Monday Market Update: A Golden State Home Equity Overview

The Golden State is known for more than sunshine, as a glistening report reveals it’s a very bright spot in the country with regards to home equity. A report from Cotality lists California as #2 in the nation among equity rankings, second only to Hawaii. 

California has 7.6 million owner-occupied homes, compared to Hawaii’s 310,000. Hawaiian homeowners average $688,000 in equity. We have compiled an overview of our state’s equity position compared to the nation below, but also wanted to share why it is believed that California & Hawaii top the charts.

Realtor.com® Senior Economist Hannah Jones explains: “Two decades of price appreciation stacked on top of each other, concentrated in states that can't easily build their way out of scarcity. In all five [U.S. states with most equity), decades of underbuilding relative to job and population growth meant that even modest annual appreciation compounded into enormous dollar gains, simply because the base price was already so high.”

Surging prices have been a driving force in equity values. California home prices jumped 37% during COVID from early 2020 to spring 2022. A minimal pricing correction resulted in a 4% price decrease on average at the end of 2022 and 2023. But by Q1 2026, home prices have increased to 46% higher than they were in 2020. 

To learn more about the equity advantage in our state, and why some people are moving elsewhere to see the full benefit, we encourage you to read this recent Trends article from Realtor.com® here. 

Have a great week!

Bobbi 

Bobbi Decker
DRE#00607999

Broker Associate, Bobbi Decker & Associates
650.346.5352 cell
650.577.3127 efax
www.bobbidecker.com
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CIPS, SRS, ABR, CRS, SRES, GRI, CLHMS, REI, AHWD, RSPS, MSLG

Bobbi Decker & Associates fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. For more information, please visit: http://portal.hud.gov/