# Just paid off my mortgage! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449 "2018-12-20T22:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/21 "2018-12-21T15:43:24Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **Chefguy** - I’ll let you know when it happens. Although the rental property hardly counts as debt, because it’s generating a good profit. > > My goal is to put 1 in retirement or savings for every dollar in pay I take home. Right now I'm at about .60 for every dollar. > > StG Still, a mortgage is normally the biggest albatross, and a relief to be rid of. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/22 "2018-12-21T16:02:12Z")
Congratulations! Unsolicited financial advice: If you have property taxes where you live that have been being paid out of an escrow account, go ahead and set up a separate “escrow” savings account and put aside monthly enough money to cover 125% of last year’s tax bill. Let the overage just sit there and accrue interest even after you’ve paid next year’s taxes. Keep the amount at 125% of last year’s bill and likely you’ll never be in a bad way come property tax time. We’ve been doing this since paying off our mortgage and next year is our county’s revaluation year, and I’m hearing lots of folks freaking out because there’s a chance their tax bill may go up by 15-20%. Smug isn’t exactly the word for how I’m feeling about it, but it’s definitely something on that side of the curve. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/23 "2018-12-21T16:19:57Z")
Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/24 "2018-12-21T17:00:24Z")
Another vote for liking the color scheme, and frankly, it does not immediately scream “barn” to me anyway. Love the windows with the rounded top. Someone remind me, is there a name for those? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/25 "2018-12-21T17:34:48Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Congratulations! > > Unsolicited financial advice: If you have property taxes where you live that have been being paid out of an escrow account, go ahead and set up a separate “escrow” savings account and put aside monthly enough money to cover 125% of last year’s tax bill. Let the overage just sit there and accrue interest even after you’ve paid next year’s taxes. Keep the amount at 125% of last year’s bill and likely you’ll never be in a bad way come property tax time. > > We’ve been doing this since paying off our mortgage and next year is our county’s revaluation year, and I’m hearing lots of folks freaking out because there’s a chance their tax bill may go up by 15-20%. Smug isn’t exactly the word for how I’m feeling about it, but it’s definitely something on that side of the curve. 🙂 I’ve already done that - taxes & insurance. StG ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/26 "2018-12-21T18:19:29Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Love the windows with the rounded top. Someone remind me, is there a name for those? By itself, it’s just a round- or arch-top window. Add a rectangular window on either side, and it’s a [Venetian window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_window) (though I’m more familiar with the variant term Palladian window). > [@StGermain](#): > > I’ve already done that - taxes & insurance. > > StG Great minds! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/27 "2018-12-21T18:23:45Z")
Congrats! Time to refinance! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/28 "2018-12-21T21:18:17Z")
A nice classic farmhouse! And red looks good on it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/29 "2018-12-22T13:36:11Z")
Link is not working for me, but congrats! We’ve been totally debt free for a few years now and it feels wonderful. I never again want to owe anyone another nickel. Now you get to pump up that retirement portfolio! mmm ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/30 "2018-12-22T13:41:25Z")
Six months for us. Could pay it off tomorrow, but chose the tax break. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/31 "2018-12-22T14:27:42Z")
Congratulations! We had a Mortgage Burning party, but of course only burned an effigy. But burn it we did! ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449/32 "2018-12-22T18:53:39Z")
It’s quite a liberating feeling, isn’t it? The only downside I’ve noticed so far is at work: When being irritated by some of the many things that irritate us there, I fear I may take the “take this job and shove it” attitude too literally with my mouth writing a check my head can’t cash…practicality-wise. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-paid-off-my-mortgage/826449.md?page=1)