I’ve had my most interesting month to date. I should be noticing a $3500 gain this month due to a surging stock market. Instead, I’m looking at a $18,000 loss as Zillow says the value of my had dropped $17,000 in the last 30 days (though it looks like $19,000 from my last report a month ago.) I know that Zillow isn’t the end-all of housing values and it’s probably not the even begin-all, but it’s always been close. In looking at recent home sales in the area, I can’t argue with the estimate. This “loss” exists all on paper and is unrealized.
For those interested in the exact numbers, my net worth dropped from $184,349 to $167,140. This is also the month where I made my 2006 Roth IRA contribution. Combine that with steady stock gains and my retirement accounts now account for three times my home equity. Looking back at last July they were essentially equal. Interesting how that can happen. Some people would get a little depressed looking at this bottom line, but I can wait for the real estate market to turn around.
Whoa, you’re money was the lazy one this month. You’re braver than I. I don’t adjust the value of my home unless it’s an professional appraisal. Good luck next month!
I went ahead and talked about using Zillow guesstimates in net worth calculations on my blog.
I guess your spamcatcher ate my comment since it had a link in it. Anyway, I commented on my blog about using Zillow in net worth calculations; in short, I think it introduces too much noise into the calculation.
I’ve written a lot about the whole Zillow thing and also about whether or not you should include your home in your net worth, or mentally remove it when evaluating your retirement prospects. I’ve had the same questions myself. You can find the lively discussion in the comments on this post:
http://retiringearly.blogspot.com/2006/09/should-you-include-your-home-in-your.html