patrick.net

Wookie, you know this well. But do you realize the absurdity here?

Our entire system is so stupid and markets so manipulated and simulated, that only solution is to simply double everyone's debt to the banking system. Do you not see the absurdity of that proposal and catastrophic end game for our nation?

This has got to be an article from the Onion or Babylon Bee…

If true, there is a very easy solution.

Move where it’s cheaper to live. There’s lots of cheap property in many red states.

Buying property that is more expensive than you can reasonable afford is absurd.

The problem is that most people need to live where the jobs are, or be poor.

Patrick says

The problem is that most people need to live where the jobs are, or be poor.

There’s jobs in lots of the areas that have inexpensive homes.

People are overly attracted to the coast.

Metros with cheap homes and jobs(not to mention high standard of living for semi skilled workers, medical field employees, and blue collar public safety govt workers)

San Antonio
Numerous other locations in Texas.
Oklahoma City
Fargo
Sioux Falls
Omaha
Knoxville
Chatanooga
Exurbs of Nashville
Colorado Springs
Southern Idaho(emerging metro with Pocatello, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Rexburg)

Probably a lot more than that. Key is to be skilled at something that will be in demand and not be afraid to change careers if the job market shifts or technology threatens to render a career obsolete. In all those places there are homes in nice enough areas in the 200’s and sometimes every less(except Colorado Springs which starts in the 300’s).

It gives new meaning to the term 'zombie loans'. "Honey, can we refinance to an 80 year loan to have money for our funeral expenses?"

"But my children aren't even 10 years old?" "That's OK, our new regulations mean they can cosign your mortgage now! They can even roll it over into their student loans!"

ForcedTQ says

This has got to be an article from the Onion or Babylon Bee…

https://www.nj.com/politics/2025/11/what-is-a-50-year-mortgage-trump-under-fire-for-latest-idea-to-tackle-housing-costs.html

50 year mortgage isn't as devastating as it seems. For most a 30 year mortgage may as well be a 100 year mortgage.
Most modest earning families, that buy a house. Seem to base their budget on what the bread winner is making right now, at the prime of his/her career. That can be a 10 to 15 year run. Then the market skill requirements shifts, and their niche they work in, gets replaced with opportunities, they aren't as skilled in.
Many mortgages wrote today, wont make it all the way to pay off.

The length of the loan shouldn't matter, but all debt early payment should exempt from any fee, interest or used to paydown interest. It should all go to the principal by law. Especially student loans.

I never understood the old school way of thinking back when S&Ls gave you decent money. They always said put your money in the bank and never use your cash to make large purchases or paydown debt. I never agreed with it. And now with interest rates more than saving or investment returns. Everyone should paydown their mortgage as soon as possible. It goes fast, if every cent of the funds over your bank note isn't fined or applied to the loan schedule with interest absorbing much of the overpayment.

But America needs new boom towns not creative financing to buy the increasingly non existent housing stock.

The "50-year mortgage" is a disgusting insult. We are Americans. We are not slaves. We are not slaves to the plantation owner. We are not slaves to China. And we are not slaves to Wall Street. This 50-year mortgage idea is a spit in the face. It is an insult. We did not vote for this. We did not vote to become debt slaves to private equity firms, the big banks, and Wall Street.

Right now, the median home in America costs $500,000. At the prevailing mortgage rate of 6%, you would have $580,000 of interest payments over 30 years. If we went with this ridiculous, inane idea of a 50-year mortgage, that would be $1.1 million of mortgage payments for a $500,000 home. You would end up paying $1.5 million for a $500,000 house.

My grandfather was a World War II veteran. He always told me that we do not want to pass down this national debt to the next generation, to our kids and grandkids, and make them slaves to China. I am not worried about China anymore. I am worried about becoming slaves to Wall Street. And the do-nothing Republicans and know-nothing Democrats seem to be working together once again to push this usury on Americans.

It is an absolute insult. If we want to get serious about housing affordability, the crisis staring down my generation, consider this: when my dad was growing up in the 1960s, half of 30-year-olds were married and owned their homes. Today, only 15% of 30-year-olds are married and own a home. If you cannot own your home, you cannot get married. If you cannot get married, you cannot have kids. If you cannot have kids, then what is the point?

This is an insult. This is economic genocide against the Gen Z generation, trying to foist this kind of slavery and usury on us. We reject it 100%.

If we want to get serious about housing affordability, why not ban Blackstone, one of the largest donors to both parties, from buying up entire neighborhoods and forcing us to rent from them? If we are serious about housing, why not remove the 55 million people here on immigration visas who occupy homes that could go to Americans who have worked, fought, and bled for this country?

