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Why so many Americans feel trapped in their homes by their low-rate mortgages
CNBC ^ | 01 Aug 2023 | Jessica Dickler

Posted on 08/05/2023 9:26:33 AM PDT by Drew68

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I'm in this same boat. I bought a nice home in Suffolk, VA with a 2.625% 30-year fixed rate mortgage. The Navy moved me out to San Diego for my sunset tour, after which I'll be retiring.

Don't know where I want to retire to. Certainly not San Diego but I don't know if I want to return back to Virginia either.

I thought about selling my Suffolk home but I don't want to give up that great interest rate so I have opted to rent it out for a while and see what happens.

I'm still kicking myself for selling my home in Jacksonville, Florida. Even though I netted a nice profit, the value of that home has skyrocketed since I sold it. I wish dearly I had held on to it and rented it out instead.

1 posted on 08/05/2023 9:26:33 AM PDT by Drew68
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To: Drew68

OR... People can be like me where the government demons seized your property for something stupid like a city park bathroom. All it takes are a couple bureaucrat demons to steal everything you own and worked for.


2 posted on 08/05/2023 9:32:21 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: Drew68

Can you believe how petty and ungrateful these people sound? How about the sorry people trapped paying 2k a month in rent for dog crap.


3 posted on 08/05/2023 9:32:50 AM PDT by SACK UP
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To: Drew68
And yet, “we are in the 10th year of a 3.125% 15-year fixed mortgage,” he said. They don’t want to move now and give up that low rate to buy at a higher rate.

Let’s suppose he owes $100,000 on this mortgage.

If I were in his shoes, I’d ask the bank how much they’d be willing to accept to prepay the whole thing right now … because someone is losing a lot of money lending money at 3.125% when the current prevailing rates are around 7% and the official (underreported) inflation rate is over 4.5%

4 posted on 08/05/2023 9:37:29 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”)
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To: Drew68
Because of that, there is a critical shortage of homes for sale,

Huh? Wouldn't there be a one-for-one match in the reduction in the number of buyers then? I can understand real estate agents crying about that because they get zero commission from people not moving, but a shortage is housing isn't caused by people not moving around - it is caused by the difference between new buyers and building.

If you play musical chairs with 20 kids and 19 chairs, but allow 15 to just sit rather than fight for a chair the competition is still the same for the other 5 kids fighting for 4 chairs.

5 posted on 08/05/2023 9:37:51 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Democrats' version of MAGA: Making America the Gulag Archipelago )
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To: Drew68

We were thinking about moving to Tennessee for retirement, but have decided for the time being to stay put. The grass isn’t always greener, it’s just green, same as where we are now. Plus, retirement has been pushed back several years, thanks to Joe and the policies he pushes. For all I know, this may be our forever home.


6 posted on 08/05/2023 9:37:53 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Drew68

Cheap mortgage….or having your grandchildren know who you are

Decisions decisions


7 posted on 08/05/2023 9:38:43 AM PDT by silverleaf (Inside Every Progressive Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out” —David Horowitz)
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To: SACK UP

Right. In what universe is this classifiable as a problem?

I’m blessed to be sitting on a low interest rate.

I don’t feel trapped.


8 posted on 08/05/2023 9:40:08 AM PDT by DarrellZero
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To: Drew68

In year 10 of a 15 year mortgage on a 5000 square foot house with a pool, it’s hard to believe this guy couldn’t sell, pay off the remaining balance and buy a smaller property in Tennessee with the remaining cash. If he can’t do it this year, he ought to be able to soon.

I don’t get why anyone would finance their next home when they are heading into retirement.


9 posted on 08/05/2023 9:41:20 AM PDT by con-surf-ative
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To: SACK UP
Can you believe how petty and ungrateful these people sound? How about the sorry people trapped paying 2k a month in rent for dog crap.

Truth be told, I was perfectly happy in my home in Suffolk and wanted to finish of my career there.

But the Navy has a funny sense of humor. The only people who get orders to Hampton Roads are the people who desperately don’t want to be stationed there. If you want Hampton Roads, where there’s countless Navy jobs, you’re out of luck.

