Seniors Only. What is best for a couple of 65 years of age. To own a home free and clear of a mortgage?

And pay taxes, fire,homeowners, earthquake and flood insurance once a year? And have a small nest egg? or hold a large nest egg and a mortgage?
Answers:
You might also want to consider what needs to be saved for insurance claim deductable within case of fire, roof damage, hose down damage and plumbling repairs, new sea heater, paint and upkeep as needed such as heating and cooling,, so on. *mamatx
There are too many variables here to cause a blanket judgment. So much depends on how much a person have saved for retirement and the amount coming in respectively month. Having my own home paid for makes the most sense for me. On a teacher's retirement settle up, I would be paying half of my monthly pension on my mortgage. With a mortgage, I would enjoy to withdraw from my saving every month to generate ends meet, so whatever stash I have would dwindle rather fast.
In my opinion, paying stale the mortgage is the best route to follow. I'm not a financial advisor. I'm a guy who bought a house, paid if off surrounded by half the time, sold it, and is now living contained by an apartment again (yup, paying rent again) and loving it. The following will explain why I chose to do what I did.

I can't tell you how many populace tell me they want to keep a mortgage because of the income import tax write-off. In my humble opinion, an income tax write-off is individual a nice little kiss on the cheek by the IRS, but that kiss represents true love only if you can't pay rotten the mortage in full. If you can pay sour the mortgage in full, but you don't do it, then the little kiss from the IRS is a sucker kiss. And it's so because if you can pay packet off a mortgage, and you don't, you are throwing interest payment money away mitt over fist. And the mortgage company is loving you for it because that's how they make money.

Here's how the income-tax write-off (or IRS kissing) works. Let's assume you have a mortgage and your monthly salary is $1000. In the early stages, your mortgage payment can typically hold $100 going toward your principal, and $900 going toward interest. In the later stages of the mortgage, this will have reversed itself over the years and you are presently typically paying $900 toward the principal, and only $100 toward interest. It works that way because initially, your mortgage match is higher and the amount going toward interest is higher, but as the mortgage go together gets smaller, the amount going toward interest gets smaller.

But even after the IRS have given you an income-tax break, you are still paying interest that you would not have to pay at adjectives if your mortgage was free and clear. For example, if your income-tax bracket is 30%, you will save 30% of the interest you compensated on your mortgage. When your mortage interest is $900 per month, you save $270 of it. Sounds nice enough, but it routine you're still paying $630 of it every month, which doesn't sound so nice. Toward the end of your mortgage, when you are paying $100 per month surrounded by interest, you are saving $30, but still paying $70 each month. Some relatives think this is a reason to jazz around with glee, but only because they don't take in that if their mortgage was free and clear, they would be paying zero interest respectively month. Paying zero interest payment is much better than paying $630 respectively month in the early stages and $70 respectively month in the later stages. This alone should spawn it clear to anyone, why the honest financial advisors will recommend you pay off the mortgage as soon as you can. Not doing so is costing you through the snout. The income-tax write-off is nice, but very small, and not the wisest thing to do. Paying sour the mortgage and not paying any interest at all is the way to be in motion (and as soon as you can).

When I decided to buy a home (a two-bedroom condo), I did so because I was worried going on for my future retirement. One of the big questions that come to mind was, woud I have satisfactory money in retirement to make it? The thought of buying a home, and paying it bad made me feel comfortable. I reasoned that if nothing else, at least possible I'll have a roof over my head i.e. paid for. No one will be able to throw me out surrounded by the street. I'll always have a roof over my commander. Well, that's foolish thinking. Paying off your house doesn't mean you'll other have a roof over your head. Try not paying your property taxes for a short time ago one year, and you'll soon find out how quickly the county government can help yourself to your house away from you. There are no guarantees in life.

So, anyway, I get a condo, paid for it in partially the time, saved $30K in interest charges, and be quite happy going on for it. But, later, as the value of homes sky-rocketed, I notice that with the increased value come increased property taxes. My combined property taxes and condo fees increased to aroung $435 per month. That's a lot different that what I thought when I first got the notion to buy a condo. I thought that when my mortgage was paid for, I'd be living contained by my place for free. I forgot about property taxes, and (in this case) condo fees too. Not to mention maintenance expenses, such as the cost to replace appliances (stove, refrigerator, river heater, heat pump, etc.).

I be learning more and more as the years passed, and although I didn't regret having bought and compensated for a place of my own, I was nonetheless finding myself wondering whether it wouldn't now be wiser to get rid of it go back to apartment renting.

I asked myself whether the equity on my home would not be worth more to me surrounded by the bank earning interest. Right afterwards, my equity wasn't earning me any money. It was merely sitting there as property value that be costing me property tax. And there be also the ever increasing condo fee. When I noticed that selling the place and putting the proceeds within the bank would pay me $700 per month interest and formulate my rent of $915 per month equivalent to paying only $215 per month, I decided that be a better deal than paying $435 per month in property duty and condo fee. I would be a couple hundred dollars ahead of the game, and that's not counting the benefit of not have anymore maintenance expenses which can be costly. This revelation was freshly too good to pass up. I put the place up for mart and got out of home ownership.

