[GNC] How to Properly Record Valuation Changes in Home Value?

[gnucash at kcburns.com]

> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:18:18 -0400
> From: Michael or Penny Novack <stepbystepfarm at comcast.net>
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> Subject: Re: [GNC] How to Properly Record Valuation Changes in Home
> 	Value?
> Message-ID: <b8121c90-fdf5-420a-9f66-34c16e27a9ad at comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
> On 9/16/2025 12:09 PM, gnucash at kcburns.com wrote:
>> I have been following this discussion with interest, and now have a
>> question:
>>
>> My Balance Sheet (report) shows an Unrealized Gains line near the
>> bottom, which is presumably my unrealized investment gains?? But, I do
>> not find that I have an account named named Unrealized Gains... So, I
>> wonder how this Unrealized Gains line works, and if I should tap into
>> that process when recording the Unrealized Gains on my home?
>> I would prefer to keep these Unrealized Gains lines (investments vs
>> home) separated, but have them appear one-after-the-other in the
>> Balance Sheet (report).
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Ken
> 
> It's a matter of NAMING your account (for unrealized gains)
> 
> But first an explanation of the "unrealized gains" (or losses) in the
> Ba;lance Sheet. With gnucash, we do not usually perform a "close the
> books" operation prior to running the Balance Sheet. So there is a net
> outstanding sum of all the accounts of types income and expense. These
> account types are actually of fundamental type Equity, so that net
> belongs under Equity on the Balance sheet. The name being used is
> Unrealized Gains (if credit) or Unrealized Losses (if debit)
> 
> So ---- If you want explicit "Unrealized Gains" accounts you will have
> to create them with some different name <*> but note that you will want
> them under assets (or liabilities or equity) and NOT under types income
> or expense.
> 
> Michael D Novack
> 
> * They will be shoeing up where you put them.


Thanks Michael!

I now have my unrealized gains/losses for my house (and my autos, since 
I don't depreciate them for tax purposes) showing up as desired in my 
Balance Sheet report (as Equity:Unrealized Gain - Home Appreciation).

Further analyzing GnuCash's internal Unrealized Gains line in the 
Balance Sheet report, I now see that it exactly matches the unrealized 
gains shown in my Advanced Portfolio Report.

So, I am now happy with my bookkeeping!

Thanks,
Ken