<prompt> Human: I recently have been thinking about selling my house, and renting for a bit as we have had three consecutive quarters of major economic indicator declines. Mostly, I want to protect my equity incase another recession takes place so that we can move back into our own new home a few years from now. Alternatively, my wife and I just finished our bachelors degrees, and she suggested we sell the house, pay all of our student debts off, and one line of credit we used for our wedding a few years ago. Instinctually, this sounds great financially to prevent more interest payments, but on the other hand I feel like real estate equity should be treated on the same level as retirement when it comes to your primary residence.Which path is more logical to you Personal Financiers?  <response>: Those plans are counter to anything I would ever tell someone to do. Here is the third path: Is the house affordable? If yes then stay put- continue making the minimum payments on everything and save money for an emergency fund. If another recession happens then you have money to pay for your housing... One thing I have observed- we are all waiting for the next recession- much like my grandparents were waiting for the next depression their entire lives. They had some great money habits- but also never spent money on things they enjoyed. 