Fort Wayne homeowner Kate was surprised to discover how she felt when she made the last mortgage payment on her home. “I thought the day I paid off the house would be the best day ever, but it is really the next month, when you don’t have to make that payment and you suddenly realize how much money you have to spend on something else.”  At first she devoted her extra money to fixing up her house, but once those tasks were done, her options expanded. “Now we have money to go on vacations and relax and look toward retirement with less stress. My husband says that this house is our guarantee that we won’t have to eat cat food,” she joked. Their home has nearly tripled in value since they purchased it in 1996. She recommended making a full commitment to the home and its location to make...