We managed to get in at a very good time in the housing market. Our assessed house/ property value has gone up 30% in the last seven years.wife and I both bought houses around 2000, sold in 04 and moved to OR. We bought a house with a 'big' yard, next to a school, and lived the dual-income no-kids life. But we wanted to have our house paid off before we had kids, and when she got pregnant her separation package put us over the hump.
And our house in OR was one of the last built before zoning changed and they capped 'urban sprawl'. Over the next 11 years, our home value increased significantly. That meant that when we sold it and moved to AZ, we could get a much larger house on corner lot with a pool, 5m from work.
congrats, @MC Gusto. getting out from a under a house note is a big deal.
and good on you, @ThatOneDude. this is going to get you there a lot faster.
We have recently been looking at larger properties, so we might end up back in debt again in the next few years. I have a goal of not being able to see my neighbours from my house.