I secured an $849 monthly mortgage payment on my first home in New York. A few years later, I feel trapped by it.

As lucky as I feel to have my own property, I also feel handcuffed to my home with an affordable mortgage in an unaffordable market. Melissa Jean-Baptiste I bought a home in 2019 for $195,000 with a $849 monthly mortgage payment that's hard to give up. I make more money and split my bills now, but this market makes buying another home feel impossible. For now, I'm looking at other cities while working toward saving a six-figure down payment . In 2013, I threw reality out the window and reached out to a real-estate agent to try to buy a house. I had just turned 25 and felt like it was time to have my own space, even though I had minimal savings and a steep student-loan balance that my salary as a high-school teacher was barely covering.