Paying your mortgage off early is a great benefit, not only can you live "rent free" earlier, you now have a source of money for investments that may come your way, like Will uses his HELOC.While I agree that using the "mortgage interest" argument for keeping a mortgage is weak, as others have posted, having no mortgage may not be the "highest and best" use of one's assets.

Live rent free and rent out the other 2 apartments - 3 BRs @ $3,600 per month which pays the mortgage and the expenses - and some left over.

Mike, voted, from one transplanted OC native to you :)

How could you fix this situation- You can't unless you let them live rent free, destroy your property and you personally mentor them until they grow up and become good citizens.

We live out in the country and used to have a cat that "took care" of any rodent problem that a "country liver" may have.

My goal was to live rent free or dramatically decrease my current rent which I think I will accomplish. 

Be careful kid.... buy a property where you intend to live and have an efficiency so you can live "rent" free.What's nice is that you have cash can you can definitely use that to negotiate a much lower asking price.

Theres not as much of a transplant population from northerners and latins compared to tampa or miami, more so people from georgia or south carolina.

If I was crazy enough, I would live rent free, save my money and make a bid once the trustee sale happens, which is at the 3 year mark.

Salem has a lot going for it, but it's a pain to drive there unless you live really close.