Outside the Box
A 50-year mortgage is a poor solution to America’s housing crisis. What’s needed are more homes.
Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2025 at 6:23 p.m. ET
First Published: Dec. 10, 2025 at 7:50 a.m. ET
Young Americans are struggling to get on the housing ladder. The median first-time buyer is now 40 years old and house prices are now higher, relative to income, than at any time since the peak of the mid-2000s housing boom.
To buy these expensive houses, people must take out expensive mortgages — mortgage rates have doubled over the past three years, pushing many households across the country to spend well over a third of their paychecks on their mortgages.
