78 percent of D.C.’s homeowners have mortgages, according to LawnStarter.

This post is brought to you by SoFi. With the rents in DC reaching astronomical heights, you’ve probably spent more time than you’d like to admit stalking real estate sites and picking out furniture for your fantasy future home. So what’s holding you back from pulling the trigger? There are a lot of legit reasons to be on the fence between paying high rent and buying your first home, but there are also a few…

Only 16 percent of District homeowners were under water on their mortgages by the end of 2009, compared to a U.S. average of nearly 23.8 percent, according to the fourth quarter report released by FirstAmerican CoreLogic last week [.PDF]. That’s roughly a third less than the national average. While that alone may not having you cheering, it’s probably worth a dignified fist bump for the embattled home owner set. Another 4.5 percent are near negative…