We’re having fun with our new formulas that give us the ability to adjust sales prices based on the Consumer Price Index. Just what is inflation adjusting?
Let’s say your parents bought a place in 1990 for $100,000 and today it is worth $500,000. One might assume that the value has increased $400,000. However, the value of the dollar has changed over the past 18 years, so we need to correct for those changes in order to determine how much true appreciation their home has accrued. What we find when we adjust for inflation is that $100,000 in 1990 is equivalent to $162,529 today. This changes the appreciation rate a bit. The home has actually appreciated $337,471 in real terms, not $400,000. Adjusting for inflation gives us a more accurate depiction of what the market is doing.
Balloons aren't the only things that inflate...
We wanted to revisit an old post that was one of our most popular on the blog to date. We discussed how much home prices have come down in San Francisco, and have since taken the data, inflation adjusted it, and have some new numbers (although very similar conclusions to last time).
Keep reading, this is good stuff!
