Since becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in 2006, I’ve worked with hundreds, possibly thousands, of business owners. Eventually, their questions start to sound familiar, especially when they start asking me about their home mortgages. I’ve heard, “Justin, how much should I put down on my house?”. Others ask, “Hey Justin, should I finance 100% of my mortgage or not?”. Similarly, other clients ask, “Justin, should I move the equity from my current house to my next house?”, or “Is it better for me to take out a 15-year mortgage or a 30-year mortgage?”. Whether my clients are asking me about ARM loans, balloon notes, down payments, mortgage terms or the like, they’re all asking me the same basic question. What type of mortgage should a business owner have on a house?

Whenever I work with business owners, they often ask me, “Justin, how big of a house should I buy?” In other words, they’re asking me how much money they should pay for a house. To answer their question, I quote famed American author and business theorist, Dr. Thomas Stanley. In his book Stop Acting Rich, Stanley says, “Nothing has a greater impact on your wealth and your consumption than your choice of house and neighborhood.” He goes on to say, “If you live in a high-priced home in an exclusive community, you will spend more than you should, and your ability to save and build wealth will be compromised…” Ultimately, the answer to “How much should a business owner pay for a house?” boils down to the question, “What do you want to accomplish in life?”