@texasrunnerDFW Calling a $450,000 house a starter home is the real spin. Lower rates won't fix a price tag that only fits people who already own something.
He pays the bill on his phone every month.
Right at the end they add $3.50 to process it.
They do not mail a paper bill anymore. He still pays the $3.50. It is easier than arguing.
@kurtsaltrichter Sales did not fall because people stopped wanting a house. They fell because moving now means a fatter payment on the same roof. The chart is the standstill. The bill is why it holds.
@texasrunnerDFW A primary home is not a brilliant stock pick. Most people just kept paying the bill because they still needed a roof. That autopay is what stopped them from selling at the bottom.
A guy at the gym had done the checklist. He made $72k, had no kids, no card balance, and $38k saved.
The house was $365k. Two bedrooms. Nothing fancy. At 3% the payment with tax and insurance would have cleared the $2,100 the lender wanted. At 7.18% it came to $2,740.
On paper he had done everything right. The old rate would have put him in the house. This one left him outside.