Mortgages and Retirement: Reasons to Pay it Down

For those who are approaching retirement age and considering ideal timing and budgeting themes here, an active mortgage is one of the key areas that will be considered. As one of your largest individual expenses, remaining years and amounts on a mortgage may play a major role in determining when you can retire – and some in this position will make extra efforts to pay off their mortgage before retirement.

At Altius Mortgage and our partners at Mortgage Ogden, we’re happy to provide not only a wide variety of mortgage options, including reverse mortgages for those over age 62, but also tips and expertise for those who have an existing mortgage and are looking for advice on how to proceed with it leading up to retirement. While some make it a major priority to pay the mortgage off ahead of retirement, others don’t feel quite the same rush – and both groups are often justified here. This two-part blog will go over some reasons why many make this effort, but then also why others don’t and why it’s okay to be on either side of this coin depending on your specific situation.

The Stress of Debt

Owing money can be a stressful thing, especially for larger sums like an outstanding mortgage. Those who are constantly worried about their debts may see these struggles transfer over to other areas of their life, such as their sleep quality or general anxiety levels.

For those who are able from a reasonable financial standpoint, paying down the mortgage at a slightly accelerated rate before retirement is a great way to limit this stress entering what’s supposed to be a rewarding period of life. Be sure not to go too crazy here and risk your retirement funds or other parts of your budget; that said, there are many simple ways to increase your payments and move a bit quicker through the final few months or years of your mortgage so you own the home outright by the time you retire.

Budgeting Themes

In addition, retirement comes with some significant budgeting needs. You won’t be working or receiving the same kind of steady income, meaning you must budget well. Without an expensive mortgage taking up a significant portion of your funds each month, it will be much easier to budget other retirement areas.

Interest Savings

Maybe the biggest reason some homeowners look to fully pay down the mortgage before retirement: Paying less overall interest. You might be able to save thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in future interest payments by accelerating your mortgage payments. Be sure to check about early payment fees, which are present for some lenders in certain cases.

For more on how to consider your mortgage when approaching retirement, or to learn about any of our mortgage rates or other home loan services, speak to the staff at Altius Mortgage today.