If you bought or refinanced your home when rates were sitting at 3% or lower, you already know the dilemma: you’d love a bigger house, a shorter commute, or a smaller place to retire into — but giving up that rate for today’s market rate feels like too big a hit to take.

A new bill in Congress is aiming to solve exactly that problem.

What’s the MOVE Act?

The Making Ownership Viable for Everyone (MOVE) Act, introduced in the House on August 3, 2026, would require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to start purchasing and securitizing “portable mortgages” — loans that let a homeowner transfer their existing interest rate, term, and balance to a new property within 90 days of selling their current one.

In plain English: if the bill becomes law, a homeowner with a 3.25% rate could sell their current home and carry that same rate, term, and remaining balance over to their next home, instead of starting over at whatever rate the market is offering.

Important: this is a proposal, not current law. As of this writing, the MOVE Act (H.R. 10028) has been introduced and referred to the House Committee on Financial Services — it has not been voted on. A related bill, the Take Your Rate Act, would simply direct a federal study on the feasibility of portable mortgages rather than implement them outright. Nothing changes for homeowners today, but the idea is gaining real traction in Washington.

Why This Could Be a Big Deal for Homeowners

If passed, supporters argue portable mortgages could offer several benefits:

• Unlocking the “rate lock-in” effect. Millions of homeowners with sub-4% rates have simply stopped moving rather than trade up into a 6%+ rate. Portability could free up some of that pent-up demand.
• More inventory for buyers. Every homeowner who feels comfortable listing their home because they can keep their rate is one more property added to a tight market.
• Easier “right-sizing.” Empty nesters looking to downsize, or growing families looking to upsize, could make that move without a painful rate reset.
• Preserved affordability. Buyers who already stretched their budget years ago to lock in a low rate wouldn’t have to recalculate their whole financial picture just to move.

What’s Still Unclear

This is early-stage legislation, and plenty of details remain to be worked out — how lenders would price the risk, how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would handle the balance-sheet impact, and whether portability would apply only to conventional loans or eventually extend further. It’s worth watching, but not something to plan a move around just yet.

The Bottom Line

Whether or not the MOVE Act becomes law, it’s a sign that lawmakers recognize how much low mortgage rates are shaping — and freezing — the housing market. If you’re holding onto a great rate but thinking about a move, it’s worth talking through your options now, so you’re ready to act quickly whatever happens in Washington.

Have questions about your specific situation? Reach out anytime — I’m happy to walk through the numbers with you.