| Rudy Flores · (619) 392-6714 · Real Estate Strategist, Realtor® · CalDRE #02257808 · Responsible Broker CalDRE #01481919
SAN DIEGO DIVORCE AGENT
Home Tools

Your Home Equity Since Purchase: A Clear Estimate

Need a starting number for the house during a divorce? Estimate its value, the remaining loan and the equity from the purchase price and date, privately.

HOME TOOLS · OCTOBER 2026

In a divorce, one of the first questions is what the house might be worth and how much equity there is. This page gives a private starting point by applying the change in Zillow's ZIP-code values since the purchase to the price that was paid.

It also estimates the remaining loan and the money a sale might free up after costs, which helps when you talk with your attorney or mediator. Nothing is saved or sent unless you choose to send it.

This estimate is a starting point for your own planning. It is not a valuation for a settlement or for court; your attorney and an appraiser handle that.

Your purchase
Values are Zillow's typical value for the ZIP code, not for your street.
Uses Zillow's series for that home type when the ZIP code has one for your purchase month.
From 1985. Before 2000 the estimate chains FHFA's yearly ZIP index to Zillow.
Starts at Zillow's typical single-family value in 91913 for June 2016; use your own price.
Your loan
Pick the second choice if you refinanced or have a home equity line.
Used with the first choice. Enter 0 for a no-down-payment loan.
Blank uses the Freddie Mac average for the month you bought (15-year average for a 15-year term from August 1991).
The loan you took out when you bought.
Used with the second choice: from your latest statement; include any home equity line.
Today
Moves the range around the estimate, the same rule of thumb as the home value range tool.
Commission, escrow, title and transfer taxes, as a share of the price; commission is negotiable.
Leave at 0 to estimate it from your price and the State Board of Equalization's yearly factors.

Not sure whether keeping the home, selling it or a buyout fits your situation? Answer four questions in the Home Strategy Quiz; Rudy follows up discreetly.

Take the Home Strategy Quiz

Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Point Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #231073), at (619) 475-4095. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

This is an estimate for planning, from Zillow's ZIP-wide typical values applied to your purchase price. It is not an appraisal, a broker price opinion, an offer, a loan offer, or tax or legal advice, and Rudy is a real estate agent, not a lender, appraiser or tax professional.

How the estimate works

  1. Zillow's typical value for the home type and ZIP code is taken for the purchase month and for the newest month.
  2. The purchase price is scaled by that change, and condition sets the range.
  3. If the original loan remains, its balance is estimated from regular fixed-rate payments from the month after purchase.
  4. Equity is the midpoint less the balance; the net also subtracts selling costs and is before taxes.
  5. The Prop 13 figure applies the State Board of Equalization's yearly factors, 2% at most, to the purchase price.

Your Prop 13 value and Prop 19

If one spouse keeps the home, its Prop 13 taxable value matters for the future tax bill. That value began at the purchase price and has grown 2% a year or less; a transfer between spouses in a divorce is generally excluded from reassessment, so ask the county assessor about your case.

For a spouse 55 or older who sells and buys again, Proposition 19 may allow that taxable value to move to the new home if it is in California and bought within two years; there is a limit of three transfers. The county assessor and a tax professional can confirm.

If one of you may keep the house, see also the downsizing calculator and property tax when one spouse keeps the home.

Sources and dates

Questions owners ask

Can we use this number in our settlement?

No. It is a ZIP-wide estimate for planning, not an appraisal. Settlements and courts rely on a formal appraisal arranged with your attorney. This page helps you understand the range before those conversations.

Why might the real value differ?

A ZIP-wide index has no view of the home's condition, lot or updates. Recent sales of similar homes nearby, which Rudy can review for free, narrow it down.

We refinanced during the marriage. What do I enter?

Choose the balance option and add up what is owed today on every loan secured by the home, any equity line included.

Does the taxable value tell us what the home is worth?

No. The Prop 13 taxable value only sets the tax, and it can grow just 2% a year from the purchase price. Market value is a separate question for the appraisal.

More from Rudy

Want a Real Number?

Rudy will review recent nearby sales and talk through the equity and options with you discreetly.

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