I think you need to re-read what he wrote and check your math. He wrote maybe $10,000 to $20,000 more for paid off MR on a house with $5400 annual MR (payoff = $58,000). And I think thats a fairly big maybe. His opinion is very much in line with mine that paying them off wont get you close to a dollar for dollar return. A 2 to 4X the annual MR payment seems like a reasonable boost in value for paid off MR but I wouldnt expect more. Paying them off could be a wise choice if you stay long term but most likely wouldnt if you wanted to boost resale value only.