Believe me, packing up the wife and kids and relocating to San Diego for a three year shore tour was not how I wanted to end my career but as I was reminded, they’re called “orders”, not “invitations.”

10 posted on 08/05/2023 9:41:41 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President. A conservative who fights and wins.)
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To: Drew68

They should have Paid the House off in 10 years. My last mortgage I paid off in 10 months, the mortgage on my House at the Colorado River in AZ I paid off in less than 10 years. then I paid all cash for the house I just built, because I have NO BILLS or DEBTS.

My daughter has a house in AZ right down the street from mine, I paid cash for it with the inheritance she got from my father when he died, Her and her husband did a cash out refi and paid cash for a house in Texas where they moved to. Her house is rented out for double the loan payment and the loan will be paid off on a 5 year schedule by paying every last nickel extra they can come up with and they will no longer be debt slaves.

Everyone should do everything possible to avoid becoming a Debt Slave. Every last nickel you can muster should be used to PAY off any and all debts, especially a Mortgage.


11 posted on 08/05/2023 9:41:48 AM PDT by eyeamok
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To: Drew68

Oh, no! I have a low rate mortgage and that is just BAD!

Liberals are morons. The real problem isn’t the low rate montage. The problem is the democrats have jacked interest rates. They love Big Banks and Big Oil. Bog banking and oil industries have massive record profits when democraps are in office.


12 posted on 08/05/2023 9:46:46 AM PDT by CodeToad (No Arm up! They have!)
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To: Drew68

Bad news…once you rented your house it stopped being your home and became an investment. You lost the sheltered appreciated value of every previous home you owned and rolled into buying this one. Now when you sell its all taxable gain, plus taxes on the depreciation you are forced to declare.

Your only hope is to move back in for long enough the IRS accepts it being converted to personal residence. At least a year, maybe more.

Or stay on the investment property merry go round by doing a Starker deferred exchange when you sell, and buy another investment property.
Then MAYBE try to do the personal residence conversion thing by moving in after renting for acceptable time…1-2 years depending on the rules

The rules keep changing so you need to keep up and get tax expert advice.

Been there, doing that.


13 posted on 08/05/2023 9:49:43 AM PDT by silverleaf (Inside Every Progressive Is A Totalitarian Screaming To Get Out” —David Horowitz)
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To: Drew68

It’s also the grandfathered property taxes. Move and most likely your property tax bill goes way up.


14 posted on 08/05/2023 9:50:31 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Drew68

If he is 10 years in on a 15 yr mortgage, he has plenty of equity in that house. If he’s downsizing and moving to Tennessee, he might be able to pay cash for a house and not have a mortgage.


15 posted on 08/05/2023 9:52:23 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> --- )
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To: silverleaf

really


16 posted on 08/05/2023 9:54:25 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> --- )
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To: Drew68

Paid off our 30-year loan in 7 years over 14 years ago and never went into a penny of debt again.

My parents could have paid off their mortgage ten times over but never did.

There is a certain mentality that thinks debt is a financial strategy.

To me, debt is danger. Savings is safety.


17 posted on 08/05/2023 9:54:27 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is ████ █ ██████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ████████. FJB.)
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To: eyeamok
My daughter has a house in AZ right down the street from mine, I paid cash for it with the inheritance she got from my father when he died

We should all be so fortunate.

I'm not being sarcastic. One aspect of the Great Reset is the elimination of generational wealth. When Bill Gates, Blackrock, and the ChiComs own all the housing, there will be nothing to pass down to the kids except Grandma's Hummel collection and grandpa's old power tools.

18 posted on 08/05/2023 9:55:11 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President. A conservative who fights and wins.)
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To: silverleaf
The rules keep changing so you need to keep up and get tax expert advice. Been there, doing that.

Thanks for the info. The is my first dip into the landlord game.

19 posted on 08/05/2023 9:56:43 AM PDT by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President. A conservative who fights and wins.)
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To: Drew68

Yeah, anything near Mayport has gone way up. My SIL / BIL have been looking at Ponte Vedre, and it’s very expensive.

We bought a next phase house two years ago and are darn glad we did. I think it’s worth $150k-$200k more than we paid, not that we’re interested in selling.


20 posted on 08/05/2023 9:56:46 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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