3 kids. i would guess that a large percentage of the people who own free and clear inherited the place. maybe 1/3 ? and that the rate of people paying off their mortagges to the end has to be declining rapidly. not that this necessarily means anything significant. except that it goes to the issue of whther people are actually owning homes, which, really, may not matter.

it is a part of people’s identity. people i know who are “losing” their recently purchased homes with little down feel distress at having to be “renters”. why?

they lost their lottery ticket?

they lost something. some part of being int he game.

they certainly didn’t lose “their” house…

notthat im any better than them. i ahve the same dumb irrational mindset but in an inverted way…. I am so pleased with my newfound several year pride in being a renter (afetr a whole lifetimeof feeling kinda sheepish about it) that it kinda pains me a little to give it up. it’s like it’s currently my badge of honor, my haha, I’m smart, I zig when others zag kinda badge. not that im really smarter or doing muuch better, at least not anymore than homedebtors arereally homeowners. it’s just a goofy little piece of identity that id have to give up if i bought a house. whichit’s almost inevitable that i do,sitting onabunch of cash witha wife who wantsa house and varioussmall fry and a stable job and well, all the factors that make it slightly amazing actuarially that i don’t actuallyalready havea 30 year mortgage.