I've never had a Mortgage.
I bought and sold 3 different houses...paid cash.
First house I bought at an estate Auction for $7500 in 1986. The house was previously listed for $39K, while it was a large old Brick house, it was in livable condition. After the Auction, while talking to the auctioneer, who was also a realtor, I asked why this place went so cheap and why wasn't he bidding on it. He said half the houses in town have a "For Sale" sign in the front yard...and he was glad a stranger was bidding on one of them, to move to town, otherwise, he said he was considering bidding on it, as it included 3 city lots.
Not having a Mortgage may not have been the smartest thing, buying old cheap houses with cash, as they don't accrue in value like bigger better houses. I'd probably been better off with a Mortgage or two...Who knows? I could have been bit during the Housing bubble in 2006-07