> see my 1.22% 20 years fixed mortgage melt away

Wow, if you don't live in the US, where are you getting a 20 year fixed rate?

Honestly just curious as I thought those were really only a US thing.

The mortgage is in Belgium. Friends have even lower fixed rates. Some others have negative interest rates on their adjustable ones. Their bank literally pays them.

Wow, I'd heard about that but it seems so alien to me here in ireland (we get at best 2% ten year fixed, and that's only under certain circumstances).

Mind you, it's literally impossible to get evicted from your primary home here, which is presumably what drives the differences.

> Their bank literally pays them.

How does this work? Do they get a free house and a check cut monthly? Or is the mortgage cheaper than what it would have been?

My bad. I did not know anywhere else offered mortgage incentives. Chalked tax deduction up to being uniquely US way of implementing regressive taxes.