Black Homebuying after the Crisis: Appreciation Patterns in Fifteen Large Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

Some have questioned the financial wisdom of homeownership and, especially, Black homeownership. This is understandable because the mortgage crisis dealt heavy blows to Black homeowners. One concern is that home values may not appreciate as much where Blacks purchase homes. We examine how Black homebuyers fared compared to White and Latino buyers in terms of home appreciation during the 2012 to 2017 recovery. We examine appreciation rates by race and ethnicity across 15 metros. We then estimate the relationship between appreciation and the race and ethnicity of the homebuyer, as well as characteristics of the neighborhood where the home is purchased. We find Blacks saw higher appreciation rates than Whites in high- and medium-appreciation metros, but not in low-appreciation metros. We also find that in medium- and high-appreciation metros, buyers in racially diverse neighborhoods tended to see higher levels of appreciation. Also in higher-appreciation metros, those buying in lower-income neighborhoods tended to see higher appreciation rates, while those in low-appreciation metros did not.