When the pandemic hit in 2020, people had no choice but to stay in their homes. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of employees working from home nearly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 42%. All that time spent at home led to a burst of pandemic remodeling—home improvement spending rose over 25% to an average of $10,341 per household in 2021. With record-high home prices in many areas of the country, some homeowners opted to take out home equity loans to improve their existing homes instead of trying to wade into an overheated market. And as the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate inched up after hovering…