Owning a home when one retires is a very important step. I know a lot of people still rent because they want to be able to remain mobile, however when retirement comes if one is still renting then one may be eating a lot of dog food or cheap tuna fish sandwiches. Taxes on homes will still eat into a retirement fund but not as much as paying rent and that rent increasing every year.

I think you did a very smart thing when you decided to become a home owner and not a renter.