Was that House a Good Investment? The Answer may not be so obvious
I am surprised how many people dont know the difference between enterprise value, which is the sales price of a home (debt plus equity), and equity value, which is what is left at the end of the day when you sell your home and pay off the mortgage. In determining whether this was a good investment for you, it is only the latter calculation that matters.
Most people simply look at how much the value of their home has appreciated since they bought it, and compare it to what they paid. Lets say someone bought a home for $500,000 a year earlier and their neighbors identical home just sold for $550,000. Simple math would suggest a potential 10% return in one year (a $50,000 profit on a $500,000 purchase). This, while straightforward, is not an accurate calculation for several reasons.
First, it is critical to factor in transaction costs on the sale of your home and deduct them from the gross sales price to see how much of the sales price you have left. These include what it might cost you to prepare the house for sale (painting, landscaping, staging in some cases, etc.), as well as real...