A house is the most expensive thing most people will ever buy. Very few people have enough money of their own to buy a home, so they have to borrow money from a bank. Borrowing money from a bank to buy a house is called taking a mortgage. The hank usually lends money or gives a mortgage for 25 years. This means that the person who borrows has 25 years to pay back the money. The bank lends this money with interest, and the borrower makes equal monthly payments to the hank until he has paid the mortgage. Houses are so expensive that many people nowadays have to borrow as much as $50,000. In other words, they will have a $50,000 mortgage.How can you get a mortgage? When you find a house you like, you go to a bank, sometimes it is necessary to go to a few banks, before applying for a mortgage at once. The bank will investigate your financial history and decide if they think you axe a good risk. They will want to know what kind of job you have. In addition, the banks will require a down payment. Depending on which state you live in, the bank may require as much as 30% of the price of the house as a down payment. The bank will then lend you the rest of the money to buy the house. Many people are never able to buy a house because they cannot save enough money for the down payment.