{"id":7326,"date":"2026-07-20T04:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=7326"},"modified":"2026-07-22T02:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T09:05:23","slug":"what-is-home-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve probably heard people say that owning a home is a great way to build wealth, but what does that really mean beyond making your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-average-mortgage-payment\/\">mortgage payments<\/a> each month? Over time, every payment you make and every change in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/home-valuation\/\">home\u2019s value<\/a> can help you build a financial asset that\u2019s uniquely yours. In this article, we\u2019ll answer one of the most common questions homeowners have: what is home equity exactly, and why does it matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">What's your home worth today?<\/h3>\n                        <p>Tell us a little bit about your property and get a preliminary estimate of value in as little as two minutes.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/simple-home-value\/quiz?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Enter Address<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Put simply, home equity is the portion of your home that you actually own, and it can open the door to opportunities like improving the home, paying off debt, or even funding your next big move. Knowing how much equity you\u2019ve built can give you a better understanding of your financial position and the choices available to you.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s break down how home equity works, how it grows over time, and why it\u2019s one of the biggest advantages of owning a home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":39151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[771,343,322],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buying-a-house-while-selling","category-finances","category-logistics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.9 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Kalfrin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@valerie-kalfrin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Kalfrin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Valerie Kalfrin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465\"},\"headline\":\"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":177,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/what-is-home-equity.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Buying a House While Selling\",\"Finances &amp; Tax Implications\",\"Logistics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/what-is-home-equity.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/what-is-home-equity.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/what-is-home-equity.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563,\"caption\":\"Source: (Alexander Wark \\\/ Unsplash)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/what-is-home-equity\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"HomeLight Blog\",\"description\":\"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"HomeLight\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/logo-hr-color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/logo-hr-color.png\",\"width\":1348,\"height\":262,\"caption\":\"HomeLight\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gohomelight\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/gohomelight\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/homelight\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/HomeLight\"],\"description\":\"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.\",\"email\":\"support@homelight.com\",\"telephone\":\"(888) 688-0350\",\"legalName\":\"HomeLight\",\"foundingDate\":\"2012-01-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"201\",\"maxValue\":\"500\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465\",\"name\":\"Valerie Kalfrin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Valerie Kalfrin\"},\"description\":\"Valerie Kalfrin is a multiple award-winning journalist, film and fiction fan, and creative storyteller with a knack for detailed, engaging stories.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/valeriekalfrin\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/valerie-kalfrin\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/valerie-kalfrin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?","description":"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?","og_description":"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Valerie Kalfrin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@valerie-kalfrin","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valerie Kalfrin","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/"},"author":{"name":"Valerie Kalfrin","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465"},"headline":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?","datePublished":"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/"},"wordCount":177,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png","articleSection":["Buying a House While Selling","Finances &amp; Tax Implications","Logistics"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/","name":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png","datePublished":"2026-07-20T11:00:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-22T09:05:23+00:00","description":"Wondering what home equity is and how it helps when you need to borrow? Learn how your home\u2019s value can fund loans or big purchases.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/what-is-home-equity.png","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Source: (Alexander Wark \/ Unsplash)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-home-equity\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Is Home Equity and How Can I Use Mine in 2026?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/234e3147a305073d2c8cb21d61865465","name":"Valerie Kalfrin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/86b69a0e8a73ca97e0cc84bf6294e479059bce7b41ed89cec2bbacf27469f4b6?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Valerie Kalfrin"},"description":"Valerie Kalfrin is a multiple award-winning journalist, film and fiction fan, and creative storyteller with a knack for detailed, engaging stories.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/valeriekalfrin\/","https:\/\/x.com\/valerie-kalfrin"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/valerie-kalfrin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}