The Hidden Equity Opportunity Most Santa Clara Homeowners Overlook
Timothy Alston | Broker
Aegis Luxury Real Estate · DRE# 01328224
Published
June 21, 2022
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The average homeowner in the United States gained $64,000 in home equity over the past 12 months, according to the latest Homeowner Equity Insights report from CoreLogic. In high-demand markets like Santa Clara, that number can run even higher. If you own a home right now, your net worth may have grown significantly without you doing a single thing differently.
You know how it feels when you are not sure if homeownership is actually working for you? You make the mortgage payment every month, you handle the repairs, you wonder if any of it is adding up to something real. A lot of homeowners in Santa Clara are sitting on a number that would genuinely surprise them, and most have never stopped to check.
So here is the question worth sitting with for a moment: when was the last time you actually looked at what your home is worth today compared to what you owe?
What Does the Average Homeowner’s Equity Position Actually Look Like?
Before getting into the data, think about your own situation. What does your current mortgage balance look like relative to what your home might sell for right now? Have you looked at that number recently, or is it something you have quietly set aside?
A lot of people assume equity builds slowly, a little at a time over decades. But what CoreLogic’s data shows is something different. Patrick Dodd, President and CEO of CoreLogic, described price growth as the key ingredient for creating home equity wealth, and he noted this period has produced the largest one-year gain in average home equity wealth on record.
The reason it happened is straightforward. The number of homes available for sale has not kept pace with the number of buyers looking to purchase. When demand outpaces supply, home values climb. And when your home value climbs, your equity grows even if your loan balance barely moved.
That is what the average homeowner gained over the past year: roughly $64,000 in equity, nationwide. Not from flipping. Not from renovating. Just from owning.
Trend #1: Inventory Shortage Continues to Lift Home Values
The imbalance between buyer demand and available listings has persisted long enough to produce sustained price appreciation across most major markets. In competitive areas like Santa Clara, the gap between supply and demand remains one of the tightest in the country. This structural shortage is not a short-term blip; it reflects years of underbuilding relative to population growth and job density in the region. For homeowners, that persistent demand directly translates into growing property values and expanding equity positions.
Trend #2: The Average Homeowner Gained More Equity Than Many Realize
CoreLogic’s Homeowner Equity Insights data confirms the average homeowner gained $64,000 in equity in a single 12-month period nationally. In high-value Silicon Valley markets, individual gains frequently exceed that number by a meaningful margin. Many homeowners have not requested a current market valuation in over a year, meaning their mental picture of their equity is almost certainly out of date. If you are making financial decisions based on an old estimate of what your home is worth, you may be working with incomplete information.
Trend #3: Equity Is Quietly Solving the Down Payment Problem
One of the most common reasons homeowners delay a move is concern about affording the down payment on the next home, especially in a market where purchase prices have climbed. What many have not considered is that the equity they have already built may cover a large portion of that down payment, or in some cases, all of it. When you sell your current home, that equity does not disappear; it comes back to you at closing and becomes available capital for your next purchase. The math looks very different once you know the actual number.
Trend #4: Homeowners Who Wait May Be Leaving Wealth on the Table
Here is a consequence question worth sitting with: if you continue to delay looking at your equity position, what does that actually cost you in terms of planning and opportunity? Markets shift. The conditions that produced this historic one-year gain are not guaranteed to persist indefinitely. Homeowners in Santa Clara homes for sale searches are increasingly active, signaling buyer demand that supports current home values. But staying uninformed about your own equity does not make you safer; it just means you are making decisions with less information than you could have.
Trend #5: Net Worth and Equity Are More Connected Than Most People Track
The National Association of Realtors has documented a substantial gap between the average net worth of homeowners versus renters over time, and home equity is the primary driver of that difference. For the average homeowner, the home is not just a place to live; it is the single largest wealth-building asset most families hold. If you have never thought of your monthly mortgage payment as a form of forced savings that is growing in value, it might be time to reframe that picture. The equity you have already accumulated is a real financial asset, and knowing its current size is the first step to using it wisely.
What Could You Actually Do With $64,000 in New Equity?
Think about what a homeowner gained when that equity comes back at closing. Could it cover the down payment on a larger home? Could it give you options you thought were years away? Could it change the conversation you have been having with yourself about whether a move is even possible right now?
Most people in the Santa Clara real estate market who have been holding off on a move cite one of two fears: either they worry about being priced out of their next home, or they assume they do not have enough for a down payment. But what if the equity sitting in your current home already answers both of those concerns?
Can you see how knowing your actual number would change the decision you are looking at?
What Happens If Nothing Changes?
Here is something worth being honest about. If you keep putting off a look at your equity position, where does that leave you in three or four years? Markets move. Conditions that favor sellers do not stay in place forever. The homeowner who got a professional equity assessment today made a decision based on real information. The one who waited made a decision based on assumptions.
Which of those two feels more like the approach you want to take with an asset this size?
Homes in Santa Clara have seen meaningful appreciation over the past several years. That appreciation has been building equity in your home whether you have been paying attention to it or not. At some point, knowing the number stops being optional and starts being responsible.
The Next Step Is a Conversation, Not a Commitment
Do you feel like this could be the information you have been missing? If the answer is yes, the next step is straightforward. Timothy Alston, licensed Broker (DRE# 01328224) at Aegis Luxury Real Estate, can put together a professional equity assessment for your specific property so you know exactly where you stand.
Not a pitch. Not a pressure call. Just a clear look at what your home is worth today, what you owe, and what that gap means for your next move. Would that be a useful conversation to have?
Reach out directly at (408) 207-4593 and let the numbers speak for themselves.
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Broker · DRE# 01328224
Aegis Luxury Real Estate
Harvard Business School Online, Certified Master Negotiation
23+ Years Silicon Valley Real Estate Experience
Retired Military Veteran
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Aegis Luxury Real Estate · Timothy Alston, Broker, DRE# 01328224 · 10080 N. Wolfe Rd Ste SW3-200, Cupertino CA 95014 · (408) 207-4593
Last updated: July 11, 2026 | Data reflects July 2026 MLS statistics
