No, U.S. mortgages don't "port" like British ones. And no, the due-on-sale clause isn't an unbreakable wall — it's the lender's option. What locked-in homeowners get wrong.

Yes, only FHA/VA loans are typically assumable by a buyer — and yes, the equity gap is real. But both objections concern the buyer keeping YOUR rate. There's a seller-side path for conventional loans.

Staying put and renting it out aren't your only options. An honest guide to every path a locked-in homeowner has — including the lender-executed one most people haven't heard of.

A 3% mortgage is worth roughly 80 cents on the dollar to the market — yet you repay 100 when you move. That gap is typically $40,000–$75,000. Here's the math.