Data shows consistent home price appreciation since 1975. To say homeownership is a consistent barometer of personal wealth is an overstatement. In reality, the past several years have been hard on homeowners in certain states, with prices dropping and values ascending at a slower pace -- at least until last year's recovery kicked in. But kicking homeownership while it's down, may be a bad move. After all, a new interactive graphic from Estate of Mind shows that since 1975 each state on average has witnessed positive home price appreciation. However, that positive picture quickly goes askew when looking at appreciation over the past 5 years. During that time, only 11 states reported positive price growth on average. Interestingly enough, many states hit the hardest by the housing crisis in 2008 reported some of the highest appreciation rates in the past few years as they regained lost ground. Click here to see the map. Oregon home appreciation stats are as follows:

• Last Quarter: 3.17%
• Last Year: 8.87%
• Last 5 Years: -12.06%
• Last 10 Years: 26.77%
• Average since 1975: 5.5%

Posted January 9, 2014 | Brena Swanson | Housing Wire Renaissance Homes is an award winning Street of Dreams custom home builder specializing in green building for the Portland market. Visit our Design Studio to personalize your next home.