A homeowner was left feeling every single emotion after receiving a letter to say that her mortgage was paid off—but it wasn’t what she expected.
On July 26, Marissa Kilroy from Southern Ohio received a “totally unexpected” letter from her lender that appeared to suggest her mortgage was paid off in full. She’s only lived in the house for five years, so Kilroy was left utterly stunned by the prospect of being mortgage free at the age of 33.
Of course, she was skeptical at first. Kilroy told Newsweek that she “thought it was spam” or maybe a potential scam initially. Indeed, she almost threw the letter away before even opening it.
“I was shook, and for a second I thought I was in a financial fairy tale,” Kilroy said. “Like, who secretly pays off someone’s mortgage? I was equal parts excited and confused—my heart did cartwheels.”
It was hard not to get excited, but Kilroy needed to remain level-headed and keep her composure. She joked that she went “full detective mode” to try and get to the bottom of where this letter came from.
“I cross-checked the county websites, my mortgage portal for payments and documents, called and spoke with a couple housing professionals I know, and then called my mortgage company once they were open Monday morning,” Kilroy said.
While she waited for the office to reopen, she posted a video on TikTok (@marissa_k_xo) to explain the curious situation and ask if anyone had been through anything similar. She only expected it to be seen by her close friends, she never could have imagined that it would generate over 2.8 million views and 64,100 likes in just a matter of days.
The online reaction was astounding, as social media users became totally invested. Many people were celebrating, while others encouraged Kilroy to seek legal advice.
She said: “Honestly, I was just as confused as everyone else. I thought that if this happened to me, maybe it’s happened to someone else. I didn’t know if it was a new scam going around that I hadn’t heard of. So, I made a video to share with the small amount of followers I had to ask around.
“It blew up in a way I didn’t expect. It got way more attention than my usual content. It’s been overwhelming to say the least.”
After two days of confusion and investigating, Kilroy finally learned what happened when the new week rolled around. She discovered that it wasn’t “a magical mortgage miracle,” and she does indeed still have a way to go until it’s paid off.
As it turns out, when she closed on her home, the lender she went with opted her into a first-time home buyer assistance program to help with the down payment. The letter she received last month showed a “Release of Mortgage,” but in fact it just meant the assistant program had been met and paid in full after five years.
Pahmela Foxley, vice president of mortgage lending at Wasatch Peaks Credit Union, told Newsweek that “confusion may occur” in these instances, especially when buyers receive a grant at the start of their loan. This includes a Home Start grant, which ends after five years and leads to a release of mortgage letter.
Foxley said: “A release of mortgage or lien release is a legal recorded document releasing the lender as a lienholder on the property. The document shows that the loan is paid in full and that the borrower has satisfied the terms of the mortgage agreement. By removing the lien, the lender no longer has a claim to the property and you have full ownership of the property.”
Needless to say, it was a very harsh reality for Kilroy, who still has 25 years left on her mortgage.
“It felt like winning the lottery and then realizing you misread the numbers,” she told Newsweek. “I had that emotional high followed by the slow ‘oh no’ moment. But hey, I learned something new and my story has helped others to be aware of what can happen.”
Her advice for other people is to thoroughly check every legal and financial document, and to ask as many questions as necessary.
Since her initial TikTok video went viral, it has generated over 7,200 comments at the time of writing. Kilroy has continued to post updates about her mortgage saga to answer questions and discuss the situation.
One comment reads: “Log into your mortgage online and check the last few payments.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “I hope you have a guardian angel, but my mama always said If it seems to good to be true it probably is.”
While another person added: “call your mortgage company and ask them to make sure it is not a scam.”
Do you have a monetary dilemma? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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