Would it be smarter to save a bunch of money say $75,000 and then get financing for another $25,000 and pay off a home in 10 years quickly, so that I can build a $100,000 home?

Or would it be smarter to put all that $$ in a bank and make payments on that home over 30-40 years instead?

With interest rates as low as they are, and the favorable mortgage tax deductions available, it would be much better to invest the surplus capital.

For a discussion on this topic from the Motley Fool message board click here.

..."Houses usually appreciate at the rate of inflation, give or take. There are probably better long-term investments you can find (30-years, the life of a typical home mortgage is definitely long term). At the end of 30 years, you'll probably find that you're a lot wealthier if you invested in places other than your own home. Also, 20 years from now your mortgage payment will be laughably small. Because of inflation, you're essentially taking full value dollars now to pay off smaller, future dollars."

Agreed. We all like the safety net of having a paid for house. Your money can work a lot better for you through good investing.