My Mom proudly announced to me about 10 years ago that her house was officially paid in full.  She sent extra money to the bank whenever she could – practically every month – all the while also scrimping so she could build a savings account for emergencies. She would grow her own vegetables and together she and Dad would can and freeze corn, tomatoes, green beans, and whatever else the garden produced that year.

Ironically even when she was paying off the mortgage, she never looked at the house as an investment.  It was 1) a home, but also 2) a debt burden that had to be rid of. I think she had the right idea,

Financial experts and authors, such as Jane Bryant Quinn advise homeowners to stop considering their home as an investment vehicle and instead see it as a place to live. This is especially true if you are buying a starter home or just starting out with a mortgage, where you’re payments in the first few years are almost all interest anyhow.

A home is not an investment.  It’s a comfort.  It’s safety.  It’s security.

Paying it one way or another (whether pay down or pay off) should be a priority. Like it was 50 years, 30 years, 10 years ago for the generations that preceded us.