I am sick and tired of the do-nothing Republicans and the know-nothing Democrats being in bed with Wall Street, forcing us to become debt slaves, forcing us to accept this unrestrained usury. We did not vote for the 50-year mortgage. If this continues, the Republicans will lose the midterms, and they will deserve to.

https://x.com/j_fishback/status/1987562518428918248?s=20

If this is true, then it's bullshit. It sounds like the banks will only raise the interest rate, so the payment only goes down marginally.
$500 off a $3500 to $4500 mortgage isn't much of a smart incentive. It needs to be cut at least $1500 or more. America's RE market wont be healthy again until your average mortgage is back to $1200 to $2500 for a non gated neighborhood, sfh ranch house, depending on the location and the house you got.

50 year mortgage is just a repackaged Lease Option scam.

MolotovCocktail says

https://patrick.net/comment?comment_id=2222153

MolotovCocktail says

Desperately trying to prop up wildly inflated house pices with more debt...just like Japan tried when their housing market crashed and never recovered.

Yep it's like renting but worse as you can't easily switch residence and travel the world. Even 30 years are only good when interest rates are low and/or you purchase early in life, or the housing market appreciates above your interest rate consistently. Womyn don't understand this though and will keep demanding "homes".

Tenpoundbass says

If this is true, then it's bullshit. It sounds like the banks will only raise the interest rate, so the payment only goes down marginally.
$500 off a $3500 to $4500 mortgage isn't much of a smart incentive. It needs to be cut at least $1500 or more. America's RE market wont be healthy again until your average mortgage is back to $1200 to $2500 for a non gated neighborhood, sfh ranch house, depending on the location and the house you got.

We just moved. I told one of the moving guys that if I were single, all I'd need to move is a small Uhaul tow trailer. 1 bed, 1 TV, 1 Lazy Boy. To that, the wife said, "But then you'd be single with no loooooooove."

Maybe its time to stop policing the world and focus domestically.

Any low monthly mortgage will allow you to 'latch on' to a property that is collateralized by itself. You can always refinance or pay the loan down faster if your expanding circumstances allow.

However, it remains that 'ownership' is always a delusion as long as you have the requirements of property tax and the threat of reposession. That makes the local Guv always your landlord. However, property ownership is a delusion that people want to have anyway and wimminz like to birth their progenies in those circumstances. Call it a false sense of security.

Of course, DEW Dresden has added another feature to eminent domain. If the wealthy twats of Pacific Palisades couldn't guard against it, nobody can.

Even wealthy people whose fortunes have turned have had their properties on the auction blocks because of property tax defaults.

The solution is 20% downpayments for any FHA loans, not negotiable.

Any loans not 20% down cannot get government backing.

THAT will solve the affordability crisis.
https://www.fha.com/fha_article?id=2778

Some people really don’t understand basic math.

Okay let’s play that math out.

$400,000 home
50yr Mortgage
Today’s rates

In 10 years you’ll have $14,000 in equity.
During those ten years, in addition to the mortgage payment, you also paid an average of $6,000 per year for property tax.

So that $60,000.

You also paid an average of $3,000 per year in insurance.

So that’s $30,000.

Property tax + Insurance: $90,000

So you paid the mortgage + $90,000 in insurance and tax to get $14,000 in equity.

You also paid a monthly mortgage payment of $2,380. So that’s $2,380 x 12 x 10 =$285,600.

Finally, your housing value increased on average throughout those 10 years to about $430,000.

Congrats. You paid $375,600 over ten years, your value went up $30,000, and you got $14,000 in “equity”.

You’re now in the hole $331,600.

https://x.com/teameffujoe/status/1987669534841675917?s=20

One thing about our 30 year, fixed rate, non-callable mortgages is that it is a big FU to the banks. Our forefathers really didn't trust banks at all. Generally speaking with homeownership, your monthly nut decreases with time. If interest rates decrease. you can refinance at the lower rate and decrease your monthly payments. If rates increase well la te da your payment doesn't increase except for taxes and insurance, and for most folks your income will exceed the rate of inflation (most people get paid more the older they are).

Rents generally don't decrease, but housing debt gets easier over time. This is regardless of property appreciation which generally matches inflation.

mell says

Yep it's like renting but worse as you can't easily switch residence and travel the world. Even 30 years are only good when interest rates are low and/or you purchase early in life, or the housing market appreciates above your interest rate consistently.

