning to move this year, with rate lock-in and general uncertainty cited as the main reasons.

What that rate calculation doesn't account for, though, is how much equity you have, and how much that could save you each month on your next mortgage payment. 

How Your Equity Changes the Math

When you're equity-rich, you're not approaching your next purchase the same way you did the first time. 

A larger equity position means a larger down payment, which means a smaller loan, which means your monthly payment on a higher-rate mortgage may not be as painful as you'd expect.

Depending on how much equity you've built, you may have more options than you think:

  • Put a significantly larger down payment on your next home, reducing the loan amount and softening the rate impact

  • Use a HELOC to access equity without selling

  • Sell, then rent temporarily while you wait for rates or prices to shift

  • Buy your next home outright, with no mortgage at all

Most homeowners run the math on today's rates without accounting for what their equity actually does to that number. The monthly payment picture looks very different when you're bringing 50% or more to the table.

What This Could Mean for You

The bigger takeaway here is this: A lot of homeowners are making decisions based on the market from 2-3 years ago, not the market we’re actually in today.

Yes, rates are higher.

But home values are also dramatically different, and for many homeowners, the amount of equity they’ve built changes the conversation more than they realize.

You may still decide staying put is the right move. A lot of people are. But it’s worth understanding your position before assuming you don’t have options.

Because the homeowners making the best decisions right now aren’t guessing. They know their numbers.


-- Lavanya RealKey 

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