After several years of sluggish volume, the housing market is entering spring with a more constructive backdrop than in recent years. Mortgage rates have improved from prior spring markets, inventory is climbing and buyer activity is reemerging, creating cautious optimism that more consumers may enter the market.
Existing homeowners will be part of that shift. Many have built substantial equity in recent years, with a recent Bankrate analysis finding that average home equity rose 142% nationwide between 2020 and 2025. That gives many homeowners more financial flexibility than they may realize — but it does not make the decision to buy and sell at the same time any simpler.
That complexity is especially clear in move-up transactions, which ...