Most everyone refi's though for toys and fun or debt pay down on credit cards and said toys. The loan eventually or essentially is a 50 year loan. I don't think a 50 year loan should be allowed out the gate.

Refi's should be done to lower payments if you can with minimal fees. That's not how the average American does it. A 50 year loan would inflate prices and everyone would take cash out. Boom. That's when you have a bubble. I'm a hard no on 50yr mortgages.

WookieMan says

I'm a hard no on 50yr mortgages

What if the interest rate was 1% ??? -- Bet then it would be a hard-on.

Misc says

What if the interest rate was 1% ??? -- Bet then it would be a hard-on.

What if I woke up every morning to Sydney Sweeney riding me cowgirl, too ??? - Definitely would get a hard on.

WookieMan says

mell says

Yep it's like renting but worse as you can't easily switch residence and travel the world. Even 30 years are only good when interest rates are low and/or you purchase early in life, or the housing market appreciates above your interest rate consistently.

Most everyone refi's though for toys and fun or debt pay down on credit cards and said toys. The loan eventually or essentially is a 50 year loan. I don't think a 50 year loan should be allowed out the gate.

Refi's should be done to lower payments if you can with minimal fees. That's not how the average American does it. A 50 year loan would inflate prices and everyone would take cash out. Boom. That's when you have a bubble. I'm a hard no on 50yr mortgages.

Agreed. I'd never dona heloc/refi unless the rate is spectacular, i.e. 2% or less (currently at 3%). The main issue here is that if something takes you to pay a lifetime or more than a lifetime to own it, you cannot afford it in the first place, and it encourages people amd institutions to game the system and create huge dislocation, private and public.

How is it different from somebody refinincing a 20 yo 30 yr mortgage into another 30 yr mortgage?

If one wants to have a forever mortgage he absolutely can.

RWSGFY says

If one wants to have a forever mortgage he absolutely can.

As long as it won't be under FHA, I'm fine with a private bank offering a private loan like that, with zero government guarantees and the bank and loanee required to sign a no-taxpayer bailout ever clause.

Any states that back 50-year loans have the amount they guarantee deducted from all state block grants.

MolotovCocktail says

I am sick and tired of the do-nothing Republicans and the know-nothing Democrats being in bed with Wall Street, forcing us to become debt slaves, forcing us to accept this unrestrained usury.

Wall Street has the money and the time to go to DC and make sure all the laws are in favor of Wall Street. Wall Street will donate to pay for advertising (including AI bots on social media) to split people on wedge issues in various ways, guaranteeing that Wall Street's candidates win.

Most of us don't have that kind of money or enough time to really even pay attention.

I suppose that now and then an honest candidate gets elected, but it's not enough.

Tenpoundbass says

50 year mortgage isn't as devastating as it seems.

It is devastating in that it is a scheme to promote grossly overpriced homes through a lower monthly payment. A better strategy would be to encourage owning a home free and clear by age 45.

Yet another way to keep asset bubbles inflated and avoid any price correction.

No one wants to take the bitter medicine of letting prices go down to the point people can afford them.

People need the prices to come down. Not creative financing. Sad that our leaders want to keep going the wrong direction.

I feel the same way about stock market and economy and stimulus/rate cuts... It's ok to let some economic pain occur, since that kills off the resource draining malinvestment companies... But instead, every fiscal and monetary decision we make is geared towards blowing the bubbles bigger and never letting natural selection to run it's course.

I would see it as a 'hump' loan, to get people over the economic hump and into the homes until the rest of the economy catches up. If Trump does what he wants with the repatriation of industries and financing of crumbling infrastructures with native labor, there will be jobs out the wazoo and things will get better for the younger generation and those willing and able to work.

So let's say I'm 30 when I buy my first home. 50 year mortgage puts me at 80 if I pay it off per the schedule.

Didn't Japan get 100 year mortgages that were inheritable? How did that work out?

And what of the boomers houses (primary homes, vacation homes, etc?) Ultimately where to they go? To the nursing home? The bank? (Reverse Morgarges) Does Black rock buy them up and convert them to rentals? If the kids inherit them do they live there? sell? convert to STR via Air BNB or similar?

As our parents age (as most of us on this blog are Gen X) what becomes of their real estate holdings will make a significant impact on the affordability or lack thereof, for our kids.

GreaterNYCDude says

Didn't Japan get 100 year mortgages that were inheritable? How did that work out?

They had 50 years, too.

Desperate attempt to keep their housing bubble propped up.