As home prices continue to appreciate the number of homes “underwater” – those owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth – are decreasing.

While there are currently 4.6 million properties in the United States owing considerably more than they are worth, this is 1.4 million less than a year ago.

This translates to 8.7 percent of all U.S. properties with a mortgage down from 10.8 percent in 2016.

An underwater home is defined as a property where the combined loan amount is at least 25 percent higher than the property’s estimated market value.