• brown567@sh.itjust.works
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    16 days ago

    If he only paid half, you’d be charging half a mortgage to be a handyman at best. There’s a huge difference because once you’ve paid out less than half the mortgage and he’s paid out more than half, you own a duplex and he owns nothing.

    It’s the same assumption all landlords make. The price of sleeping under a roof is equal to the mortgage and the several-hundred-thousand dollar asset at the end is just a little treat for performing the backbreaking labor of having your name on a deed

    • too_high_for_this@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      Do you know what a mortgage is? It’s a 30 year, essentially rent-to-own contract. Neither of us are planning on living here that long. My tenant isn’t planning on living that long. And even if I owned it outright, I’d be paying property tax and insurance.

      Sure, I could come out on top financially. I’m definitely not going to turn a profit but it might be cheaper than renting an apartment in the long run. And in the meantime, I take on all the risk and responsibility until I move and sell the house.

      Not everything is a capitalist grift. I’m just trying to get by.

      • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
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        16 days ago

        Wether you plan to live there or not in 30 years is irrelevant to the situation.

        Your tenant pay over half the mortgage. So you get a subsidized housing, keep the appreciated value of the duplex as well and all that for the basic maintenance of the property?

        Golly, what a deal.

        • StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world
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          16 days ago

          I think they’re not considering how the portion of rent that only goes toward the mortgage is still profit despite it not being accessible until the home is sold or a loan taken against its equity.

        • too_high_for_this@lemmy.world
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          16 days ago

          It’s absolutely relevant if you know how a mortgage works. Payments are ~75% interest in the first decade. I’m not going to have enough equity at that time to make a profit after all the money I put into the house. I’m looking at a $50k loss if the market stays steady. Still cheaper than renting, though.

          Yes, my tenant subsidizes my living costs. That’s the point of a duplex. I set the rent at what I thought was fair, given my expected losses and the work I put in.

          There’s no shortage of housing here. If my tenant wanted to, he could buy a house right now. He’s waiting until he retires, specifically because he doesn’t want the responsibilities of home ownership while he’s still working.