Is It Time To Grab Your Home Equity? If you bought a home in the past few years the odds are overwhelming that your equity increased. According to the National Association of Realtors, the value of a typical home grew by 12.6 percent last year. That means a house worth 4,100 at the end of 2004 was likely to be valued at 7,300 at the start of this year -- an increase of ,200. No doubt a lot of owners are looking at higher home values and wondering if now is the time to get a home equity loan. For three reasons, at least, it's a question that should be asked.