home valueequity, costs and the gainno sign-up neededboyenga team at compass
How much equity you’re sitting on
Pick your city and the year you bought, enter what you paid and what you owe. We scale your price at your city’s pace since then and show your equity, what selling would cost and how much of the gain the home-sale exclusion covers.
your equity
Your equity, your costs to sell, your gain
Everything updates as you type. The math runs in your browser, and the page doesn’t store what you enter. Press “Copy a link” to come back to the same numbers.
year by year
How your price moved, year by year
Your purchase price, carried forward with your city’s median price per square foot each calendar year since you bought. It’s the same math as the figure above, laid out so you can see which years did the work.
Bought in 2015: every city since then
The same purchase year in every city we cover with enough sales, ranked by how far its median price per square foot has moved since. Your city is highlighted.
| city | $ per sq ft, 2015 | last 12 months | multiple | what you paid, at that pace |
|---|
how it works
Where the numbers come from
The same archive as our Then & Now Calculator and Home Price History: every closed sale reported to the MLS since 2012, read in October 2026 through the IDX feeds that power our home search, with repeat records removed. A live check reads your city’s last 180 days of sales from the MLS each time you pick a city.
- Today’s figureWhat you paid × (your city’s median price per square foot from October 2025 to September 2026 ÷ its median in the year you bought), rounded to $10,000. Houses, condos and townhomes count together.
- EquityToday’s figure minus what you owe on the home: your mortgage balance and any equity line or second loan.
- Costs to sellThe commission you enter, the seller’s share of county and city transfer tax by local custom (the same table as our transfer tax calculator), and any escrow and title costs you enter.
- The gainToday’s figure minus costs to sell, what you paid and improvements. Up to $250,000 ($500,000 for most married couples filing jointly) can be excluded if you owned and lived in the home two of the last five years.
City pace is a starting line. In the same city, one neighborhood can run well ahead of another, and a remodel can add more than a decade of appreciation. For a number you can plan around, run your home through the Comps Finder, then ask us for a walk-through.
what to do with it
Three ways owners use their equity
- Move up or move overYour equity is your next down payment. Buy-before-you-sell options can let you buy first; see our Buy Before You Sell page or ask us how they work.
- Remodel or add a unitAn ADU or a remodel can lift value; see our Build Lab and ADU guide for costs and rules.
- DownsizeProposition 19 can move your property tax base for owners 55 and up; our 55+ guide runs the numbers.
- Hold and borrowAn equity line keeps the home and the low tax base. Your lender sets the limit, often a share of today’s value minus what you owe.
questions
Questions we hear
How accurate is the city-pace figure?
It shows how prices in your city moved since you bought, not how your home moved. Remodels, lot size, condition and the exact street can put your home well above or below it. The Comps Finder uses the closest recent sales instead.
Why does it start in 2012?
Our sales archive starts in 2012 for most cities (2022 for San Francisco). If you bought earlier, picking 2012 gives a conservative floor on today’s figure.
What is the live check?
When you pick a city, the page reads its closed sales from the last 180 days from the MLS and shows their median price per square foot next to the archive’s 12-month figure (October 2025 – September 2026). When the two differ, prices have moved since the archive was read, or a different mix of homes has sold.
Which transfer taxes are included?
The county tax ($1.10 per $1,000) and any city tax, with the seller’s share by local custom: the seller pays the county tax and buyer and seller split a city tax in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties; in San Francisco the seller pays. Who pays is negotiable and set in your contract.
Why is commission blank?
Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included. Enter the figure you’d agree to and the net updates.
Is the gain taxable?
Up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for most married couples filing jointly) can be excluded from income tax if you owned and lived in the home as your main residence for two of the five years before the sale. Above that, federal and California tax can apply. Depreciation, a prior exclusion, an inherited (stepped-up) basis or a trust change the math, so confirm with your tax advisor.
Does anything I type get saved?
No. The math runs in your browser, and the page doesn’t store what you type. If you press “Copy a link”, the city, year, price and loan balance go into that link so you can bookmark or share it.
more home value tools
Keep going
- What’s my home worth?An instant estimate, then a Property Nerd checks it against your street.
- Comps FinderThe closest recent sales to your home, adjusted to your size and lot, live.
- Then & Now CalculatorWhat your purchase price would be today at your city’s pace.
- Price per Square Foot MapEvery sale in the last 180 days, street by street.
- Neighborhoods by Price per Sq FtEvery neighborhood guide, ranked.
- Lot Value LabWhat a bigger lot sold for, city by city.
- How Much Over AskingHow far over list homes sold, by city and price.
- Seller net sheetPrice minus commission, taxes, costs and payoff.
- Proposition 19 for owners 55+Move your tax base, estimate the home-sale gain.
Estimates for discussion only; not tax, legal or lending advice. Sales data: MLS via IDX, deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about what your equity could do?
We’ll pull the closest sales to your home, walk through your options and show your estimated net. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
Eric & Janelle Boyenga
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725
Realtors DRE01254724 / 01254725