Rising home values also make it increasingly tougher for would-be homeowners to buy. Home equity growth can have broad impacts on the economy, giving homeowners more financial flexibility to spend on big purchases or build a nest egg.
Average homeowner equity jumped nearly 20% in the first quarter from a year earlier.
homeowners with a mortgage, which is about 63% of all homes, CoreLogic said. That works out to nearly $3 trillion in equity gained by U.S.
