The average first-time home buyer in the US is older than ever, but a new proposal under the Trump administration could leave them paying off a mortgage until old age.
The White House said it was considering a 50-year mortgage repayment plan to address the nation's housing crisis.
Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte said it was "a complete game changer" for homebuyers.
Others fear it could leave home owners spending their retirement years with "crushing" debt.
What has Trump said?
Donald Trump floated the proposal on social media, though he later downplayed the plan as not "a big deal".
"All it means is you pay less per month," he said, speaking to Fox News on Monday, local time.
"Pay it over a longer period of time.
" It's not like a big factor. It might help a little bit. "
Franklin D Roosevelt is credited with making home ownership part of the American dream. (Supplied: Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum)
This would not be the first plan of its ilk.
Americans already have something called a "30-year fixed mortgage".
It was introduced by Franklin Roosevelt's administration to create a standardised mortgage that would last the working years of an average American — the average life span
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