‘I Turned Down A Ring For A Mortgage,’ Says Investor With 10 Rentals — ‘Ramsey Show’ Host
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A mortgage decision exposed a far bigger risk than the house itself.
Haley, a Texas real estate investor, called “The Ramsey Show” as she weighed buying a house with her longtime boyfriend and how his debt would factor into the deal.
“I turned down a ring for a mortgage,” Haley said.
Both were married before and each has children. Haley said she and her boyfriend were “very Dave Ramsey friendly.” He carried more debt overall, though neither had credit card debt.
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Haley viewed the property as an opportunity too good to pass up. She also made clear her own finances were strong. She owns 10 rental properties and owes about $225,000 across three loans, a figure that surprised hosts Ken Coleman and Jade Warshaw.
Warshaw said the level of debt was not as high as she expected for someone with 10 rentals, then shifted the focus to how the deal was structured. “Buying a house with a boyfriend is very very risky business,” she said.
In Warshaw’s view, tying a long-term asset to someone without legal commitment could create complications if the relationship fell apart. Her suggestion was one person buys the house, and the couple decides separately how they want to live.
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Haley pointed to financing as the reason she wanted him on the loan. She said her boyfriend shows far more income on paper, nearly double or triple hers, which made qualifying easier with the lender.
The hosts were not convinced that was the real issue. Warshaw said Haley could sell one of her existing properties if she wanted to buy the house on her own, and Coleman pressed her to say what was really driving the decision.
“That’s such a crappy answer,” Coleman said.
Haley said she wanted him involved and felt they needed to be on the same page. When Warshaw asked if she was trying to lock him in, Haley said yes.
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Haley said after divorce and years of raising her son on her own, marriage felt scary.
The hosts said fear was driving her toward a choice likely to create even more complications. Coleman said marriage would at least provide a legal framework if things fell apart, while buying a house together without it could leave both of them in a messier position.