Home Ownership and the History of Mortgages

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss Americans’ attachment to the thirty-year mortgage.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• A thirty-year mortgage is an enticement to home ownership – if you can lock one in at a low interest rate. Niki cited this Washington Post article about the unfavorable market for millennial homebuyers, and Natalia referenced this New Yorker piece about the pitfalls of mortgages. We all drew on this Atlantic article about the resilience of the “ownership society” ideal. Natalia referred to this New York Times article about a landlord harassed by her tenant.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared about the paperback release of Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past and a 60% holiday discount on the audiobook of Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession.
• Neil recommended visiting the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, California.
• Niki discussed the latest episode of the What Next podcast, “Moms for Liberty Tanked at the Polls. This Guy Called It.”