30 years already seem a somewhat too long one. 40 year is even worse. Think of getting home in mid 30s. 30 years from there is mid 60s, still time when many work, but 10 years into retirement and still paying mortgage? Not to forget renovations and mandatory maintenance.
I've hear someone from Amsterdam tell how they bought a house with mortgage. They expanded the mortgage with a few years. The previous owner did the same. Presumably the house and the mortgage swapped ownership together a few times already, and you were not expected to pay it fully off in your lifetime. Is this normal?
I've always wondered what the economic implications of longer lifespans are. It seems like this is one of them-- imagine we have 80+ year mortgages once human life expectancy reaches 150 years.