{"id":66940,"date":"2026-01-29T07:55:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=66940"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:55:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:55:36","slug":"buyer-mortgage-portability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-mortgage-portability\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Mortgage Portability Help Fix the US Housing Crisis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. housing market is facing a paradox. Millions of homeowners would like to move \u2014 to upsize, downsize, or relocate \u2014 yet many feel stuck. The reason: they don\u2019t want to give up the historically low mortgage rate<\/a> they locked in years ago.<\/p>\n

As policymakers and industry leaders search for ways to ease the pressure, one idea has entered the conversation: mortgage portability.<\/p>\n

Mortgage portability would allow homeowners to carry their existing mortgage and interest rate to a new home. But would a portable mortgage<\/a> product actually help fix the U.S. housing crisis?<\/p>\n

To explore that question, we spoke with Rey Reyes<\/a>, director of sales, CEO, and senior mortgage loan officer at WeLoan<\/a>. Reyes has more than 15 years of lending experience and ranks among the top loan officers in California and nationwide.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s driving the current U.S. housing gridlock<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest forces shaping today\u2019s housing market is the rate lock-in effect. Homeowners who secured mortgage rates in the 2%, 3%, and 4% range during the pandemic are reluctant to sell when current rates are significantly higher.<\/p>\n

Reyes sees this dynamic play out daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see it all the time where there are people who want to move, and they want to sell,\u201d he says. \u201cBut they have a 2% rate, 2.5% rate, and new rates are three times that. They\u2019re not really wanting to make that switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of moving, many homeowners choose to stay put, renovate, or adapt their existing home, even when it no longer fits their needs. That reluctance to sell reduces the number of homes available, contributing to tighter inventory and upward pressure on prices.<\/p>\n

This is the backdrop against which mortgage portability is being discussed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What mortgage portability is designed to solve<\/h2>\n

At its core, mortgage portability is meant to address payment shock \u2014 the sudden jump in monthly housing costs that occurs when a homeowner replaces a low-rate mortgage with a much higher one.<\/p>\n

Reyes views portability as a logical response to that problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cMortgage portability is a good concept, because it means that you\u2019re locked in a good rate and you get to take that with you,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

By allowing homeowners to keep their existing rate, portability could reduce what many borrowers perceive as a financial penalty associated with moving. That, in theory, makes it easier for people to sell and buy again without resetting their mortgage entirely.<\/p>\n

But Reyes is careful to frame portability as a targeted solution, not a universal fix.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I think it would help solve is that it could increase the housing turnover,\u201d he says. \u201cEspecially for families, people who maybe bought something small and they\u2019re trying to upgrade, or reduce the payment shock for existing borrowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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How mortgage portability could increase housing turnover<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s important to note that portable mortgages are not currently available in the United States. If U.S. homeowners could keep their low-rate mortgages when moving, Reyes believes market activity would increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere would be more activity, definitely, in the market because now they\u2019re not locked into their house,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re just locked into their mortgage, so that would bring in more listings, and people would be able to move more freely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reyes expects portability could encourage:<\/p>\n