[neoflex]

I think Shilala nailed it with both of his posts.
I'm 35 and 5 years ago my wife and I bought the current home we're living in with the intentions of living here long enough to see the mortgage out. Truth be told we are not satisfied with the neighborhood as we bought in the early stages of the subdivision and now we have no intentions of staying here. We are both hoping the market rebounds in the near future so we can sell and move elsewhere even if it just means breaking even on our current home. I personally want to either move to a subdivision where it has a tighter nit community feel or further out in the country where I will have a decent amount of property where I don't even see my neighbors home and can do more with mine. Long story short location is everything. Will you be 100% satisfied with going from one extreme to the other? Unless you plan on spending the majority of your early retirement traveling the location of where you will be living is key as you will be spending a whole lot more time there. If your not satisfied with where you are living will the earlier retirement be worth it to you and your family in the long run?