Another advantage to person a renter again is that if I decide to move from my current location (Maryland) to Florida or some other retirement location, it's a very confident move. No need to put the condo up for sale, verbs about a possibly depressed real estate open market, or about getting a qualified buyer, and tons of other concerns. As a renter, all I inevitability to do is find the other apartment, sign a lease; and then end the lease at the current apartment, and name the movers. Bingo. It's done.

As a single guy, I feel very comfortable next to my choices, but then, I'm in control of everything. All the proceeds from the public sale of my home (the money that's now in the hill earning interest to help compensate my rent) is in my control, and I don't have to verbs about a spouse deciding to run stale with it. So, if you find my choices to be appealing enough to consider, consequently you might only need to put some protective controls surrounded by place to guard the money in the bank from possibly disappearing because one of the spouses decide to go wild.

To web it out, I think paying off the mortgage is better. And afterwards, I think selling it can be an added plus. Hope you'll find my having shared my experiences near you to be of value.

ADDENDUM:
Please keep within mind that everyone's situation is different. What will make one person touch comfortable will make another feel discomfited for whatever reason seem valid to him or her. To truely understand what's best for you, you need to analyze respectively possible decision on a separate piece of paper. Then compare them adjectives and pick the best one for you.

For the first example, take the situation where you earnings off your mortgage and are left beside a smaller nest egg. Many people think contained by terms of the nest egg having shrunk, and don't for a single minute tender any thought to the fact that in additon to have shrunk, it now also has the fantastic proficiency to grow again. That is, they don't give thought to the fact that if their mortgage payoff which represented a large portion of their monthly income, will now represent extra money respectively month. And that extra money can be put into savings to build their nest egg (401K or whatever) back up again. And when that extra money represents partially of someone's monthly income, it can build that nest egg back up pretty quickly.

For example, if your nest egg is reduced to $25K because you salaried off your mortgage, that $25K can now grow vastly quickly back to it's inspired amount if you start depositing into it the extra money you now have respectively month because you no longer have a mortgage payment to kind. Look at the example below which is based on your having rid yourself of a $1000 monthly mortgage reimbursement:

First year:
$25,000 in nest egg.
$1,000 in interest earn from balance (in CDs at 4%)
$12,000 in money deposits (formerly mortgage payments)
$38,000 new nest egg balance contained by just one year.

Second year:
$38,000 in nest egg
$1,520 contained by interest earned from balance (in CDs at 4%)
$12,000 surrounded by savings deposits (formerly mortgage payments)
$51,520 new nest egg symmetry in just 2 years.

Third year:
$51,520 contained by nest egg
$2,061 in interest earned from harmonize (in CDs at 4%)
$12,000 in savings deposits (fromerly mortgage payments)
$65,581 unusual nest egg balance in basically 3 years.

Fourth year:
$65,581 in nest egg
$2,623 in interest earn from balance (in CDs at 4%)
$12,000 in reserves deposits (formerly mortgage payments)
$80,204 new nest egg balance

Fifth year:
$80,204 within nest egg
$3,208 in interest earned from stability (in CDs at 4%)
$12,000 in savings deposits (formerly mortgage payments)
$95,412 current nest egg balance.

See what I mean?

Now you can write up the second example which is what would come to pass if you decide to continue making your mortgage payments respectively month, rather than paying it off within full.

My guess is that you'll come to the conclusion that it's best to pay it off, and start putting the extra money you after have (because you are no longer making mortgage payments) back into your hoard.

But the final decision is yours based on your assessment of what would put together you feel most comfortable.
The best proposal is to eliminate any debt and live simply as you can. Even having money surrounded by the bank is risky the way things are going. Buy gold ingots coins that can be used in an emergency. I have other remembered my parents telling me about the stock crash and how citizens couldn;t get their money from the banks because they adjectives closed their doors.
At 65 most are retired - I said most - not adjectives. Some would say the house free and clear and others would say a considerable nest egg! It really depends on the wants and needs of the couple!
CJ
For me, a bought and salaried for house gives me a great sense of security. Unfortunately I own no nest egg to speak of so maybe not so clever after all. I spatter into the 'property rich, cash poor' category.
I think that would all depend on your income respectively month, your health benefits and such. For one thing owning your own home is positive money, instead of paying interest to a bank or mortgage company, but at the same time, if paying your home mortgage past its sell-by date, puts you in a bind financially, then paying by the month is a better choice. I am not 65, but hold worked in the finance pasture all my working life.
Every individuals circumstances are different.It depends on their financial needs in their senior years.The answer is different for everyone.
We own our home and have singular a tiny nest egg, but we have Social Security also. My husband has a garden and that is to say important too him. If we did not own our home he could not raise fruit trees and livestock.
Own the house.


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